Do you want to save money on your grocery bill? Do you ever open your panty or fridge and see a ton of food, but you feel like you don’t have the right ingredients to put together a meal? Are you throwing food away because it gets lost in the pantry and you don’t find it until it is expired? I would like to share with you some ways to declutter the food in your home, which will also reduce the amount of food waste.
PLAN YOUR MEALS
If you have difficulty in the area of meal planning, I have some ideas for you. I have always struggled with wanting to be in the kitchen, so I had to devise some ways to make it more enjoyable. My biggest problem is that I never know what to make. I don’t mind cooking, but I don’t like coming up with ideas. The creative side of my brain has been overtaken by the business portion, and I have not figured out how to balance that out yet.
So, in the meantime, I have created a list of meals that I make on a regular basis, sorted by type of meat.
For Christmas one year, my daughter made me a sign with a section for each day of the week. She also made me cute notecards with the meals that I regularly make written on each one. Once a week, we pull the list out at dinner, and everyone gets to pick a couple of meals for the upcoming week.
Sometimes I will find something on sale, say chicken. I will then ask them to focus a little more on the chicken column. But overall, this system works great for all of us. I don’t have to think of what to make and everyone gets to choose the meals that they are craving. They certainly don’t have to choose from the list, but it at least helps us all get our brains going.
CREATE A GROCERY LIST FROM YOUR PLANNED MEALS
Planning your meals makes creating a grocery list SO MUCH EASIER! I just check the cupboards for the items I will need before I go and make the list off of the meals they have chosen. You will find that you reduce food waste because (if you stick to your list) you will not buy food just for the sake of filling your cupboards.
One more idea concerning your grocery list. Try to separate your list by grocery type. For example, my first section is non-grocery, followed by pantry items, dairy, meat and lastly, produce. I tend to stick to my list better when it is sorted in this order. I don’t find myself going up and down aisles multiple times. This not only saves time, but it also reduces the chances of finding that one item that you think you just can’t live without.
FREEZE EXCESS PRODUCE
A lot of the food that we throw away each year is produce that has gone bad. One of the ways that you can combat this problem is to process and freeze produce that you don’t think you will be able to use up before it expires. For example, if you buy a package of peppers, set aside the amount that you think you will use. Take the remaining peppers, soak them or spray them with vinegar to kill any bacteria, then dice them up and put them in a plastic freezer bag to use later. When you freeze them, be sure to lay them flat (as pictured).
I like to do this with as much produce as I can, such as celery, onions, carrots and even apples. I use the veggies in soups, casseroles and stir fry dishes throughout the year, and I like to put the diced apples in my oatmeal.
It is so much easier to make a quick, last-minute meal when a lot of your food prep is done, and you will reduce food waste at the same time!
I have also found that these bags stack nicely in the freezer on the shelf or sit upright in plastic baskets. I prefer to use the Sterilite Medium Size Baskets. Then when you need a specific type of frozen produce, you can just flip through your bags as you would a file folder.
Another idea for decluttering your kitchen is to cook from scratch. You will find that many recipes call for the same basic ingredients, especially if your family enjoys a particular type of food. For example, have you noticed that Italian foods all use the same basic ingredients?
Before I started cooking from scratch, I would constantly find random sauces and envelopes of spice kits in my cupboard. Not only did they clutter up my cupboards, but they are also a waste of money if you don’t use them. Remember, we are trying to SAVE MONEY on our grocery bill! I also believe that in many cases, cooking from scratch is the healthier option.
DONATE UNUSED FOOD TO A LOCAL FOOD SHELF
The next thing you can do is go through your pantry and pull out the items that maybe you bought because they were on sale, or you thought you would try one day, but in all honesty, they are just cluttering up your space. You can give these items to a food shelf. Many food shelves have a website that includes all of the information that you need to make a donation, including a food items wish list. Try to keep the mindset that you are not only decluttering your own home, but you are also helping a family in need.
We all hate wasting both food and money, so consider adding some of these ideas to your routine! To recap, here are 5 Easy Ways to Reduce Food Waste and Save Money on your Grocery Bill:
- Plan your meals
- Create a grocery list from your planned meals
- Freeze excess produce
- Cook from scratch
- Donate unused food to a local food shelf
If you are looking for more ways to save money, check out these blog posts:
How I Save Money on my Energy Bill – Summer Edition
How I Save Money on my Energy Bill – Winter Edition
Just trying to make the simple life,
Leah