5 Ways to Reduce Food Waste in Your Household
September 12, 2012If you’re like the average American, nearly $500 of your hard-earned money goes down the drain annually because of wasted food. $500 a year would go a long way toward shoring up your retirement savings or even paying down your credit card debt.
Even if you’re on track financially, why waste that kind of money when you don’t have to? Here are five easy ways to reduce food waste in your household:
1. Plan Your Grocery Trips
One great way to reduce food waste is to limit the amount of food you buy, especially perishables. Plan your meals and make a specific list of items you know you will use in the coming week. Sure, you can stock up on rice or pasta if you see a deal, but for fresh produce and anything else that can spoil, buy enough for the week and no more.
2. Organize Your Refrigerator
Regardless of who does the shopping in my household, I am adamant about putting away the groceries. Nothing irritates me more than having to throw something away just because I didn’t know it was there. Your refrigerator isn’t that big – there aren’t too many places for this stuff to hide! Organize your refrigerator, placing older items in front of the new ones, and you’ll throw away less.
3. Freeze Leftovers
This may sound elementary, but how many times have you thrown away leftovers just because you just didn’t feel like eating them? Keep enough leftovers for one additional meal in the fridge and freeze the rest. This reduces waste and also means you’ll spend less time in the kitchen preparing future meals. Just make sure you take measures to prevent freezer burn.
4. Get Creative
Let’s say you have several vegetables that are close to spoiling, along with a pint of milk. Instead of just letting them go bad, come up with a recipe of your own. With these ingredients, you could make some pasta primavera or a creamy vegetable soup – it simply depends on how creative you’re willing to be. If you’re in a pinch, throw whatever you have that’s about to go bad together with some pasta, tomato sauce, and melted cheese, and bam – you’ve got yourself a nice casserole.
5. Store Foods Properly
Most fresh herbs store better when they’re wrapped in paper towels. Virtually all green leafy vegetables keep best in Ziploc bags, while other vegetables are best stored without any covering at all. Perform a quick Internet search for the best way to store the foods you buy the most and proceed accordingly.
Final Thoughts
Considering that groceries are typically second on the list of expenses behind your rent or mortgage, it certainly pays to reduce your waste as much as you can. Also, consider the global hunger aspect. If every American reduced their food waste by a mere 15%, that would equal enough food to feed 25 million people. This is important especially because of rising food prices.
What additional ways can you suggest to reduce food waste?