Being frugal with your grocery shopping is all well and good, but if part of your food is getting thrown out, then that means that wasn't so frugal after all. Though I'm good at keeping down my food bills, making sure that food doesn't get wasted is something I'm still working on. I would say I'm about "medium good" at preventing food waste. Here's some ideas from a reader which can help you and me prevent our food from getting thrown out.
Thankfully, there are some ways you can prevent food wastage in your home and I am going to share some of them with you.
Freeze Your Leftovers
If you have a lot of food leftovers from a big meal you should consider freezing some of your leftovers instead of throwing them away. Freezing your leftover food is a great way to prevent food from going to waste in your home because it can be stored for a long time when frozen. Simply put any leftover food you have into a dish and put it in the freezer. You may want to put a sticky note on your container that lets you know when you put the leftover food in the freezer. This will help you know how old the food is when you decide to eat it.
Generally, food that has been frozen will last pretty long, but there are some limits as well. If your frozen food has a lot of freezers burn, you may want to reconsider eating it. If you want to increase the amount of time your food will last in your freezer you will want to purchase a food saver. These are great kitchen tools that will help you preserve your food and make it last longer in the freezer by creating a vacuum seal around your food. This removes the oxygen from your food and will prevent oxidation, and freezer burns from occurring. If you are looking at foodsaver comparisons, make sure you consider the quality of the machine because you do not want to purchase a cheaper one because it will likely break quicker. Instead, you should purchase one that is of higher quality to make sure you will be able to freeze your food for years to come.
Buy What You Need by Creating a List
When it comes to buying food at the grocery store, it can be easy to get carried away. It is important to create a list before you go shopping at the grocery store as this will help make sure you do not get distracted by other products. Creating a list and sticking to it is a great way to make sure you do not buy too much food during your grocery store trip. Buying too much food can lead to food wastage because sometimes our eyes can be larger than our stomachs. Also, another tip while shopping is to never do grocery shopping while you are hungry. This can lead to many impulsive purchases at the grocery store and also lead to food wastage. The best time to shop is after you have just eaten a good meal, and have created a grocery list to help keep you on track in the store.
Store Food in the Correct Places
A common reason food gets wasted is because foods go bad when they are not stored properly. It is important to make sure you are storing your food in the proper ways to ensure they do not spoil. If you have milk, cheese, yogurt, eggs, and meats, you will want to make sure that they are stored inside a refrigerator. If you do not plan on using items like meat for a while, you should put them in the freezer instead. Also, foods like bread, bagels, and pasta should be stored in dry areas to prevent molding. If you are not sure where you should store a certain type of food you should take the time to search for your answer on Google. There are many online resources available that will assist you with proper food storage. Following this simple tip can help prevent food from going bad in your home and reduce your food wastage.
If you want to help save the environment, reduce the global food crisis, and help save some money, you need to follow these simple tips to help stop you from wasting food. Make sure you remember to store food in their proper places to prevent them from spoiling prematurely. Also, never go grocery shopping while you are hungry and always follow your list. If you follow these simple tips you will be able to reduce the amount of food your household wastes.
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extreme frugality
freezing
frugal food
frugal strategies
preservation
revamped leftovers
zero food waste