Five Easy Steps to Reduce Food Waste (Without Going Insane)

I wrote earlier about our realization that we were wasting food, which meant we were also wasting money and natural resources as well as contributing to greenhouse gases.

To coin a phrase, once we admitted we had a problem we were able to start solving it. We’ve reduced the amount we don’t eat considerably and as a result have reduced our spending on groceries at a time when prices are rising. Doing all this knowing we are also helping the environment makes for a true win-win situation.

Here is what we’ve learned so far:

(1)   An organized pantry and refrigerator are your friends. It is hard to know what to cook, or to buy, if you don’t know what you have. Grouping similar items is especially helpful since possible substitutions can be seen more easily. If you live with others, make sure to discuss the organizational system so everyone is on the same page. When I finally asked Rich why he kept putting the cheese back in different places instead of the cheese zone, he replied, “The refrigerator has zones?” Save yourself the frustration with a quick chat! (Love you honey!)
(2)   Properly stored food lasts longer. We relied on the refrigerator’s dial and guesswork to control its internal temperature until I read an article on food safety. We ponied up a couple of bucks for a refrigerator thermometer and found our frig was running a bit warm. For safety, refrigerators should be kept 40° F or cooler and freezers should be kept 0° F or cooler. For a helpful overview of food storage tips, visit Are You Storing Food Safely? by the FDA.
(3)   Eat what you already have. This idea came directly from Mary Hunt, a frugal living expert who dubbed 2008 her year to stop living wastefully. Eat what you already have at home before shopping for more. The first time we did this, we went three weeks past the time we normally would have gone grocery shopping without a trip! This exercise also helped us to think more about Tip #4 as we ate our way through spontaneous purchases gone awry.
(4)   Plan your meals, then make a shopping list. I know there are lots of gifted meal planners out there who will shake their heads when they read this, but for the longest time we did not plan our meals. When we went to the grocery store we had a list of things we needed but, invariably, halfway through the store we would look at each other and say, “What are we going to have for dinner tonight?” For those of you who, like us, need some help getting started, WikiHow has posted How to Meal Plan and Unclutter has posted Creating a Weekly Meal Plan, complete with a handy spreadsheet. There are also services such as Meal Mixer and E-Mealz that will provide a meal plan and shopping list for a small fee.
(5)   See leftovers as a jumpstart on a new meal. My daughter’s love of the American Girl® Kit sparked reading about the Great Depression in our house. Santa was kind enough to bring her Kit’s Cooking Studio last year so the idea of using leftovers was introduced to a very kid-friendly way. Soups and casseroles have proven to be our best bets for using items that are on their way to going bad. The ever-popular Leftover Night helps us use those odd bits of food while also giving us a night off from cooking.

For more ideas, visit Love Food Hate Waste. This site features suggestions ranging from pantry essentials to how to cook the proper amount for your family. It is based in the UK so the recipes use the metric rather than standard system of measurement. If you see a recipe you like, just check out this conversion chart.

Also check out Wasted Food, especially the Tip section, for more food-saving inspiration. This site also links to organizations that help feed the hungry.

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