52 Money Save Ways: Week 19: Watch Food Waste
Welcome to another week of Money Save Ways tips. I hope the tips so far have helped you save more money and made your year much better! This weekly series of tips is to accompany the 52 Week Money Challenge. If you are following along, deposit $19 into your savings or $34 if you are doing the challenge in reverse.
52 Money Save Ways: Week 19: Watch Food Waste
I used to get so annoyed with myself when I would do my weekly fridge cleanup and find all sorts of food that I let go to waste. To me, throwing away that half a head of lettuce or those leftovers that never got eaten was like throwing away straight cash into my garbage. This used to happen more times than I like to admit, so I started making a conscious effort to stop it or at least lessen the amount that went to waste.
Here are some tips for lessening food waste in your home:
Keep an eye on how much the people in your home eat at meals. Don’t make more than is necessary to begin with. Don’t count on everyone having “seconds”. If folks are still hungry, a small snack can suffice.
Have a plan for everything you buy. Don’t buy things you will only use part of. For instance, if you just need a little bit of a certain kind of cheese for a dish, buy it from the deli by the pound rather than the package from the dairy section of your store.
Make a weekly meal plan. Doing this will allow you to first “shop” your own kitchen when you are deciding what to make. It will give you an opportunity to see what you have on hand before you go out and buy a duplicate.
Use your freezer. If you bought something that you can freeze well and it is not being used, make use of your freezer to save it. I do this often for things like shredded cheese. If I have some left over after a week and no plan to use it any time soon, I just stick it in the freezer for later use. This way, I am never throwing things like this out.
Get creative with leftovers. Often times, when we have tacos or burritos for dinner, there are a couple of leftover tortillas in the bag. I scramble up some eggs, add some cheese and sausage crumbles and roll them up into breakfast burritos to stick in my freezer for a quick microwavable breakfast. With scraps from carrots, onions, celery and others, you can freeze them and use them for soup stocks.
How do you stop food waste from happening in your home? I would love to hear your tips!
If you missed past weeks of the Money Save Ways tips, be sure to check out these links. Also, check out the 52 Week Money Challenge as well!
- 52 Money Save Ways: Week 18: Use Vinegar to Clean
- 52 Money Save Ways: Week 17: Buy the Smaller Package
- 52 Money Save Ways: Week 16: Teach Your Kids About Money
- 52 Money Save Ways: Week 15: Splurge When it Matters
- 52 Money Save Ways: Week 14: Wash Your Car At Home
- 52 Money Save Ways: Week 13: Meat-free Monday
- 52 Money Save Ways: Week 12: Create a Price book
- 52 Money Save Ways: Week 11: Avoid Fees
- 52 Money Save Ways: Week 10: Cut Your Own Hair
- 52 Money Save Ways: Week 9: Watch your Electricity
- 52 Money Save Ways: Week 8: Turn Off The Tv
- 52 Money Save Ways: Week 7: Drink More Water
- 52 Money Save Ways: Week 6: Maintain your car
- 52 Money Save Ways: Week 5: Reap the Rewards
- 52 Money Save Ways: Week 4: Practice the Waiting Game
- 52 Money Save Ways: Week 3: Buy Seasonings in Bulk
- 52 Money Save Ways: Week 2: Buy Your Clothes Used
- 52 Money Save Ways: Week 1: Make Lists
- 52 Week Money Challenge
- 52 Week Money Challenge Tracker (Printable and Electronic Versions)
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