By taking a good look at the way we buy, store and use our food at home, it's possible to make more with what we have, produce less waste and reduce the amount we have to buy every week. The tips here will help you with some basic changes you can make to your everyday use of food and might help you think a little differently about how food is used at home.
Planning meals.
Planning meals is still one of the most effective methods of controlling and reducing the amount of food you buy. Before you go grocery shopping, plan what meals you think you will cook over the next few days and make a list of what you will need. This limits impulse buying and the waste that inevitably results from it. The simple use of a shopping list and ensuring that you don't deviate from it without good reason can have a huge impact on everyday grocery bills but is particularly effective when used as part of the meal planning process.
Be aware of the seasons.
Understanding seasonal foods will help you control what you are willing to pay for some foods. When a particular fruit or vegetable is out of season, it inevitably becomes more expensive to buy as special production techniques have to be used to grow it. By sticking to seasonal fruit and vegetables you avoid paying premium prices for high demand out of season food and you will become more aware of the price fluctuations in some foods.
When seasonal fruits are in abundance, use them to make preserves that will keep for months rather days or weeks, allowing you to enjoy the fruit for longer without buying more.
Avoid big shopping trips.
If you can, try to shop more often but buying smaller amounts. This will lower the amount you buy in any one shopping trip and will reduce the amount of waste food you might have, particularly where fresh or refrigerated food is concerned. If you only buy enough for a few days, there is less chance that fresh food will perish and need to be disposed of.
Don't forget about the leftovers.
Leftover food can be great fun to experiment with. Why not share recipes for using leftovers with friends and family? Check the internet for new recipes using the leftovers and ingredients you have in the cupboard already. There is no shortage of places offering recipes online for you to choose from. There is nothing to stop you allowing for leftovers in your planning either.
Use your freezer.
When you get good deals in the supermarket, why not buy a bit more and freeze it. Although you might pay more initially, you will be lowering your bills in the following weeks. This works particularly well when meals are planned. Some leftovers can also be frozen, especially soups or stews which are usually made in larger quantities than necessary. When planning your meals, remember to take this frozen food into consideration and plan when you will use it during the week to allow you to buy less new food. You can also make larger batches of some of your favourite meals and portion them into containers for freezing. This is not only cost effective but will save you time when you come to reheat them instead of having to cook a whole meal.
Think about what you're throwing away.
Before you throw food away, think whether it can actually still be used. For example, bananas that are turning black are not necessarily beyond use. They could still be used for baking into a banana loaf. Similarly, avocados that are going a bit soft can make great guacamole.
If you never thought about it before, try and be aware of the amount of food you throw away each week. The chances are that you'll be surprised just how many meals worth it amounts to. Think then of this on a national or global scale and you can easily see how much precious food is wasted every day. In cost terms alone, no household can continue to produce so much waste for ever. Thinking more about your food storage and consumption, combined with a few practical yet simple tips can seriously reduce the amount of food and money you waste every day.
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