15 Ways to Waste Less Food

When you are trying to be frugal, wasting good food you had every intention of eating can be a huge bummer. It’s a waste of your money and the blessing that God had given us. We should always be mindful of ways we can waste less and utilize what we have. To be frugal, but also to be good stewards with what we have been given.

Here are some ways to do this….

1. If you’re not already, plan your menus!!! If you have a plan, you are less likely to over buy.
2. Prepping fruits and vegetables right away and keep them at eye level where we can see them so we are more likely to snack on these things.
3. Prepping ingredients right away and having them ready for when we go to make our meals.
4. Buying food that doesn’t go bad as quickly like celery, beets, frozen vegetables, apples, potatoes, pears, cabbage, etc…
5. Fermenting foods before they go bad like cabbage for sauerkraut.
6. Freezing things like bread or meals that your family will eat later on before they go bad.
7. Making freezer meals so you can take them out as you actually need them. You can try this by making larger batches of what you are already making (as long as it’s freezer friendly) and just freezing the extra portions and adding your stockpile each time you make a meal. A laid back way of doing it instead of trying to do a ton in one day. Simplicity is always better in my opinion.
8. Preparing your vegetables properly so that they last longer. If you don’t use those special green bags, you can also wash your produce, dry it with paper towels and even keep a paper towel in the air tight container (such as a ziplock bag). I do this with Kale.
9. I have also heard of putting a slice of bread in a container of food. I would buy cheap white bread since you are just going to throw it out after this.
10. Keep your refrigerator clean so you can see everything you have
11. Keep a running inventory list of everything you have in your refrigerator and pantry
12. Stick to your menu plan. It should be based around what you have. The groceries you bought this time around are what make up your grocery list, so when you are hungry look to this. Make sure you include snacks in your menu plan.
13. Refine your menu plan to only buy what you know your family will need for the week so you don’t over-buy. This takes time and seeing what your family eats and how much.
14. Avoid impulse buys and buying things that are not in your menu plan. You may be tempted to eat this instead of what is on your menu plan or vise versa. You don’t want to buy more than you need.
15. Plan for unexpected guests in your menu plan.

Only make what you and your family likes and what you NEED in a week. Work to evaluate these things. What are some creative ways you or someone does to waste less? Leave me a comment below.