Reduce Food Waste
Reducing food waste is a great way to save money AND save the earth at the same time.
Table of Contents
Use what you have
Generally, I'll take a look at all the fresh foods I have and determine what needs to be used first.
A great resource is https://www.supercook.com/ - a website app which allows you to enter what you have in the fridge, and it'll give you recipe options.
Buy only what you need
If you only need two sprigs of mint for a garnish... Maybe it's okay to leave that out!
There are many recipes that can have certain ingredients substituted out, if you already have something similar.
Dates for Figs, Peaches for nectarines, raspberries for strawberries, etc - if you insist on buying every individual ingredient for a recipe, your grocery bill is sure to go up significantly.
Another tip for buying only what you need - try to space out your grocery trips as far apart as possible.
You'll be surprised at how long the food you already have will actually last when you challenge yourself this way - I've figured out I really only need to go to the store every other week instead of once a week, reducing my total food cost by about 30%.
Same Ingredients, Multiple Recipes
Along the same vein as above, try selecting a few recipes for the week that contain similar ingredients to use up. That way, you can buy in bulk and save money, or use up your garden's bounty before anything goes bad.
For example - in August, when tomatoes and peppers are both in season, try recipes like tomato stews, salsas with peppers, stuffed peppers with tomatoes, Spanish rice with tomato and pepper - the possibilities are many.
If you know you can't use it - Store it!
If you come into a ton of something and are absolutely sure you won't be able to use it - toss it in the freezer!
Another option is canning, although that will require a few (cheap) tools such as cans, lids, and a canner.
It also will require a little bit of time and effort, but honestly learning to safely can foods for long-term storage is an essential skill to learn, and absolutely worth it if you're willing to!
Kitchen Sink Recipes
Stews, salsas,
When all else fails - Compost!
I'm still somewhat new to composting, but I love the idea of using my food scraps to feed next year's garden.
Composting has a triple advantage: You're reducing the amount you're throwing into the landfill and taking out to the curb each week; Your garbage will smell better without the rotting food waste; AND you're saving money on purchasing soils and amendments.
Even if you don't have a garden yet, you can use compost to amend soil for the lawn or shrubbery; fill in dips in the lawn; create a higher grade next to the foundation; and more - there's many different uses for extra soil around the yard.