Rethink Food Waste: Shop Smarter

Way more often than not, we spend more money at the grocery store than we need to.

We get lured in by “buy one get one free” and “2 for 1” – you can save money doing this, but only if you actually eat what you buy
We buy what’s on sale – yes you save because it’s not full price, but will you eat that dollar-a-pound asparagus before it goes bad?
We tend toward the bulk buys and less expensive per ounce foods – it’s true, it’s cheaper by the pound, but how much of that food will you toss in the end?

Not only does this mean we are wasting money, but we are also wasting food. So this week, let’s focus on only buying what we need.

First, make an Eat First basket or shelf in your fridge!
- This is a basket with an “Eat First” label: a place for you to segregate the food in your fridge you know needs to be eaten sooner rather than later. If something doesn’t fit, place it nearby. Don’t have an Eat First card? You can print your own!
Take a few minutes to organize your fridge so you know what is in there and where things are.
Before you add anything to your list, LOOK IN YOUR FRIDGE! What needs to be eaten this week? Are those green beans starting to turn? Is half of that rotisserie chicken still sitting there from a few days ago?
Try using a meal planning app like Handpick or Mealime. Do you have one you already use and love? Let us know about it!
Buy only what you need.
Check out this blog about one person’s experience with meal planning.

Do you have ideas about smart shopping or meal planning or fridge organization? Let us know in the comments!