Hello, gorgeous! Ready to conquer the world today?…if not the world, how about groceries? Let’s face it: grocery and food costs keep going up. Your hard-earned money can go even further by maximizing everything you buy with proper planning. Additionally, implementing these strategies can also limit food waste. It’s a win-win! All it takes is recognizing where you can make some minor changes.
Below are 7 practical ways to use your grocery haul more wisely to reduce food spending and waste.
1.GET SCRAPPY
Get creative with your scrap ingredients and leftovers! A recipe may only call for a portion of the ingredient you purchased, leaving you with a hodge hodge of random food left over. A half-cut tomato can languish in the back of your fridge, forgotten if you let it.
This method does not rely on exact recipes but more intuitive cooking.
For Example:
- You can add leftover vegetables to a soup. This past week, I added half a bag of frozen peas to my Midwestern Chicken Noodle Soup.
- Extra steak or salmon? Try serving it with eggs or adding it to a chopped salad.
- Half a box of broth? You could always use my Simmered Green Beans and White Mushrooms. You can also always use it to cook rice.
- Brown bananas go great in banana bread or pancakes.
- Homemade pizza with anything leftover in the fridge as your toppings. Imagine the combinations you could create.
Fully utilizing your food in new, inventive ways will keep food out of landfills and reduce the number of grocery trips you make.
2. Freeze your extra meat and seafood
I like shopping at wholesale club stores, but sometimes I end up with more food than my household can eat.
For instance, eating 12 pork chops is not realistic and can lead to food waste. To prevent this, I take the time to portion out the meat. I keep some in the fridge for the week and freeze the extra. My recommendation is to freeze one portion per household member in each bag. This method helps limit food waste because I only need to pull out one bag to thaw for a meal such as Apple Lemon-Pepper Pork Chop.
3.ALWAYS HAVE A PLAN
My grandpa always said, “Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance.”
As an adult, I relate to this phrase almost every day. Fun alliteration aside, it’s important to only go grocery shopping with a plan.
A plan can help you focus on only the items you need. If food costs are a concern, focus on only what is necessary for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Planning can give you the pause to contemplate if the strawberry shortcake is something that fits into your plan for today or if it’s better saved for a later celebration.
If you are new to planning, I challenge you to first plan for three days a week, which would likely result in two grocery trips a week.
4.Use Curbside and Delivery to Resist In-store Impulse Buys
Have you noticed the stark difference between shopping online and shopping in person? Grocery stores are strategically designed to tempt you into buying more, including items you didn’t realize you needed. Just think about the colorful, attention-grabbing displays you encounter as soon as you enter the store. I can guarantee that they’re not displaying your essential grocery items.
I’ve fallen victim to purchasing charming goat milk soap that I couldn’t resist. It’s so easy to toss these items into your cart and then be stunned by your total bill at the checkout.
Utilizing drive-up or delivery services is my fail-safe method to avoid impulse buying.
As I add items to my online cart, I meticulously monitor the total price, which helps me make more informed purchasing decisions. Check out your local store’s drive-up or online programs.
5. RUN YOUR KITCHEN LIKE A RESTAURANT
Put a sticker and write the date you made it.This visual system can help you determine what to eat first to maximize all of the food you have recently purchased. This is a strategy that restaurant managers will use to manage their food inventory for an entire restaurant. Throwing away spoiled food in a restaurant is money wasted. It also indicates that you need to optimize for the food required.
6.Buy in Bulk
Wholesale clubs make bulk shopping easy and accessible.This is a beautiful option for dry goods, canned items, and meat.
If you are at a loss at where to begin, here is a list of my recent bulk purchases:
- seasonings like salt/pepper/garlic
- cheese
- bread
- organic chicken
- nuts
- Jasmine rice
7. Grow your own FOOD
Another method to save on costs is to grow your own food. For example, let’s take the cost of basil. Currently, a package of fresh basil costs between $3.50 Adding basil or fresh herbs weekly would be $12 -$16 per month. However, a package of seeds costs between $2.50 and $4.40 per pack. There are usually several seeds, and in a few short weeks, you can have a thriving plant for all your culinary needs. The best part is that once the leaves are cut, they grow back quickly, leaving you with an endless supply of basil or any herb you choose.
This is just one example, but the possibilities of what you can grow in your own yard or indoor hydroponic setup are endless
Wrap Up
These are just a few of my proven strategies to get the most value out of my grocery haul each week and I have seen how small changes can really make a large impact over time. If you can try just one strategy a week, your grocery haul may feel more optimized in just 2 months! By saving food and using only what you need, you can contribute to a more sustainable and respectful world.
How much money do you think you can save by using these strategies? Are there any strategies you use that I did not mention? Feel free to comment and open the diaglauge as this is something everyone is experiencing.
Thanks for taking the time to read my Monthly Musings.
J.Marie
