According to a recent study, the average American throws away 40% of their food, a total of 165 Billion Dollars down the drain in wasted food. That comes down to about 20 pounds of food wasted each month!
Leftovers: While this may seem simple, taking home leftovers not only gets you two meal from one, but saves you money! Now the key here is not leaving those leftovers at the restaurant.
Make “Kitchen Sink” Meals: At the end of your week, see what you have left and I bet you could throw some ingredients together to make your own eclectic stir fry. Toss in leftover veggies, some protein, a starch, and maybe some seasoning or sauce and you’re done! Instead of letting ingredients go bad in the fridge, toss them together. Who knows? You may discover a family favorite in the process!
Buy From Bulk Bins or Aisles: Seasonings are a HUGE money saver if your grocery store lets you portion out your own. I’m talking a fraction of the cost instead of buying an entire bottle. The same goes for nuts, grains, or even baking supplies. You may not want to by a $6 spice you need for one recipe, so buy it for 15 cents instead in the bulk spice aisle.
Freeze: If you see your “use by” date is quickly approaching and you know that produce is not going to make it into the oven by then – freeze it! Right the date you froze the produce, or animal product, on the ziplock and then thaw out the next time you need some broccoli in your dish! Same goes for leftovers: If you’re making chili, go ahead a freeze your leftovers in personalized portions to thaw out and eat for dinner in the weeks to follow. Because we all know you shouldn’t eat that red meat for two meals in a row anyway.
Secret: Americans, on average, throw away 40% of their groceries annually. Try some of these free and easy tricks to save some money this month.