Comments on: Wasting food is so unfrugal

By: ~M

~M — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 20:06:06 +0000

One thing that I do when I menu plan is to account for one or two days when we’ll have leftovers or eat out with friends. So I only plan 4-5 meals a week for two people (and we still usually have enough for lunches!).

By: Donna Freedman

Donna Freedman — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 05:30:32 +0000

If you’re saving the liquid from canned vegetables, be aware that it has a lot of sodium in it — unless you buy no-salt-added veggies — and be chary about salting the soup you make from it.
Along those lines: When you’re draining the liquid of vegetables you cook from scratch, such as potatoes or frozen peas, save that liquid to make soup, too.
Recently I had a pan of cornbread go stale because I got sick and couldn’t eat much of anything for a few days. Some people would have cut it up and saved it to make cornbread stuffing; I decided to try making bread pudding with it. I added some blackberries I’d frozen last summer (they grow everywhere in Seattle; on the corner half a block away, I can pick all I need for jam and freezing) and a little extra cinnamon. I still prefer ordinary bread pudding, but it was a pretty tasty dessert and it kept the cornbread from going to waste.

By: Sunday Morning Link Love ~ Sweet 16 Edition | I've Paid For This Twice Already...

Sun, 16 Mar 2008 14:48:20 +0000

[...] to Save: Wasting Food is So Unfrugal. What do you do to keep from wasting perishable food? Here are some ideas, and even more in the [...]

By: S.B.

S.B. — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 16:03:56 +0000

I hate wasting food too. My husband hates leftovers so I try to portion out our meals just right.

By: Bethany B-A

Bethany B-A — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 05:33:21 +0000

Great post! I hate to waste food, too, and find that it happens a lot, simply because it’s difficult with only two people and one shared meal a day during the week. But I’m going to start meal planning soon, so hopefully that will help. I’ll also read that going through your refrigerator once a week when you plan out your meals can help you keep foods from going bad.

By: Thrifty Karen

Thrifty Karen — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 16:16:49 +0000

Great article. Thanks for the link love. I gave you a thumbs up on Stumble.

By: Sarah

Sarah — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 15:37:22 +0000

I’m pretty good at using up food before it goes bad, but my fiance is another story! The worst part about it is that I’m a fairly picky eater, so if he buys something that only he likes and doesn’t eat it, it goes straight in the trash since I won’t touch it. I really need to get on him about this!

By: feministfinance

feministfinance — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 15:35:17 +0000

Good ideas. I had never tought of doing a leftovers buffet.

Another thing I do is freeze things like pesto or tomato paste, where many recipes call for only a little of the smallest portion you can buy, in smaller, 1-tsp. chunks. Ice cube trays work well for this, though I need to get another ice cube tray since I left mine behind when I moved.

If I have only a few of something leftover, like broccoli florets or 1/3C. frozen corn, I’ll just throw it in the next casserole or frittata or soup I’m making. Those kinds of dishes can absorb a lot of extra miscellany, and you use up your food before it goes bad.

By: Lynnae @ Being Frugal.net

Lynnae @ Being Frugal.net — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 15:30:36 +0000

Great ideas. This is also an area where I’d like to improve.

One thing that helps me is to wash and prepare all of my produce right after I get home from the store. The kids are more likely to grab fruits or veggies for a snacks if the apples are already washed and the carrots are already peeled and cut into sticks.

By: Toni

Toni — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 14:23:20 +0000

I also keep a list of perishables on my fridge. Lately, I try only to shop for 2-3 days worth of food. Everytime I shop for the week, I end up throwing food away.