Cut Back on Food Waste
Image from Megsple at Pixabay
So the Christmas madness is all over and some of us are counting the cost. We thought a few tips on keeping the spending down on food might be useful. According to some sustainability charities, we are currently wasting foodstuff to the value of about £700 per household annually.
Moneysaving experts advise checking on what you already have before you make your shopping list. I seem to always have a stock of baked beans (food of the gods) in case the zombies cut us off from the shops, but we are advised against this; stocking up is apparently not the priority.
Some people keep an inventory of what they already have in a notebook, so they always know what’s in short supply at home when they go shopping.
The experts advise making straight for the reduced section in your local supermarket, when you do go shopping, and from there to the frozen aisles, followed by the tins. Frozen vegetables, meat and fish are usually cheaper than fresh, so when you pop into the fresh-produce areas you may well have found all you need for less already.
Image from Zozz at Pixabay
Most things can be frozen when you are looking to store food and not just items that are close to the ‘use by’ date. I freeze cheese, spreads, milk and quite a lot of fruit and veg myself. Whole bags of fresh kale or spinach which I can put into smoothies, are a favourite. It’s just a question of maybe using food a bit differently. A banana isn’t going to be as appetising out of the freezer but mashed it can make great banana bread or other desert.
Did you know you can even freeze eggs? Do take them out of their shells first, though.
Another tip concerns packaging. Most items are wrapped to make transporting them easier; take items out of plastic wrapping to prolong their life, especially items such as salad which is one of our most wasted food items.
Fruit can be kept in the fridge, also out of its wrapping of course.
If you have any other tips for saving a bit on food, let us know. We are always happy to hear from you.
