: How to Avoid Wasting Money by Throwing out Food
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(425 Words)
A lot of money is wasted by people throwing out food. There are different strategies that you can take in order to avoid this wasteful activity.
Do not overbuy
Many people throw out a lot of food simply because they overbuy. They go to the grocery store and purchase everything that looks good without thinking about whether they will use it all. You need to think about each and every food item to make sure that it will not go to waste.
Also think about the other food products you are buying at the same time. One loaf of bread might not seem like a lot but if you are also buying pita bread, rolls, bagels and other bread items then some of it might end up going to waste.
Some people try to save money by buying in bulk. You may buy at Costco for instance. Although the deals might be better when you take into account the per unit cost, if you end up throwing out some of the food, then you may not save money at all. These deals are only worth it if you can use the increased amount of food.
Use up the products that will expire first
When you are at home, do not just blindly use up your food. Instead think about when the items will go bad. You do not want to use the longer lasting items first and then have to throw out the others.
Refrigerate the items
Many foods such as bread will last longer if you put them in the refrigerator. You may not like how they taste but remember that you can place them in the microwave, toaster oven or toaster for a few minutes to heat them up.
Freeze some of the items
Most food products last far longer when they are in the freezer as compared to the refrigerator. If you buy a loaf of bread and you know that you will only use half then you can separate it and freeze half. This is a great way to make money off of “buy one, get one” sales in which you know you really could only use one.
Share with someone else
You may be able to split some of the food items with a family member or neighbor. For instance, if you both only go through half a loaf of bread every week, then split one. You will save money and not waste food.
Throwing out food is like throwing out money. Try the above tips to avoid this problem.