It is easy to save food and money with some easy tips to keep in mind. There are plenty more than the ones I listed, but these tips help me out. Here is a handy website that tells you how long hundreds of foods last:
1. Leftover Coffee in the Pot:
Freeze leftover coffee in ice cube trays and use for ice coffees later. Or you can make hot coffee again by heating it up in a pot.
2. Too much Almond Milk / Non-Dairy Milk:
You can freeze milk in icecube trays. The ingredients might separate in the process, so I find that frozen milk is best used in blended smoothies or other beverages.
3. Extra fresh herbs:
Freeze leftover fresh herbs in an airtight container, or pre-mince and place in icecube trays with water/oil. You can also hang herbs upside down to dry and then store them in an airtight container or spice jar.
4. Too much fruit / Fruit on sale:
Certain fruits can be frozen. Pre-chop so they are easy to grab for a smoothie. I do this if I see that something like blueberries or cored pineapple is on sale.
5. Too many veggies in the fridge: Make veggie burgers or soup from excess veggies in the fridge and then freeze them.
6. Pickled vegetables:
Try pickling vegetables you don’t think you’ll get to them in time, such as cucumbers, carrots, beets, radishes, cauliflower...etc.
7. Plan around what's on sale/What's in season:
If sweet potatoes and cauliflower are on sale, then I will try to make a meal involving those two things. Around here, cauliflower ranges from 99c-$4.99, so the savings does add up if you work around what's on sale or not. Foods that are in season are usually cheaper too.
- What's in Season (Canada/USA): http://www.eattheseasons.com/
- What's in Season (Britain): http://www.whats-in-season.com/
8. Eat before you go shopping:
This one is probably something we've all heard, but if I go to the store while I'm really hungry, I'll tend to grab both my healthy foods, but also a few unhealthy empty calorie foods too. It is much easier to just grab what you really need if you are satiated.
9. Carry portable food / coffee / water with you when you're out:
If you are going to be out for a few hours, carry a piece of fruit, smoothie or granola bar with you so you don't end up so hungry that you grab an over-priced pre-made sandwich or other food. This can also save you from grabbing something quick but unhealthy. Even a $2 coffee or water adds up if you are buying them often. It is also better for the environment to carry a thermos or reusable water bottle rather than buying small plastic bottled waters.
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Great ideas! I'll need a bigger freezer!
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One other thing you can do with extra veggies (or veggies that have gone bad, or scraps) is to make homemade vegetable broth. It's super easy!
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Great ideas! All of these have worked well for us. And freezing coffee is the best way I've found to make your own frozen coffee drinks at home.