Recent studies estimate that Americans waste approximately 25 percent of their groceries instead of consuming them. If you factor in an average cost of $7,000 a year on groceries (this is the number for a household of three, so it will vary according to your location and family size), you get a waste of $1750 a year. That is money that is just going into the garbage! Think of what you could do with all of that money! You could donate it to charity; you could pay off bills; you could afford a vacation or maybe even give up a number of hours that you work to earn an income.
Conquering some of this waste can really make an impact on your budget. Here are some of the worst areas of waste, along with strategies to keep it to a minimum.
Grocery Waste 1: Produce
Produce is one of the worst areas of waste. Many people stock up on produce, hoping to establish healthy eating, and then they leave it to rot in the fridge or on the kitchen counter until it is finally thrown away. Potatoes sprout eyes, oranges cave in, blueberries and strawberries get fuzzy, and lettuce turns to slime. It isn’t a pretty sight, especially when you consider how expensive fresh produce can be. And figure on almost twice the cost, if you buy organic.
The strategy here is to start small. Only buy what you can consume in a few days. Then write a list of your available produce and post that on the refrigerator. Plan produce into your meals and snacks, and then cross the items off when you use them. Freeze items that can be frozen (such as blueberries, strawberries, melon, grapes), and use them first before buying anything additional.
Next up: More grocery waste.
Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, technology in the Computing Blog, and creating a home in the Home Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here.
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