Family Meal Planning – Reduce Waste and Save Money
Planning your meals and preparing a shopping list can help you save time and money, help to prevent food waste and keep your pantry and fridge clutter-free. Research shows that about one in five bags of food we buy is being wasted, which is around $2,200 to $3,800 of additional cost per household every year. The cost escalates considerably when you multiply the figure over an average adult life-span. It could be as high as $247,000! Let that sink in folks.
Does the following apply to you?
Throwing out food every week
You never know what’s for dinner, and often it’s too much effort to come up with an idea for something to cook after a long day, so you resort to take-away
You never have the right ingredients to cook what you want and or your ingredients are stored in an overcrowded pantry cupboard and you can’t find anything – ever!
Food planning can help you reduce waste, create good eating habits and improve nutrition, reduce stress of planning ‘what’s for dinner and save you money!
Start With a Pantry and Fridge Declutter and Stocktake
How often do you end up throwing away food because it is past its 'best before' date or 'use-by' date? Do you find yourself buying ingredients at the supermarket, only to discover afterwards it was up the back of your overcrowded pantry?
Decluttering your fridge, freezer, and pantry cupboards is a great way to take stock of the food you already have at home, before you head out to shop and create a meal plan to use what you have!
Try this - Challenge yourself to buy nothing new for one week, to use up what you already have, and get creative in the kitchen. Google recipes for some of the ingredients in your pantry and fridge, like that can of beans, or jar of sauce you bought on a whim, but never used.
Write a Meal Plan
Meal plans can be as simple or as detailed as you like. Planning meals ahead of time, you can avoid impulse buys at the supermarket by knowing exactly what you need to purchase.
Use a meal planning app, or download my meal plan and write a list of what you need to buy to make your meals.
For the best left-over food ideas, have a look through the Love Food Hate Waste recipes.
Freeze Left-overs
Cooking too much is one of the most common causes of food waste. Most of the time, we cook too much because we worry about not having enough food, or have trouble judging the right amount of food for meal portions. On the occasion you cook too much, either freeze it, or add it to the following day’s lunch menu.
Write a Shopping List
Write down all the things you need from the supermarket to make your planned meals, noting the quantities you need next to each ingredient.
You'll find it much easier to avoid excess food when you shop with a list. Not buying items you don't need, will also save you money!
Shop Smart
Efficient and thoughtful shopping can help reduce food waste, as well as other types of packaging waste.
Shopping smarter is a sure way to get the most bang for your buck:
check the 'best before or 'use by' dates and only buy ingredients that you can use in time
avoid food shopping when you are feeling hungry - you'll buy less and save money
avoid impulse food purchases by doing your grocery shopping online with your shopping list
think before you buy 'two-for-one' specials. Do you really need two? A deal is only good value if you can use the food . Buying in bulk can be a good option as long as you have the space and right storage solution, but most importantly you can use all of the food before it spoils or perishes.