If you want to waste less food (and less money) at home, your best plan of attack is better organizing how you store food in your fridge and pantry. Here are some practical lessons in organizing your fridge and then keeping it that way.
Label, label, label
Go to your local drugstore and pick up two things: a roll of masking tape and a sharpie. Park those two items either on or near your fridge/pantry and then use them to label everything. Anytime something goes in a Tupperware, a plastic bag, or otherwise leaves the container it came in – write the date on it. Now, when you pull it out later you have a handy label that tells you what it is and how long it’s been in the fridge.
This in of itself does not prevent the food from spoiling but a lot of us probably pretty mindlessly stick things in the fridge for another day – especially leftovers. For me, the act of writing it down helps me later remember that I put it in there in the first place. Plus, having the date will give you a handy frame of reference to know when stuff has actually gone bad.
Have a plan
This is a thing that my mom always did and that I took many years to start doing myself. As a free spirit, the idea of deciding what I want for dinner several business days in advance is difficult. I like going to the farmer’s market and being inspired by the ingredients and that’s cool until I get “inspired” to buy a bunch of golden beets that I don’t end up using.
So, let’s talk about a compromise between a militant list of what you’ll eat all week, and a more go-with-the-flow shopping experience.
First things first, always take a list – even if it’s just a list of pantry staples and kitchen supplies that need restocking. And also go with a list of several different ideas that you have, more than you could reasonably make in a week. Then, while you’re shopping take look at what’s fresh, what looks good, what’s on sale, etc. and figure out where those ingredients fit into your dinner ideas. From there, make your picks and shop for those things.
Know What To Do With Leftovers
Most of your at-home food waste is probably the result of buying something fresh, not getting around to using it in time, and having to throw it away. Labeling things and shopping smart are a good start, but you’re inevitably gonna have situations where you’ve bought more ingredients than you need in a week.
I live alone so I have this problem often because at American grocery stores most things come pre-packaged. You can’t just buy the amount you need, you need to buy a whole package. So, start getting in the habit of knowing what you can do to stretch ingredients further and longer.