Save over $1,500 a Year by Reducing Food Waste is a post from: LivingFrugalTips.com - Learn about: Living Frugal, Frugal Tips, Saving Money, Saving Money Tips

As I was preparing some appetizers for guests I reached into my veggie bin in the refrigerator and to my frustration I pulled out a bag with a mushy cucumber in it. While I try very hard to minimize such waste … I still have days when veggies or milk meet the perils of the garbage can.

Today’s cucumber soup in a bag got me thinking about food waste and the money that is wasted when this happens. I started to research food waste and realized that I am not alone. It is a huge issue in the United States and by determining ways for reducing food waste we will help the environment by minimizing what ends up in landfills, and we will also help our pocketbooks with all the money we will save.

As I combed through various resources such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the facts were varied as to the amount of waste, but regardless, the quantities of waste were staggering.

Quick Food Waste Facts

• The USDA estimates that Americans waste 30% of all food that is produced, bought, and sold in the U.S. And they caution that this probably a low number.

• So, if you spend $100 per week on groceries, 30% waste = $30 per week and $1,560 a  year that you could save.

• The National Institutes of Health (NIH) estimates 40% or more which equates to $40 per week of waste (if you spend $100/week) = $2,080 a year in wasted money you could be saving.

• This per person waste is the equivalent of approximately 1400 calories or two meals a day.

• It goes beyond just food waste. Think of what it takes to make the food we eat and then waste –  4% of all oil consumed in this country and 25 % of all freshwater in the U.S. are used to produce food that is wasted (never eaten).

• All the waste has to go somewhere and most ends up in landfills. It’s estimated that 13 % of all municipal solid waste consists of food scraps from homes and restaurants. That translates to approximately 30 million tons a year or enough food to feed everyone in Canada for a year.

• And when the food decomposes in landfills, it produces methane, which is a potent greenhouse gas and has high global warming potential.

• Dairy products and fresh produce account for the largest food waste.

Ideas for Reducing Food Waste and Tips for Saving Money:

1. Buy only what you can eat in the designated “shelf-life” period. You can stock up on NON-perishables, but only buy what you can eat within a week or less for produce, meats and dairy products.
2. Prepare only what you will eat for a specific meal.
3. Eat your leftovers. I like to have leftovers, but they need to be within the next 1 – 2 days unless placed in the freezer. It’s estimated we throw away more than 25 % of the food we prepare that dies a slow death in our refrigerator and when rediscovered is not recognizable.
4. Store leftovers in clear and ideally marked containers with date and contents.
5. Take only what you can eat and eat all that you take. Plate waste is another large contributor to food waste.
6. Packaged foods create less food waste.
7. Compost food waste. Composting is a great way to turn table scraps into rich nutrients for your plants, gardens and grass.
8. Donate excess food. If you make more than you can eat see if a lonely neighbor would like to join you for dinner. Or, if you’ve got non-perishables that you won’t eat, give them to a shelter.
9. When dining out, split meals, buy off the lunch menu for smaller portions or bring home your leftovers and make a point to eat them for lunch or dinner the next day.
10. Don’t shop when you’re hungry as you always buy more than you need.

Back to my cucumber example, they were two for $1.00 and I bought two when I should have just bought one. Most grocery stores will sell you the one item for 1/2 the cost, but pay attention at checkout.

There’s a lot that we can do to save money and the environment by minimizing or eliminating food waste.

Please share other ways that you have for reducing food waste and tips for saving money where food waste is concerned. Let’s all get creative and reduce the waste and instead have $1,500 – $2,000 more in our pockets each year.

Resources to Learn More About Reducing Food Waste:

Wasteage.com

Estimating and Addressing America’s Food Losses – USDA

National Institute of Health

The Environmental Protection Agency – Food Waste

Five Alternatives to Deli Meat that Save You Money is a post from: LivingFrugalTips.com - Learn about: Living Frugal, Frugal Tips, Saving Money, Saving Money Tips

I am a huge fan of bringing your lunch to work, but the cost of lunch meat continues to boggle my mind. While browsing through the online grocery ads this morning I was once again blown away by the high cost of lunch meat. I’m not sure who in their right mind would pay $7.89/pound for Boar’s Head Ham (on sale, regularly $8.89/pound)! In the same flyer you can get New York Strip Steaks for $6.29/pound. I’d take a steak over a ham sandwich any day.

If you are paying that high price for lunch meat …. STOP right now. Here are some sandwich alternatives to deli meat (when meat is a must) to replace the costly lunch meat option and save you money.

1.  Chicken Salad – You can get Boneless-Skinless Chicken Breasts for as low as $1.99/pound and then stock up. Put them in the crock pot with just a bit of water or chicken stock. When done cooking, dice or shred, add a bit of mayo and mustard, and mix with some onions, grapes or celery and you’ve got a wonderful chicken salad that you can eat alone or on a sandwich.

2.  Grilled Chicken – With the same $1.99/pound chicken you can split the breasts length-wise to make thinner “fillets”. The thinner “fillets” are better on a bun and you can double the number of pieces you get out of a package. Next grill or bake a batch for making sandwiches for the next day or so.

3.  Whole or Spiral Sliced Ham – If ham is a must then watch the sale flyers and buy a whole ham or spiral-sliced ham for $1.99/pound or less. They are always on sale around all the holidays. Cook it (if needed) and cut it off the bone in slices for an authentic ham sandwich that’s way better than the deli meat slices!

4.  Pre-Cooked Boneless Ham or Turkey – These tend to come in smaller sized options if a big whole ham is too much. You can ask the meat manager to slice it for you at the store and once again you are saving a bundle over the deli meat.

5.  Pork Loin – If a Cuban sandwich is your thing then pick up a pork loin and bake or grill it up for a sandwich treat. Again, $1.99/pound on sale.

If meat is not a must, there’s always the veggie sandwich route or the old standby peanut butter and jelly!

What I love about all these options is that the quality is far better than deli meat, the cost is MUCH less, and while some may not be quite as quick and convenient — if you prepare them on a Sunday night, for example,  you will then have your sandwich fixings ready for the week to grab-and-go.

More frugal tips from Living Frugal Tips … that save you money!