Frugal Tip: Don’t Let Food Go To Waste
We all have probably, at some point in our lives, discovered something moldy and unidentifiable in the back of our refrigerators, or a can of soup that expired three years earlier. The goal is to not have that happen again. Food is expensive enough without having to throw it out uneaten. But sometimes it seems like there is such a jumble of food that it is hard to remember what we have and use it up appropriately.
For food in your refrigerator, Jim has a great idea with his leftover calendar. He writes the leftovers in his refrigerator on a calendar just for that purpose, and crosses them out as eaten. You can expand this to put meats, vegetables, and any refrigerator item on the calendar as it comes in, and make sure it gets eaten before it spoils.
As for pantry items, I use the concept of a “use it or lose it” shelf. My pantry is a floor to ceiling closet, and the shelf right at eye level I have designated for things expiring in the next month. The beginning of the month (so, yesterday), I go through my pantry, and anything expiring in the following month gets tossed onto the use it or lose it shelf. This makes me consciously try to use those items in the next 30 days so that they don’t expire. Since instituing this, I haven’t had a single thing in my pantry expire.
Make sure you are using your foodstuffs and not throwing them away. Frugal food purchases are meant to be eaten, it is a part of the whole frugal life cycle. 
October 6th, 2008 at 6:35 pm
Good post! I HATE wasting food, and feel proud to bring my leftovers to work. I live with 2 other girls and it seems as though half the groceries they buy go to waste before they have time to use them. The “use it or lose it” shelf is a great idea too, I might have to put that into effect when I move in with my boyfriend.