Yesterday as I was cleaning out our refrigerator, tossing food that had spoiled… again. I had a bit of an epiphany.
I picked up some fresh mushrooms, and saw that they were turning bad faster than we could use them up – like so much of the other food, into the trash bin it went. I got annoyed with myself, and said self “Why did I even buy them!? What a waste of food and money!” See, even using my meal planning page – I was still buying extra unnecessary food.
We like mushrooms, we eat them a lot, and use them in a lot of our cooking – but apparently, when I had gone to the grocery store and purchased them, I did not have any meals planned to actually use them up. So why the heck did I buy them?
Turns out I bought them just because I knew our family liked them – even though we did not have any use for them that week. And, as that turns out I do that A LOT! Like, with everything. I buy tons of fruit because we like them – but there is no way we could eat it all before it goes bad. So what the heck am I doing? I mean other than wasting our money – I am literally throwing our money in the garbage.
So here are a few things I am doing to course correct and be better with our groceries, and ultimately our money.
- Shopping Without A Plan = No Good!
I am still using my Meal Planner – but I am getting a little more detailed. Instead of writing “Fresh Fruit” I am detailing exactly what fruits I want for the week – before we head to the grocery store. Maybe it is a grape – strawberry – apple – orange week, versus all the fruits they have out on display! Also- Coming up with healthy desserts, breakfasts, “treats” to use the fruits in helps me decided. I am limiting our family to 4 fresh fruits a week. If it gets eaten up great I can always grab more from the fruit stand down the road! - Stock Up Prices
I am working on a handy printable for this, but I want to become an expert on stock-up prices. I really want to have a full pantry – and freezers of healthy delicious food, that I was able to purchase for the best possible price. I am all about stocking up on non-perishables! - Plan for Leftovers
I know some people who despise leftovers, but that is not our family. I do not love to cook – so getting a free night here and there is awesome. Eat up the leftovers, adapt/ change them into a whole new meal for a fraction of the time and cost involved in making a whole dinner from scratch. - Know what you and your family like to eat!
I get most of our recipes off of Pinterest. However, it was getting difficult to remember what I made – what we liked, etc. So I created a “secret” pinterest board dedicated solely to successful – yummy meals! Anything that I find and we really like, I repin to this secret board, I change the description to describe what was great, what I would change next time, etc … then when I need a last minute meal idea, or some inspiration I know right where to go!
Check back soon, for brand new 2016 – 2017 Budget Envelopes and a peek into my wallet! It is going to be a good one, I promise!!
Leave a Reply