March ON…a great time to focus on National Nutrition Month’s theme, Go Further with Food.
Here’s another GREAT way to go further with food:
“Consider what foods are already in your cabinet and refrigerator before heading to the grocery store. You’ll save yourself time, money, and energy by planning ahead.”
We all do it: walk into the grocery store (usually without a list), buy a bunch of food we think we might need, buy some other things on sale or looked good in the store, then get home and only eat or use 1/3 of what we bought. After a few weeks of doing this, we end up throwing away tons of food AND frustrated at the cluttered, overcrowded state of the refrigerator, freezer and cupboards.
So, to go further with food AND save money, challenge yourself to try some of these tips BEFORE your next grocery trip:
- Shop with a list. Keep it on your phone.
- Check your cabinets, refrigerator and freezer BEFORE grocery shopping. Don’t rely on your memory: CHECK, then shop.
- If your shelves are already full, donate items or find recipes to make use of them.
- Each day, stick to eating what you have on hand, rather than grocery shopping or buying take out food at the last minute for tonight’s dinner.
- If you are seriously pressed for time, online grocery shopping might be the way to go. The delivery fee will be offset by the money you’ll save by skipping impulse buys.