Don’t Waste Food

I’m trying to pay attention to the amount of food my family needs, what I buy, and what we actually use. I’m disgusted by the quantity of food that’s wasted in our country. In my house. The number of people who don’t have any food to eat, across America, is disheartening. We can easily do our part. The bottom line: don’t waste food.

: Just buy what you can eat. It’s really that simply.

I don’t want to give you the impression that I’m giving a stellar performance in this area. I’m not. In fact, in years past, I was exceptionally wasteful. I’m bad about not wanting to keep food past the expiration date.

I’ve experienced the joy of food poisoning, and spending a night with my head in the toilet isn’t my idea of fun. As a result, it’s hard for me to keep food in my house past the expiration day.

In the past, I would overbuy, or have good intentions of cooking something. Then life would get in the way. When it’s dinner time, and everyone is hungry and tired, sometimes it’s too easy to simply order a pizza. I’m not saying my family still doesn’t waste food on a weekly basis. Sadly, we do.

However, by making a conscious effort to pay attention to this, we can decrease the amount of food being wasted. I’m getting better at this.

Ways you can decrease the amount of food your family wastes each week:

Plan. Plan. Plan. – look at your week, what you have going on in the evenings, and plan accordingly. If you know you’re going to be going out of town, don’t buy a ton of food. It’s easier to use what you have, when you buy just what you need. It’s easy to pop back to the store if you run out of something.

Use the Freezer – If you make too much of something, simply, freeze it for the following week. Don’t wait too long to use it though, because if you’re like me, you’ll forget about it. I try to only freeze already made meals for a couple of weeks. Of course, it will last much longer. I’ve learned that if I don’t use it within a few weeks, it tends to get pushed to the back of the freezer, and might not make it out again until six months later. When it get’s tossed into the trash.

Eat What You Order – I’m disgusted by the amount of food that’s wasted in restaurants. Try to only order the food you know you can eat, and take home what you have left over. Don’t get bread if you aren’t going to eat it. Split meals if you think the quantity is going to be too big. If you’re still hungry, you can always order more food.

Eat It Up Meal – designate one meal a week to eating it all up. Whatever you have in your refrigerator, pull it out, and serve it up. It doesn’t have to be the best meal in the world. It will do several things: teach your kids not to waste what they have, get rid of the food you have, and feed your family. They might not love what they’re eating, but who cares? Every meal doesn’t have to be fabulous.

Give It Away – You can always share what you have with other people. Who doesn’t like being given a “just because” present? If you’re going out of town, and have food that’s going to spoil, give it to a friend. Made too much for your family? Invite another family over to enjoy it with you. It’s nice to be nice.

Donate/Volunteer – Every city has food collection centers where food can be donated. These centers are always in need of food, particularly this time of year. Want to really make an impression on your family? Volunteer at a shelter, serve a meal, and let your kids see the long lines of people waiting to be fed. Sometimes we have to “see it” to “get it.”

I encourage you to start thinking about this. Pay attention to what you buy, use, and pitch. We can’t get better unless we have the desire to improve. I want to improve in this area. Want to join me?

Find meaning each day,