I don't consider myself an absolute food waster. But when I look in the fridge I get really disappointed in my not being better able to make sure my family eats a well balanced meal more often. I hate grocery shopping but mostly because of the expense. I virtually have all day organizational "panic attacks" when I plan a grocery shopping trip with coupons and trying to match up what is on sale with what I know my family will eat. Another issue I find is having the time to cook the meals I have planned. Sometimes we have so much homework and activities outside the home that food will go to waste because I have planned to cook but things "come up". Do other people have grocery shopping anxiety? - 9/22/2011   11:27:54 AM

I try not to waste food but at times just can't keep up.Meats go to our dog or the manure spreader.Our cattle get any sweet corn that got old on us. Everything else goes on the manure spreader to be fertilizer on our fields as fertilizer is quite expensive.I don't feel so bad when it goes on our fields and reduces the amount of fertilizer we have to put on our fields. - 9/1/2011   3:59:06 PM

I very rarely have to throw food out. I do batch cooking on Sundays, freeze in individual portions so I have plenty in rotation to avoid getting tired of the same old thing. It just kills me to waste food so I shop weekly for fresh foods and try not to over-buy. - 8/30/2011   2:03:45 AM

I suppose I am a food waster. It is impossible for me to plan meals for one week and I feel for me that is too much work. I usually tend to buy the basics like chicken, fish, beef in large quantities and freeze. Same with fruits we tend to eat more of and veggies. Usually get those from Costco. We also eat our left overs the next day but some times wasting does happen, it's inevitable for me. - 8/29/2011   8:36:57 AM

I shop online so I start out by not buying off my shopping list I get veges from the farmers market. I freeze the ends of vegetables til i have enough to make soup stock. I add leftover wine and the water I cook vegetables in to my stockpot. I juice though I know it's wasteful, but my conscience is clear because all my food waste except for citrus peels goes to my little flock of chickens in return for assistance as garden ornaments and occasional eggs. - 8/29/2011   7:48:12 AM

I am an "empty nester" who is learning how to cook for one, sometimes two, instead of our large family meals for 4 (or 5) and noticing that I need to not only alter my recipes, (though I can freeze leftovers and all the work is already done!) I find I can't use up my groceries like before. Especially the fresh produce, I will buy it with a plan in mind but when reality comes around, I don't need that whole head of lettuce anymore and usually some of it goes to waste before I can use it all up. Things like that. I even tried the bagged lettuce ( I don't like that at all, it doesn't taste crisp or fresh at all!) So I have some adjustments to make! When I go to the deli to get lunch meats and cheeses, I used to buy it by the pound, now I get 1/4 lb, lol! I thought I would be saving money but as it turns out, I used to buy a lot of things in bulk, at a lower price and stretch it. Now I am paying a lot more for a lot less and have to shop more frequently. And that sets me up for impulse purchases, yuck! :) - 8/29/2011   4:43:21 AM

I shop for pantry staples once a week and try not to buy more fresh foods than I can use for a few days. I plan how I'm going to use leftovers, but it's hard for one person to have any variety and not have something go bad before it's used up. I'm still learning to pop things into the freezer that used to get thrown away, like half a can of chicken stock. - 8/28/2011   7:20:45 PM

Yes, I am a food waster, but I have improved greatly. I still find it difficult to plan for a week, buy the food, not stick to a plan, and voila, wasted food. It's mainly difficult because there are 2 of us and we eat our main meals during the day, and eat light at night. DH isn't on a weight loss plan and eats healthy only when I cook it. He eats what he wants during the day, and we eat light and healthy in the evening. I'm not fond of cooking much so we keep light, quick foods around which means lettuce, spinach, salad fixings, tuna for me, ramen for him. We can't eat this way every night, but when I grill something or plan a couple of meals, then the other goes bad. It's just difficult to balance. I take comfort in the fact most produce and fruit is bought cheaply in bulk at Sam's and I would have spent more financial resources on two bags of lettuce and salad toppings and fruit, in a grocery store. Even, if I waste some, I've still saved money. Then there is the time factor. I don't get home til 6 pm and I'm in bed by 10. Between my first priority of exercise, tending to pets, household chores inside and out, cooking if I choose to that evening, clean up, and a little relaxation before bed time, I need all the shortcuts I can find. I have to weigh what's most important, but I also have learned not to buy everything in bulk that may spoil. I only buy other veggies for meals as I need them for a particular meal and have improved on throwing stuff together in a crock pot. This is the best I can do without food planning and preparation consuming my free time. I used to be consumed in this area, but a goal in my lifestyle change was balance in this area, as well as others. I've found balance. - 8/28/2011   6:05:59 PM

Green smoothies and soups are my favorite ways I use up food a few hours past tolerable for raw fresh consumption. Every banana that goes brown gets peeled and put into a zip lock baggie full of frozen bananas in my freezer. When I have lettuce or fruit to use up (still blendable, just not salad material), I grab the rest of a green smoothie from the freezer (green veggies frozen or fresh or lettuce, and 1-3 fruits). If it goes much beyond that, it goes to the compost bins for recycling in the garden. - 8/28/2011   12:31:29 AM

This is something that I'm working to be better at. I usually start the week with good intentions and meal plans and then work runs late or something comes up and I don't end up using everything I've purchased. I do like the idea from PRUSSIANETTE about the juicing. Does anybody have a good juicer that they recommend? I've actually been thinking about buying one but I hate to get one that won't last. - 8/27/2011   10:56:14 PM

I plan my menus 2 weeks at a time. When I shop I make my list for the food planned for that week. We buy things on sale that we can freeze and use later so many of my meats are already on hand if I have to change a menu item. I keep dry products in my pantry like pasta and rice. I try to cook only enough for each meal so leftovers are at a minimum as they don't get used. - 8/27/2011   1:05:16 PM

I have bought a CSA (community supported agriculture) share from a local organic farm. Since I am single, and this share is really for a family, I decide that to "keep up" with the fresh fruits and veggies, if I can't freeze it, I simply juice what remains at the end of the week before I pick up my new share. This works quite well, and my skin is just glowing!! - 8/27/2011   9:06:20 AM

Food wasting happens and yet I continue to be vigilant. A tip I have is that there are these "as seen on TV" green bags that really, really work. They're not inexpensive but they pay for themselves over time because they preserve far longer than regular plastic grocery bags from the produce section. I have a lot of chickens so I'm fortunate to be able to augment their diet with composting scraps (not meat or dairy). When the chickens hear me walk out with the compost bucket they turn it all over and I have some nice soil later to put in the garden. - 8/27/2011   9:00:18 AM

I too plan my menus for the week. When I have produce that goes bad I put it in a compost bin. At least that way it gets used for growing other food. I also use a freezer a lot and love leftovers for lunch. - 8/26/2011   6:25:41 PM

Right now at home we have 4 adults (1 college grad +1 college student) they and my husband are so wasteful! I really try to plan for just enough but I will buy something and their tastes change and I am stuck eating what they don't want. I wish I could get them to be more mindful of eating leftovers and waste less. Next is to get them to turn off the lights and computers when they leave the house! - 8/26/2011   5:42:39 PM

I'm not making any excuses but like the author of the blog, I too find I have to THROW OUT foods because I have not used them fast enough.

There are just the two of us and I am so USED to purchasing in bulk and although I ATTEMPT to purchase just enough fruits and vegetables for one week. I find I'm not always able to incorporate them in my meal plans.

I too HATE TO GO TO THE GROCERY STORE; even when I use coupons for products I always use, I find that the package I purchase CONTAINS less than what is stated -- in other words I'm paying for the AIR.

I plan my menus by using the Grocery Circulars -- if I'm LUCKY, I have a coupon which helps me save monies. I've noticed NOW however, the stores are NO LONGER doubling the coupons which while it does save me money IT'S imho NOT ENOUGH.

- 8/26/2011   4:39:26 PM

I admit that I am a food waster - even though I hate it. I can plan out a week's worth of meals and only buy what I need for that plan. But like Alicotter said, it's inevitable to waste some food as a single person. For me, it's mostly fruits & veggies that I waste. Either I forget I have them or something happens where I don't go according to the meal plan. When I do cook, I make a little extra so I have lunch the next day and sometimes even enough for my boss to have lunch. Since I'm not a big fan of leftovers, I only try to make recipes for four people or less. My mom hardly wasted food, because she keeps (and eats) leftovers for days. Her fridge drives me nuts because it's crammed full with containers of who knows what from who knows when! - 8/26/2011   3:35:05 PM

I very rarely waste food. I plan all my meals and only buy what I need, so everything is accounted for. Leftovers go in the freezer for use on another day.

My mum drives me crazy when I go to her house. She buys in fridge staples - like peppers, mushrooms and salad - without knowing when they will be used. Consequently they often go bad before they are eaten. I find it really annoying!

I have staple foods at home, but they are cupboard foods, or vegetables that I have frozen. Not things that can go off! - 8/26/2011   1:55:52 PM

Because we have so many different schedules going on here, I make big meals, and everybody reheats what they want when they want. Somehow it's rare that anything goes to waste. I keep a jar in the door for leftover veggies in small quantities and add to it everyday. Once a week, I use them in stew or soup and no one is ever the wiser. - 8/26/2011   1:51:28 PM

I actually very rarely waste food. The meals that myhusband and I eat make just enough for the two of us. We don't do leftovers. There is one meal that we make that actually has leftovers, but we just eat on it throughout the week and none of it goes to waste.

The only time I ever waste food is if I buy a new veggie that I don't know what to do with it. I procrastinate for forever if I don't already have a plan. So I just make sure to buy something with an idea already in mind and I don't have to throw away moldy food! - 8/26/2011   1:01:52 PM

I have had to throw some food away but for the most part I alter my meal plans so I can work some of the food about to spoil in or I chop and freeze and sometimes I cook a meal with it and freeze it.
I rarely end up with spoiled food this way - 8/26/2011   12:51:37 PM

I've cut out a lot of food waste. These days, I only buy produce that can be eaten in under a week. This way, I eat fresh veggies regularly and hopefully not waste the ones I've already bought.

In past, I'd have containers of food and I'd have no idea how long they'd been sitting in there. So, I do try to clean my frig out at least once a month. that helps too.
- 8/26/2011   12:36:39 PM

A lot of foods are still nutritious even when they start to wilt or get spots. That's when I make up a big pot of soup or stew. I freeze the soup/stew in serving portions and can pull it out of the freezer for a quick meal later on. - 8/26/2011   11:42:55 AM

I try to plan my produce out for the week and make sure to use it all quickly. I agree with the author, I'd rather cook all the fresh veggies right away and then reheat later. Sometimes I will make a second trip to the market because I like my fruit very fresh, but when I do I confine myself to that section of the store so that I don't go over budget with other things that caught my eye. Wasting milk is something I had a problem with from time to time but then I started putting it behind a gallon jug of water and it seems to last a day or two longer since the jug is blocking warm air from making contact with the 1/2 gallon container and the temperature stays more stable. - 8/26/2011   11:33:38 AM

I honestly call myself a "REFRIGERATOR/LEFTOVER COOK!" Whenver I make something, we eat, clean up, then I put leftovers in small containers and "freeze." Unless, it is small enough for one or two servings. Then once a week, or so, I go through all the freezer/refrig items to "remake into something else." I also go through pantry items, like cereal, oatmeal, and the like to make 'HEALTHY MUFFINS" made from bananas (placed in freezer)
blueberries, mangos, anything that can be made up and frozen. I make different ones, depending on the variety I may have. Sometimes substituting a "box mix", cereal (chopped in food processor), and LESS FLOUR! I also will make Chicken Taco "base", have the tacos one night, then add whole wheat rice and change the entire meal! This works great! - 8/26/2011   11:11:01 AM

We practice a lot of the advice already here in the article and comments--freeze, can, batch cook, pantry-cleaning recipes, take inventory daily, composting, etc. We also make sure to buy food we love. Before I "got into" veggies and went to cooking school and learned more about nutrition, I'd buy them just because I knew they were healthy and wished I were a salad eater. Problem was, I wasn't a salad eater. Now, I eat fruit and veggies with every meal, and everything we buy is something we look forward to preparing and eating. I know that might be a ludicrous thing to say, but I have a lot of friends who also do this. Some people buy gym equipment so it gathers dust in the corner, and some people buy lettuce and let it mold in the fridge. ;) - 8/26/2011   10:59:57 AM

I too am guilty of this. I find myself going to the supermarket 2 or 3 times per week to replenish fresh fruits and most often, I find other things to buy as well despite trying to keep to a weekly shopping itinerary. Ripe bananas seem to go bad quickly and they are thrown in the freezer but no fresh fruits.
With regards to veggies, I found out it is easier to cook them as soon as I have purchased them and warm up some each day with meals; hence, they rarely go bad.
I also have a tendency of not passing up a good cut of meat....bad bad habit. Sometimes they get forgotten and are in the freezer for months and get freezer burn, then they are thrown out. I feel bad having to throw out food in such situations as there are so many hungry people around us. Good thing is that there are some stray cats in my complex and so cooked forgotten left overs are cleared in a container along table scraps and fed to them. - 8/26/2011   10:41:37 AM

I carefully plan not to waste food. (Mama never did!)
Fortunately, hubby enjoys leftovers...:-)
Only egg shells and banana peels are thrown away. lol :-) - 8/26/2011   10:39:36 AM

I was anxious to read the comments to this blog because I can honestly say that we rarely waste food although there are only 2 of us at home and we eat fresh fruits and vegetables daily and meat is a diet staple. Search for "fridge soup" on Spark and you'll see how to turn those wilting vegies into a delicious soup - in fact, when I'm coring & cutting tomatoes & strain the pulp and juices and put them in a freezer container - this often becomes the base for my fridge or freezer soup.
I've also seen recipes here that use frozen bananas once they begin going brown - and those over-ripe peaches make a delicious cobbler. Personally, I love the last bits of fruit on the bottom of a bowl topped with cottage cheese - tasty & inexpensive lunch or snack -- and I've seen some of you write that you will top this "sundae" with a spoon of low-calorie jam to make it a dessert. Search Spark Recipes and you won't be wasting much food any more! - 8/26/2011   10:25:37 AM

With the famine in Somalia it is a real shame to see food - any food go to waste.
I have a hard and fast rule - eat it now or freeze it for later.
In my house many fruits that look like they are not going to last much longer have been tossed into a dessert - a fruit crisp. Veggies will get tossed into a soup. Bananas get tossed into the freezer for smoothies or banana bread. But my main rule is "don't buy too much" which isn't easy to do when everything, especially now, is being harvested and the prices are very low.
I was raised in a house where it was not an option to waste food and I am actually disgusted by how much food does go into the trash via people, or grocers, or even that homeless person to whom I passed a sandwich instead of money. I guess he didn't like it because I watched him in my rear view mirror toss it over his shoulder!! - 8/26/2011   10:21:49 AM

It is an area of struggle in our family, that much is certain. I am currently unemployed and going back to school so waste is a double whammy with the high price of food locally. I am making progress with rotating things more quickly and minimizing waste of perishables but there is much work left to be done in that arena. - 8/26/2011   10:14:39 AM

I also HATE HATE HATE wasting food! I feel like my family is ALWAYS doing it! My Mom always planned and made most meals on Sunday to have for the week. I'm not that good, but try! Most of our food wasted is due to meats and produce going bad! Like you said, looks good and you get it home and it's bad! DRIVES ME CRAZY! It doesn't help that my husband is a big time "waster". I'm trying very hard to be better and we have thoughts about composting especially since we have a garden. The thing that stops me is not having the money to buy the container... but in the long run, it would save me $ in away, so just have to do it! Thanks for the BLOG and helpful hints. I just got to get my bum in gear and do better! :-) - 8/26/2011   10:10:23 AM

One of the reasons we waste so much food is our mindset about food and purchasing food. Other countries buy foods fresh (not bio-engineered fruits and veggies that are picked before they are ripe and sit in a truck). They shop more regularly (think two-three times a week...it would only take you about 10-15 each time) and don't have stockpiles of food in the house. Families did this more regularly in the early part of the 20th century, but we have moved to convenience convenience convenience. I'm a full time working mother, but I shop a couple times a week because we don't keep a house FULL of food. I absolutely hate to waste (being below the poverty line means just 2% of my food being wasted is too much!). Part of reducing waste is changing your mindset and allowing food shopping to be fun and not a hassle. Try new items, use the time to decompress between work or just before picking up kids. Organize your thoughts, sing a song in your head, think about what you are going to do over the weekend (I only suggest these if you've made yourself a list...)
I batch cook, make my own stocks (save all piecces that you cut from veggies in a gallon freezer bag until it is full, simmer in a stock pot for two hours, freeze in ice cube trays and use as needed...no salt and you know EXACTLY what is in that food), sauces, and bread. Bread has been one of the biggest and most cost effective changes. It takes about 30 minutes twice a month to kneed the dough, I individually wrap small baguette sized pieces in parchment, place in a ziplock and freeze. It needs about 20-30 minutes to thaw and bake at 385 for 15-20 minutes...fresh AMAZING bread every night for dinner. It isn't hard and it is worth it because my family eats very healthy even on about $250 a month for three people. We eat better now and have zero waste. I can't remember the last time I threw food away. - 8/26/2011   10:07:18 AM

I hate wasting food, but sometimes, a few things get away from you. We try to only buy enough produce that we will be specifically eating within the week. We freeze as much as possible to retain it for later use. Sometimes we cook once to eat twice (batch cooking like chili, soup, stew, etc.) My m-i-l used to criticize our meal prep because we only made as much as we would eat for that meal. She, on the other hand, had a refrigerator that was overflowing with science experiments gone wrong. Horribly wasteful. - 8/26/2011   9:42:02 AM

I also shop just once a week sometimes less. Food waster not me, but thats how I gor at the weight I am today because I am the food composite sight in my home. If there is anything that I think is about to go bad I eat it. If there is a little left on plates I eat it. If there is a little or a lot left over I eat it. So for me it would be better to find another way to deal with my waste other than putting it in my mouth. - 8/26/2011   9:30:03 AM

When you are single wasting food just happens. Especially when these days most stores sell almost everything in family size. It is hard to buy food for just one. And before some helpful person starts going on about freezing it. Remember that most of us singles do not have a big freezer, we just have the top of our apartment size fridge.
The average loaf of bread goes bad before you can use all of it, And don't let me go no about how most recipes are for large family servings so unless you want to eat the same thing for days a lot of it gets through out. - 8/26/2011   9:26:51 AM

I am notoriously frugal and try hard not to waste food. DH wastes alot-I end up eating things I shouldn't just so they don't go to waste. My coworkers are also very wasteful. We now have a spot in the work kitchen for their expired/wilted food. I take it home for my chickens or my compost pile. - 8/26/2011   9:22:40 AM

Coach Jen, are we twins?? :-D Like you, wasting food really irks me, and I have always made it a rule in the house to either container up leftovers and keep in the fridge for the next lunch, or not to make so much food that there would be leftovers. Having said that, my dog loves the meat leftovers we occasionally have. But it's the fresh produce waste that drives me crazy the most! I'm still working on when the best time of the week it is to buy lettuce, but since I normally only eat lettuce at work for lunch, Mondays seem to be working out better for purchasing Romaine. I've also taken the habit of buying individual fruits instead of a bag of fruit, because I know I won't eat them before they go bad, especially exotic (to me) fruit that I wouldn't know how to cook it to make a dessert. - 8/26/2011   8:31:02 AM

I tend to try to find multiple uses for my produce and/or divide out what I can right away to be sure that it doesn't get wasted.
For instance, I know I probably won't get to eat all my bananas before they turn brown. So I take 1-2 from the bunch right away and freeze them for future smoothies or banana bread. When celery begins to lose it's crunch, I soak sticks in water to crisp up what I can, or chop it all and place in the freezer for soups and stews.
Romain is my favorite for salads, but also gets used in wraps and sandwiches or as a base for chicken parm instead of using pasta....find creative ways to extend your produce life or find new ways to use it and you'll very seldom ever waste a thing. - 8/26/2011   8:04:18 AM

I end up shopping 2-3 times a week instead of one big shopping trip. We are very busy and have a changing schedule so it works best. It's right on the way home from work, so we stop there before heading home. Helps keep my veggies and fruit from going bad.
- 8/26/2011   7:39:22 AM

being on spark has helped me focus on this. i used to waste a lot of food (esp vegetables).

When it comes to buying meat, i mentally calculate how much i will be eating out and buy less accordingly.

when it comes to vegetables, ive set a goal of three per week, so i buy to that. i also try to buy both perishable and non perishable versions (or ones with longer shelf lives):
* milk has a relatively short shelf life (1-2 weeks). yogurt usually gives me 5-6 weeks
* spinach is usually 7-10 days. Onions last a couple of weeks at least

the healthier i've gotten, the less i want to eat out (too much salt). the less i eat out, the more i cook. the more i cook, the more aware i am of how much i need to buy.

i waste much less than i used to.

thanks sparkpeople! - 8/26/2011   7:23:15 AM

I buy fresh veggies and fruit at the Farmer's market every other day in the summer and love it. I also compost! It is the best soil!!! - 8/26/2011   7:02:09 AM

I either grow my own veggies or buy most of them at the farmers market twice a week during the summer. In the "off'" season I buy from the grocery store every day. The store is right next to my gym so it is quick and easy to stop and buy just enough for a day or two. - 8/26/2011   6:55:02 AM

I try to freeze what I can and for veggies, if they are a little wilted I will save them to juice. What's let of that I have to say I throw out, don't have a composter yet. - 8/26/2011   5:55:34 AM

being in japan really makes it hard to keep fresh produce and vegetables so what ive learned by being here is to by them that day as i need them so that i dont have to waste it. but i do sometimes waste things like apples and such that i buy for the two weeks between payday as i forget i have them and all. but i have been getting better at not wasting so much. - 8/26/2011   5:47:21 AM

No matter how hard I try to remember what I have in my refrigerator, some of it gets past its prime. We have started to compost the produce and always put stale crackers, bread, etc out for the birds. - 8/26/2011   2:26:47 AM

As much as I also don't like to go to the market, I shop every three days or so. That helps insure we use what we buy and less gets thrown out. - 8/26/2011   1:32:12 AM

first I try to keep all thing that will go bad quicker at the front of fridge.
I also pre package in serving sizes. Like one I read. I buy in bulk, cook in bulk then make meal size or serving size pkgs & freeze. Most my chicken is grilled & shredded for use. Cook my xtra lean beef and do the same. - 8/26/2011   12:59:27 AM

I find that bulk-cooking and freezing individual serves is a great way to ensure that there isn't wastage. This way I can take very good advantage of the specials and enables us to live off the smell of an oily rag. We can't afford much but it doesn't stop us eating well or healthily! I only shop once a week and on the odd occasion if I don't have money, I don't shop, BUT I don't need to because I have the frozen meals as back-up, and extra dry stuff like lentils, cereals plus cans of tuna, salmon etc. in a separate store cupboard away from the pantry. I even have milk powder for back-up for hubby (I use Soy milk)

Kris - 8/26/2011   12:43:03 AM

I only fix as much food as we eat at a meal as I don't reheat leftovers. I learned that from my high school Home Economics class in 1964. When you fix to much food, people will over eat. Just think about what happens at Thanksgiving Dinner. - 8/26/2011   12:26:56 AM