Following up from last week's post on not wasting food, I'm sharing some of the things that Rev T and I do to make this rather boring, but essential job, easier. And, hopefully, prevent food waste along the way.
We go to the supermarket together each week. Hot dating, parent style!
A cupboard full of stables.
We keep stables in the cupboard that can be used for various meals - tinned tuna, coconut milk, rice, pasta, spices etc. As soon as a basic is used up, it gets added to the weekly shopping list so it can be replaced. We use a paper list, but you could use an app. I try to keep the cupboards neat so stuff doesn't get lost at the back.
Meal plan.
We plan what we're eating for the week, note down the ingredients and only shop for those meals. Meal planning saves us time, money and prevents food waste. I'm loving the One Pound Meals from Instagram chief Miguel Barclay. Man's a genius.
Stock take.
Before we go to the supermarket, we check to see what we have already to make sure we don't buy something that's already in the cupboard or freezer. (I say we, but Rev T is better at this than me).
Write a list.
And stick to it. A list makes it less likely you'll forget things or buy stuff you don't need because it's cheap. We use a paper one, but there's almost certainly an app for that.
Bulk buy.
When I was a child, my parents and their friends clubbed together to buy whole cows, pigs and sheep directly from the farmer for the freezer. Buying direct from a farm was cheaper than buying from shops. Everything was divided up and there were Sunday Roasts for everybody for months. (No idea if you can still do this). If you have the space and the income, buy non-perishable things - toilet rolls, cat litter etc - in bulk when they're on offer. We don't. Our kitchen lacks storage space.
Other friends:
- Shop locally and get all their fruit and vegetables at the market at the weekend and their meat from a farm butchers. (We go to the farm butchers but not the market. It is cheaper and nothing's pre-packaged but we're not always able to get to the market when it's open).
- Take their own bags and avoid over packaged items. (We're working on this).
- Read the labels carefully to avoid certain ingredients as they have allergies or just don't eat certain things etc.
Any tips for making food shopping even easier?
Photos taken at the Keats House, Hampstead
Sharing with all these great Linkys
All good advice - we hate wasting food here, and just helps us be more creative to come up with recipe ideas with leftovers. Shopping local and growing our own vegetables also helps. Thanks for the info about Miguel Barclay - will go and check it out. Have a great week :) #anythinggoes
ReplyDeleteThank you. :) Shopping local is harder for us as we can't always get to the market on Saturday, but we do buy meat from the farm shop. Hope you enjoy the Miguel Barclay :) They've really helped us
DeleteI like to shop online through my local store. That really helps to curb impulse buys and reduce the amount of food we end up tossing in the garbage. It also saves me money on unnecessary junk food. #bigpinklink
ReplyDeleteWe stick to a list for the same reasons :) I like to see my groceries
DeleteI do the shopping! NEVER send my husband. He comes home with many MANY items we dont need just because they are on sale. Never shop hungry! #anythinggoes
ReplyDeleteRev T is way more disciplined than me and way better than me about things like that and we keep each other in check
DeleteI always write a list before I go for the weekly food shop, then more often than not leave it at home, luckily I have quite a good memory #dreamteam@_karendennis
ReplyDeleteI'm more likely to forget the list if I go on my own, but fortunately Rev T usually remembers.
DeleteGreat tips. Not taking the children with me works wonders as less pester power. Starting to try to be more organised in not wasting fresh food by cutting down amounts bought at one time. Freezer is a great friend and I need a bigger one. #DreamTeam
ReplyDeleteWe always buy more when the Tubblet comes as she spots things. I'd love a bigger freezer as well as that would really help, but we don't have room :(
DeleteI've heard that it's a bad idea to grocery shop when you're hungry, as you fill the trolley with cakes and biscuits you don't really need. I'm not sure it makes much difference really - certainly in our house, cakes disappear very quickly but by only shopping once a week at least I don't dash out and buy more! #tweensteensbeyond
ReplyDeleteI've heard the same. Not sure if it's true or not
DeleteLoved this post! We have also started making a list for the week meals. I confirm it saves times (one trip to groceries per week only) and money (easier to stick to the list, since you know what you'll eat. Careful with snacks, though!).
ReplyDelete#bloggersbest
Snacks are harder as you want some, but not too many as then people don't eat their dinner. * cough *
DeleteFantastic advice. I do a lot of these things but I shop online. It saves me money as I don't get distracted and tempted by things on offer. #bloggersbest
ReplyDeleteAs we go together, one of us manages to keep the other in check but I can see the appeal of online shopping in some situations
DeleteThe bulk buying and brimming cupboards reminds of my childhood. Empty cupboards was a no no - even if you never got to the bottom of them. Both parents were children during the war and rationing and I think that was a natural thing to do. No one ever went or left the house hungry. When we make it to Aldi, I do a big buy because the stuff is good and so much cheaper than anywhere else. I think I'm generally good but it's always good to have a reminder. Great post and thanks for sharing with #tweensteensbeyond
ReplyDeleteDefinitely, my parents are the same. No cupboard should every be empty! And all leftovers went into a container to be used for something else.
DeleteOh the stock take!! We are so rubbish at this and then stand there in the supermarket debating whether we have enough toilet roll or not. This is a brilliant post packed with great advice. Most of mine is done online now and I have had some disasters there too. Once I ended up with 48 bananas and ended up giving them away to neighbours! Thanks so much for sharing with us at #TweensTeensBeyond
ReplyDeleteThat's my big fear with online shopping too. That I'll end up with 48 tins of tomatoes and nothing else to eat for the week!
DeleteGreat list. I think buying direct from farmers is so important if you can, not just for our wallets, but for theirs too! Thanks for linking up to the #dreamteam
ReplyDeleteIt's great if you can afford it and have farms near. We're lucky that we can :)
DeleteGreat tips! Visiting from #GoingGreen
ReplyDeleteThank you :)
DeleteI originally popped over from #tweenteensbeyond but i see my comment never made it, so I'll try again from #goinggreen we buy all our food in bulk, fridge stuff such as cheese, milk, yogurts on a weekly basis and fruit and veg from our local shop as and when we need it
ReplyDeleteThat's weird. Glad you made it in the end.
DeleteOhh some great tips! I online shop much easier than having to go with 2 kids! Thanks for linking up #Blogging Beautifully
ReplyDeleteI know! Shopping with the Tubblet when she was small was could be a challenge!
DeleteGreat tips! We always have a list and plan our meals out to ensure no wastage. If a dish makes more than we need, or plans change, it goes in the freezer as a home made freezer meal. I have a "things to use up" spreadsheet for store cupboard items, sauces etc. This includes recipes for these items. I try to use this list to help guide some of the menu choices. It saves money and prevents waste. Another good idea is every few months have an "empty the freezer week" where every meal contains something from the freezer. Its certainly a cheap food week! #GoingGreenLinky
ReplyDeleteThat's super organised! Maybe we could try that ...
DeleteMeal planning and making a list and sticking to it, are my two top rules and it usually works. I have to confess, my husband does the grocery shop because he's super good at it, I hate it, and he only ever buys what we need.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing those tips though. Very helpful.
#goinggreen
Rev T is the same which is why he tends to go with me. I'm not good, I'm a bit of an over-buyer, but I'm getting better
DeleteI need to check out these one pound meals on Instagram as I am always looking for ways to save money. Plus I definitely agree with buying in bulk and batch cooking. Thanks for linking up at #fortheloveofBLOG. Claire x
ReplyDeleteHe's excellent :) He's saved us a lot of time and money as well as introducing us to some new meals
DeleteFab tips! Bulk buying is always a good idea, I need to do more of it! Thank you for linking up at the #bigpinklink xx
ReplyDeleteWe'd do more if we had the space, but we don't so we can't. Thank you for hosting each week
DeleteTerimakasih atas infonya.
ReplyDeletesalam kenal
Rak supermaket surabaya PT Aku Sayang Indonesia Ku
I try do all of these although I am not very good at meal planning, mainly because I don't know what veg might be ready from the garden and I would like to do more bulk buying ... hopefully this will be easier when I have my new kitchen with larder (so looking forward to that! I would also add NEVER shop with your husband if he is anything like mine as we always come home with far more than planned.
ReplyDelete#GoingGreen