Grocery prices have gone up, and they continue to rise. Food doesn’t cost what it used to, and we Mamas are having a hard time saving money. We might look for sales, buy cheaper cuts of meat, and quit eating out all together. We might try once-a-month grocery shopping, buying in bulk, or growing our own fruits and vegetables.

All of these tactics are great!

All of these things can help us save money.

But today, I want to talk about one money-saving strategy that can be easily overlooked. “What is it?” you might ask.

To put it simply, it’s:

Reducing food waste.

According to secondharvest.ca, “Over 46% of all food in Canada is wasted every year.”¹

Crazy, hey?

Imagine how many people that food could feed. Imagine how much money could be saved.

Now while I’m not sure if this statistic is speaking more about commercial kitchens than home kitchens, and while you may not be throwing out close to half your food, I think we all could use some encouragement in this area.

Reducing food waste is perhaps one of the easiest ways to save money on food, because it’s right in your own home with food you already have.

So why is it so hard?

Why we throw out food.

I think we throw out food for a few reasons.

1. We lack creativity for how to use leftovers.

One of the hang ups we might have in limiting food waste is we don’t know how to use up leftovers. If we have a container of plain pasta noodles, a bag of bread crusts in the freezer, or some veggies that have seen better days, we don’t always know how to use them up. We end up throwing out food that could have nourished us, because we simply don’t know what to do instead.

2. We get lazy about storing food scraps.

Another reason we might throw out more food than necessary is that we get lazy. Putting some leftover supper in the trash can instead of into a reusable container feels easier. We might not want to take the time to pack up dinner remains, and so we might resort to tossing perfectly good food in the garbage.

3. We forget the value of limiting food waste.

Finally, we might decide to toss food, because we simply forget the value of doing otherwise. We think it’s no big deal to let our carrots go bad and toss them at the end of the week, but when we realize how beneficial it is to limit food waste, we will be more likely to start doing so.

Now that we know WHY we throw out food, let’s talk about why we shouldn’t!

Why we should REDUCE food waste.

1. It saves money.

It goes without saying, but when we waste less food, we waste less money. We are actually eating what we have instead of throwing our hard-earned dollars in the trash. We need to spend less at the grocery store to buy MORE food when we eat the food we already have in our refrigerator, freezer, and pantry.

2. It’s good stewardship.

Everything we have comes from God, so we are responsible for how we care for what we have. Rather than wasting our resources, reducing food waste helps us make good use of what God has given to us.

3. It’s fun!

Reducing food waste forces us to get creative. We have to use what we have, think outside the box, and work within limits. That can be a fun challenge!

So how do we do this? How can we reduce food waste in our kitchen? I’m glad you asked! Here are 7 Ways to Reduce Food Waste.

7 Ways to Reduce Food Waste.

1. Use glass or Tupperware containers.

Have a drawer in your kitchen designated for leftover containers. Have big, medium, and little containers that you can pull out after meals in which to store leftovers.

We enjoy using both glass and plastic containers. Here is a link for glass containers similar to ours.

Razab 8 Cups / 63 Oz 2 Pack Large Glass Container Food Storage with Lids – Leakproof, BPA-Free Large Glass Meal Prep Container Ideal for Roasting Turkey, Store Leftover – Microwave & Oven Safe : Amazon.ca: Home

2. Have a leftovers’ shelf.

Designate a spot in your refrigerator for leftovers. Put all your tupperware or glass containers there. That way, you’ll always know what you need to use up, and you won’t start losing containers in the back recesses of the fridge.

3. Eat leftovers for lunch.

You don’t need to always eat sandwiches for lunch. You can instead eat leftovers. If you have uneaten food after a particular meal, pack it up, put it in the fridge and you or another family member can eat it for lunch the next day.

4. Utilize your freezer.

Freezers are a wonderful invention. Rather than risking food spoilage, put food in the freezer that you don’t want to go bad. Things like baked goods, meat, and fruit can be easily thrown in the freezer to save for another time.

5. Take regular inventory.

Regularly take stock of what you have. Look through your pantry, fridge, and freezer and notice what you have to use up. Don’t let things escape your notice.

6. Meal plan.

Once you have taken inventory, create meal plans based on what you have to use up. If you have a bunch of frozen broccoli, plan a stir-fry night. If you have some cooked pasta, try your hand at baked spaghetti. Meal planning not only helps you use what you have but also be strategic in only buying foods that serve a purpose in your kitchen.

7. Get creative.

Brainstorm creative ways to use up leftover food. Think outside the box, and if you’re totally stumped, use Pinterest or Google for ideas.

Well, there you have it, 7 Ways to Reduce Food Waste. This doesn’t mean we can never throw out food. It doesn’t mean we have to be a perfectionist or drill sergeant about it. But it does mean we can seek to steward our resources well and save money where possible.

I hope this post was inspiring and helpful to you.

FAQ About Reducing Food Waste

1. What are some good recipes to re-purpose leftovers?

Obviously, it depends what the leftovers are! But some of my favorites are rice pudding (to use up cooked rice), lasagna (to use up frozen spinach), breadcrumbs (to use up uneaten crusts), and carrot ginger soup (to use up lots of carrots).

2. How do I limit food waste with young kids?

It can be hard not to waste food when you have young kids. Accept grace in this! You don’t have to save every half-eaten apple slice or mulched cheerio.

Some things you can do is:

1. Use little containers to save things throughout the day and put them out for the taking at supper.
2. Offer fewer snacks throughout the day.
3. Stop serving snacks you know they won’t eat.
4. Give smaller servings.
5. Set expectations from the start (i.e. “you can have dessert if you eat one more bite, etc.”).

1. Second Harvest. (2024, October 22). New report from Second Harvest reveals Canada’s $58 billion food waste problem. Second Harvest. https://www.secondharvest.ca/post/new-report-from-second-harvest-reveals-canadas-58-billion-food-waste-problem ↩︎