I won't get it all into one post - so for today, I'll start with our first tactic for saving money on food shopping - Eat Everything!
Nothing gets wasted in this house.
Anything leftover at the end of a meal is usually deliberate rather than accidental. For example, if I know we'll be having omelettes for tea the following day, I'll cook extra boiled potatoes with the dinner the night before, then have them ready in the fridge. Or, I'll make double of something, for example chicken curry, so I can freeze half - a "ready meal" in the freezer for another day. Sometimes I'll make extra at tea-time and have it again, reheated in the microwave, for the following day's lunch. I usually get my portions spot-on so there isn't anything left once we've had our dinner - but if there is, it goes in the fridge to be used up along with the next day's meals, or into the freezer for another time.
My freezer is only small but it is always full and anything that will not get used up before it goes off in the fridge, gets frozen. If there's a pack of ham with a couple of slices still lurking in it and we have no planned use for it, those slices get popped in the freezer and I can then use them another time for pizza topping, omelettes, pasta dishes etc. Likewise for any vegetables that are starting to go a bit floppy and sad-looking - I either make soup with them (and freeze it) or peel and chop them and freeze in food bags. I like using fresh herbs if I can pick them up at a reduced price - although invariably I don't need the full pack, so anything left goes in the freezer. Herbs work well from frozen - I have a little tub in the freezer as we speak, full of rosemary for sprinkling on roast potatoes!
I never have to "clear out" my fridge and chuck away out of date milk, mouldy cheese or past it yoghurt. If something needs using up, I'll adjust our meal plans accordingly to ensure it does, or alternatively I freeze it for another day. My fridge is almost empty by the time shopping day comes round again - everything fresh has been used up or frozen.
Obviously if something was off or if I was in any doubt, I wouldn't feed it to my family - but I use best before dates as a guide only, and use common sense with the rest. I haven't given us food poisoning yet! That jar of mustard that says "use in 4 weeks after opening"? The ice cream in the freezer that's to be eaten in three months?! If it looks alright, smells alright and tastes alright, we eat it. I'm more careful with Use By dates, but to be fair we don't tend to buy such huge stocks of fresh produce that I have to be concerned about the Use By dates on the fresh things I buy.
Finally, I take advantage of reduced price, yellow-stickered items in the supermarket. You know the Reduced to Clear section - that's where you'll find me, rummaging for bargains. I buy it and either cook it or freeze it, and write it into the next week's meal plans. It's a good way of being able to afford more pricey items that would normally be off the menu. Also, I tend to pick up bakery products for pennies in my local supermarket at the end of the day. Baguettes and french sticks are turned into garlic bread, and croissants, pains au chocolat and crumpets freeze well too - making a lovely breakfast treat for my husband and the kids at the weekends. I wouldn't dream of buying 4 croissants for £1.50 - but 10p I'll stretch to!
I'll come back with more ideas next time!
Best wishes
Debbie
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