Use More – Daily Financial Tip
I mentioned a few tips back to use less (Use Half The Amount) to save money, so the question you’re probably asking yourself is how in the world do you save money by using more? The answer is by using more of what you already have instead of throwing in out.
According to statistics from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, families in the US waste about 10% of their food dollars by purchasing groceries that they never use. This is because the food rots, molds or spoils before it can be used and therefore has to be thrown away. With the average house purchasing approximately 10% of their income in groceries a year, that means that a family that earns $40,000 is throwing about $400 a year directly into the trash.
There’s a simple way to avoid this waste. Take the time to go through your refrigerator and shelves every couple of days and incorporate the food that’s aging into meals that day. Old bananas are perfect for banana bread and a stale loaf of bread can be turned into a wonderfully delicious bread pudding. Make a monthly inspection of your pantry and use whatever cans have been shoved to the back and locate all the items that are nearing their expiration dates.
If you have never done this type of cooking before and find yourself at a loss of what to do with certain food items that will go bad soon, leave a question in the food and recipe area and those who have been doing this type of saving should be able to help you come up with a recipe to save the food.
By using more of what you already have, you won’t need to buy as much at the grocery store and that ultimately means more dollars into your pocket.
Good advice! I am a very big meal planner. I usually post my menus on the boards and on my blogs each week.
Every few months I do a pantry challenge to use up some of the stuff in my pantry. I am pretty good at rotating items. But right now I have 44 cans of green beans. I think I need to stop buying them.