Some of us shop frequently for groceries, going every day to get something fresh for dinner. I like to do that, when I can. But about once every month or two I'll do a major meal planning session and then stock up. I'll often grab meat that's on sale and put it in the freezer for soups or stews, or buy interesting produce to experiment with.
Here's the problem, and I'm ashamed to say it. Much too often, I forget what's in my fridge. The week runs by and suddenly that head of cabbage has been there for ten days! Oops. It's wasteful and it's the curse of a full-size fridge, where things can get pushed to the back and forgotten.
That's not sad, that's a good idea.
i find having clear produce drawers helps a lot.
That's a terrific idea -- I'll try it. I just threw out an embarrassing amount of old food this morning. Thank you!
Make an inventory of freezer items and stick them to your freezer door. check them off when you use them. This really helps since one does not have to dish out what is in the back.
What is not ticked off is what is in .
That's a great idea, as is the inventory suggested by Book. I have stopped stocking up on much besides canned chicken stock and other non-perishables, because I'm so frustrated when I have to throw food away. Of course, that also means there are nights when I really have to scrounge to find something to cook!
I do this when I buy cases of wine.
I'll pop the receipt on the fridge and then make comments as we go through the bottles so I have a better idea of which bottles I really liked, and which ones I was, eh, about. Then I take the receipt back to the store, show it to the owner, and she can help me make better decisions.
I shop using Fresh Direct. Once every ten days or so, I'll sit down and come up with five complete dinners that I want to make, then buy ingredients for those meals. I keep the meal planning list and the Fresh Direct invoice on the refrigerator. The added benefit for us is that though I'm the primary meal planner and food shopper, this system means that my husband or I can just as easily put the meals together, depending on who gets home first.
Of course, I also buy basics and have staples in the house, but this system has been our best shot at making sure we don't throw away perishable food and use everything we buy.
I gave up trying to keep track of the items in the fridge and go grocery shopping just about every day. With no car, I can't buy very much per trip anyway. I could use the list system to keep track of leftovers in the fridge though...
A great tip, Faith! I have a similar problem with wine. We'll grab various things at the wine store that sound good, some a little pricey for special events or dinners and others that are just everyday bottles to crack open whenever. The problem is, I can tend to forget which is which if it's wines I'm not familiar with. So I just put a discreet little mark on the back label of the everyday bottles--that way I know I'm grabbing the right stuff at the right time.
I have also had this problem. I like the receipt on the fridge idea. I have a Pantry Festival twice a year where I had to use up many of the items in my pantry. I use the old leftovers not quite for prime time veggies for stock. This way if I can't to eat them in their prime, I don't waste them. I put them in the freezer unitl I get enough to make stock.
absolutely brilliant!!!!
An even better solution is with Timestrips. These smart labels measure time and temperature range and have a visual timeline with three types for freezer, fridge and pantry. They are disposable and cost less that a postage stamp.
TimestripOnline.com sells them in packs of fifty and has lots of information on shelf life.