How we make our food last longer as a family of three to cut on food costs

One of my biggest pet peeves is food waste, which is admittedly hard to avoid with a three-year-old running around our house, changing her mind on which foods she's willing to eat that day. I find that food waste is wasteful on several levels; the most obvious is the loss of food, but it's also a waste of money and resources. With the cost of groceries, it pains me every time we have to chuck something that wasn't eaten or used in time. To save money on our food bill, I've started buying in bulk at places like Costco, but it's sometimes hard to use all that food when there are only three mouths to feed here. So, I've made it a goal to reduce our family's food waste by half for the entire year.

1. Proper Storage.

One of the most effective ways to reduce food waste is to store it properly. When you store food properly, you increase its shelf life, giving yourself more time to use it up. I invested in special produce containers that help keep my sensitive produce, like berries and lettuce, fresh. These containers work by allowing air to ventilate through, keeping food from sitting in high humidity.

If you don't want to invest in special containers, you can always use some paper towels or clean cloths to line the containers you already have. I've had strawberries last for over two weeks, and spinach for over a month using this method!

2. Freeze it.

You can freeze almost anything: cream, cheese, meat, produce, pasta. Freezing is great because it will extend the life of your food by months if done right. Admittedly, there are some foods that you may have to do a little prep work on. But it's worth it to not have to rebuy a bunch of food. When freezing, make sure there is as little air in the storage container or bag as possible to avoid condensation and freezer burn. I have a Foodsaver vacuum sealer, but a straw and a ziploc bag will do the trick as well.

3. Repurpose it.

This point is really where my path toward self-sufficiency comes into play. Just the other day, I had some spinach that I wasn't going to successfully use up before it spoiled. So, I dehydrated it and made spinach powder that I'll be using as a sneaky way to add more veggies to my toddler's (and husband's) foods. My girl loves green pancakes. I've also started making my own broths using chicken bones and veggie scraps. In my mind, this is basically free food. I already bought the chicken for a recipe, so if I make broth out of it too, then the broth is free (homesteader math).

4. Preserve it.

This is kind of an extension of point 2 but from a different angle. Preserving foods (canning them) is a great way to extend the shelf life as well, only rather than months you can extend it by years. Canning is a very specific process that must be done with care and attention to successfully kill bacteria and prevent spoilage during storage. When done successfully, canning can offer a sustainable food supply for years to come. I'll admit, I haven't completely jumped all in. I just can't wrap my head around canned meat. However, it does give me a great avenue to repurpose veggies like carrots, cucumbers, and jalapenos into delicious pickles, or tomatoes and peppers into spaghetti sauce and salsa.

By using food to its fullest potential, a person can reduce their grocery bills and food waste. It also gives an opportunity for self-sufficiency. We saw food shortages during the pandemic, who's to say something like that won't happen again? I realize not all food waste is avoidable, but even just implementing small steps can make a huge impact.