No Good Very Bad Waste

Sticky, icy, mysterious, stinky, and abandoned. All of these could be used to describe food in my fridge at one point or another. Visions of rigorous weekly refrigerator cleanings do not always manifest themselves. As a result, from time to time an unaccounted for container or more often abandoned veggies or fruit in a drawer are extracted and found to be less then edible.

This food waste is a regular red flag for budget keeping. If you spend the money to buy the food, why on earth would you keep wasting it by letting it rot. DH points this out constantly. No one ever goes through the produce section and picks out broccoli with the ambition of not steaming it. I don't stand their and handpick green beans only to extract them frosty from the fridge later, rendered tasteless by the days spent in the veggie drawer.

Yet, my very first world problem keeps rearing its ugly head. And this New York Times piece notes that it could equal $40 a week totally $2,275 a year of wasted food and cash.

As I blissfully wandered through the store this week, I was determined to not only stick to my shopping list, but to also not buy more than we can consume before it expires.

In theory, all of the produce sitting in my fridge at this moment, will be consumed this week. As in the next 7-10 days. No veggie or herb will be left behind.

In addition, my meal planning this week focused on using things I already have in my pantry. I've enacted a self-imposed dry carb purchasing ban for the moment. No more purchasing of dried pastas, grains, legumes, etc. until I've put a serious dent in what's already in my pantry. Why on earth do I keep amassing new types of rice when I have four already on a shelf at home. What are we stock piling for? An emergency 30 person dinner where we can only use what we already have in the house?

Hello Thai Chicken Skewers and the can of coconut milk you'll use up from my pantry and Toasted Israeli Couscous Salad with Grilled Summer Veggies that will clear out some couscous and stock.  And, waiting in the fridge already made for tonight's dinner is what promises to be a tasty Corn Chowder that used up some bacon and onions from the drawer.