New week mean new deals at the supermarket! I know I know that sentence probably aged me by 40 years if not more. But hey, frugality and caring for your products doesn’t need to mean you are an old soul(even tough I am). Being able to plan and properly care for your foods shopping and produce is good not only for your wallet but the planet.
The first thing I do is check my fridge at the end of the week to see if there is anything I need to use up before it goes bad. If I get the supermarket deals in the weekend I tend to see which of my staple goods are on a deal for a little restock or if anything extra delicious or something I can use in a rough weekly meal plan stands out. By making a list at each shop and having it ready for the week I am less likely to impulse buy something if I pop in for my weekly shopping spontaneously. I’ll know what I’m meant to get and can be a bit spontaneous if I see something that catches my eye extra much.
Continuing on the last point, I try not to limit myself unreasonably. Restricting myself from getting a few wants will just make shopping and cooking boring. A cheeky kinder egg here or nice drink there. Usually they can be on a deal now and again to the point that I almost always have something nice at home so I don’t get the sudden urges for empty stomach grabs.
Plan your meals. I can’t stress this enough. It doesn’t have to be intricate food plans you need to follow to the T but having a rough plan of what you have at home can help you use some produce for more than one meal. A couple weeks ago I had oven roasted veggies for a couple days and just changed the protein daily. Other weeks I’ll buy a cut of meet and have that differently for a few days, slow cooked pork tenderloin with potato gratin one day, a salad the next end the feast with a nice ramen bowl. Minced beef as pasta one day, kimbap the next and finish of with some easy taco wrap.
New week which means new deals at the supermarket! Haha, I know I sound like a retired person counting every penny everyone BUT we have a saying in Swedish ”Alla bäckar små” which translates to every small stream(becomes a river) meaning small savings can actually accumulate to something substantial in the end. One of the best ways I save money is intentional food shopping which also lowers my food waste. By buying the products I often use or need when they are cheaper I make sure to never run out of the things I need while needing to pay ”extra” or more for it when I suddenly run out eg, tieods, toilet paper pasta.
Storing your produce well will make them edible for longer. The best thing about moving out was the fact that my new fridges are amazing. A salad that wouldn’t survive 3 days at my mum’s or aunt’s place will be crisp in my fridge for a week pushing two. It’s witchcraft I tell you!
A tip I learned was putting a clean kitchen towel on the bottom of the vegetable drawer. It makes cleaning easier and makes sure you don’t have excess water in the bottom of the drawer once you’ve washed your produce, preventing mold and rotting.
