We’ve all had great plans to cook everything we bought at the store, but somehow things get hidden and not found until MUCH later. Oh, the guilt of finding the “science project!” The key is to use up groceries BEFORE they go bad!
I don’t set out intending to do this, but it happens. One day, I looked at something and wondered, “what is that?” I suddenly realized it was the spinach I bought for that one recipe and intended to use in salad the next day. Nope, it didn’t happen, and that spinach went to mush…yuck.
Or there was the time I picked up the zucchini only to realize it was furry and soft…gross! Couldn’t get that stuff in the trash fast enough!
You don’t even wanna know the money you’re throwing away each time this happens. But how do you avoid it? Get a radical new kind of refrigerator that takes up the whole wall but is only about 8 inches deep? Probably not gonna happen. You just need to know what’s in there and where.
The solution
I’ve tried various ways of doing this, but what I need most is a reminder that is right in my face. So, I cleaned off the fridge and took advantage of the gift my son offered me – a roll of sticky-backed dry erase material I could cut to fit my refrigerator door! (WriteyBoard if you want some yourself!)
I covered the door as far down as I thought I could write comfortably and went to work pulling out the contents of each freezer shelf. Then I wrote out what was in the fridge (and sometimes use the bottom part to record my menu for the week). I also noted fresh items like potatoes and onions that I didn’t store in the fridge at all.
It does take a little practice to erase things as you use them up AND add things as you’re unloading from your shopping trips. Will you do it perfectly each week? Of course not. But I sure use up more of the groceries I buy every week!
Have you found another way to conquer this challenge? Please share!
Also check out these other key strategies to keep cooking smarter…
