Changing Perspective

As my post-divorce days of surfing the internet and sleeping continue, I found an interesting statement in an online article entitled "Smart Ways to Save Money on Healthy Foods" by Fitbie magazine.

Since part of the impetus in my eating pre-made salads, etc. was the fact that I was throwing out a lot of spoiled food, the following statement intrigued me. The rut I found myself in was due in part to the way I'd lived for over 30 years. Being married involved cooking a fresh meal every night. I had all the proportions down pat and we rarely had left overs or threw anything out.

“One of the most important things is planning ahead, so you can use what you already have in your freezer, cupboards, and fridge.” says Peggy Martin, lead author of the Iowa State University Extension website Spend Smart, Eat Smart. "We know from research that a lot of food goes to waste.” The average American family throws away 14% of their food, according to a USDA study. This adds up to almost $600 each year. So make a point to use what you have in the cupboards, or have a plan about how you will do so, before you go shopping again. By preparing before you hit the market, you will also be less likely to make costly impulse buys. Courtesy of Fitbie.

While I thought I'd altered my patterns a few years ago, to the point where I just cooked or grilled some chicken or fish and served it with a vegetable or salad. I hadn't changed my shopping habits which focused on buying meat, fish and produce in volume since the price was so much better than for single items.

Now this is a fine practice if you're cooking for two or more, in a good place mentally and sharing it all with a partner. It's not so good when you're where I am. I always prepare a shopping list, being even more strict about not buying on impulse, but I hadn't altered my approach to food buying.

After reading the article, I re-thought today's shopping list. You see, I have some chicken frozen in the fridge and if I don't see myself making ribs anytime soon, why buy them? Plus, I still had a pound of cooked chicken, some Genovese Pesto, romaine lettuce, marinated mozzarella balls and Lucques olives. Did I really need a pre-made salad? Couldn't I just muster the energy to toss the lot together?

Now the only drawback to this is that the sales end on Tuesday and after checking, there aren't any ribs or Foster Farm chickens on sale for the coming week, but then if I really want chicken, all I have to do is thaw what's in the fridge and toss it in a fry pan or on the grill. And there's always the Trader Joe's salads which I can replenish tomorrow. So, here's to less food in the trash can and to not spending money on things I don't need at the moment.

Of course, not running errands means that Mr. Blue is cookie-less, which is not sitting well with him, but I think he'll endure till tomorrow!