Buy what you need

You’ve been to the shops and as you put away the food you realise that you weren’t almost out of cheese after all – there are now 2 large packets in the fridge. Whether its cheese, another bag of salad, tins of chopped tomatoes or potatoes – you were so sure you’d finished them up and needed to buy more.  You aren’t alone, it’s going to be hard to find someone who hasn’t been in this situation. Buying extra or things you don’t need fills up your kitchen, usually means you spend more than you expect but it often ends up meaning you throw away food because you have too much to use it up in time. If this is you, take a quick peek at our storing superhero tips to see if there’s a way to save the food in your fridge today.

It’s a list

One way to avoid getting a lot of extras you don’t need is to write a list. There’s lots of ways to get your perfect list together, the list actually includes everything you need to avoid standing in the supermarket aisle putting lots more into your trolley that isn’t on your list:

• Every time you finish some food you know you use often add it to the list you keep on the fridge (or online)
• Before you go to the shops check your fridge, freezer and cupboards and do your list then
• Plan your meals for the week and write your list to make sure you have anything you need!
• Experiment a little to see what works out best for you.

Different packet sizes

If you’re shopping for one or two throwing away food is more common because often you have to buy large packs of food. If you have a household with different likes and dislikes, you can also find yourself in this position. You can approach this in several ways:

• Buy the large packs and freeze the extra so you’ve always got something to defrost and have for dinner
• Look for the smaller options – loose fruit and vegetables, single packets or small jars. It may seem to be more expensive per gram but if you don’t end up throwing the food away then it’s probably not costing you any extra. Smaller portions are becoming more common in shops too as food producers adapt to the changing size of households in the UK.