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I just got back from grocery shopping and I am so tired of throwing food away because it comes in sizes that I just can’t consume. Anybody else have this problem. Lettuce, crackers, dishwasher soap (it etches your dishes when it gets old), coffee (I don’t drink it but have it for guests), bread, lunch meat, cereal, potatoes and bananas and oranges (because they come in packages now instead of by the pound), and on and on. In fact, so many things are starting to come prepackaged in amounts some idiot somewhere thinks is the perfect amount little housewifey wants. Grrrrr….
Sorry, just had to vent.
I have a neighbor that I sometimes share with just because it is way too much for me in one package. I also throw out way too much. I do freeze somethings and I have the Food Vacuum sealer that I use for things that I make but there is always fresh stuff that goes bad. There’s a specialty grocery store near me and if you ask, they will sell small sizes of things. Most of the fruit and veggies around my area do come by weight but lettuce is not the case. I wonder why they don’t get that not everyone has a ‘family around’ or needs the ‘family size’ portions.
yes, agree with you both…and I know Bonbon and probably you as well SW, we come from same post war era where our mother’s taught us to eat everything placed in front of you, and that it’s wasteful to throw food out because "there are starving children…" And yes, I use the plastic tubs, food savers, freezer bags, and have learned to love warmed up left-overs but there is only so much one can do.
And the little sizes are so much more expensive than the big family packs. That I learned in 8th grade home economics class. Family packs are cheaper. And it’s true! I’ve started to purchase the little can’s of soda and canned veggies. I do purchase the biggy packets of chicken and meat as that can be divided and portioned out.
I don’t think that I’ve ever used up all the pre-cut salad fixin’s in one of those packages without having to toss about 1/4 or so of it. Too bad the poochies don’t like lettuce. I think food manufacturers are going to have to market to more of an individual as the population is getting older and more and more people are not cooking for four, five or six anymore – as our family units have dwindled down in size as well due to economy and costs.
I’m the same way too. i dont live by myself, but just me and my hubby, we dont eat a whole lot. he never eats left overs. I try to. but you’re right about that salad! I like to buy it and we might have 2 maybe 3 salads then the rest of it goes to waste. seems if I buy a head of lettuce, I use it all! funny. he doesnt eat lunch meat either so I’m the only one eating it and even if I get a half a pound of something i generally dont eat all of it.
Same here with just Hubby and me. I HATE throwing food out, so I invested in some quart size mason jars and lids, and it keeps pastas and coffees ‘fresh’. I put my oatmeal, flour, cormeal, ANYTHING I can think of goes in one so it does not spoil! I got gallon sized jars for flour and meal and Splenda (or sugar).
oriented’s deli slices what you want. I frequently will get either 1-2 slices of what I want or 1/8 of a pound. That way, it usually doesn’t go bad. They also do pre-cooked things that I wouldn’t make for myself but are yummy and they are at most in double portion size (they think of it as a single but it usually is 2 meals for me). They aren’t cheap but are cheaper than going to a restaurant. The lettuce situation isn’t usually a problem during the spring/summer as I grow my own. Unfortunately nothing grows in winter here, lol.
so very little ever goes to waste. Any fresh veggies that are getting close to being too old and I know we aren’t going to eat, I take outside to a place on our farm where the wild critters will devour them. There’s this rabbit that’s been around so long that it lets me get close before it hops away. In fact, when I mow lawn it’s comical to watch because it will come bounding out of our tree line as I approach and will wait til the last minute to hop back into the trees and watch me drive by. Every spring I have to watch very carefully as I mow because there are usually two or three rabbit holes in the yard where the babies are growing. Sorry, I sort of got of topic.
I know bread and lunch meat an be divided and frozen for future. A friend of mine would separate her lunchmeat into sandwiches servings separated by wax paper. The 1-2 slices thawed quickly enough for a sandwich for lunch that day. I do chop up green peppers and onions and freeze for cooking. They loose their crunchiness when thawed but they still add flavor to sloppy jo’s, meatloafs and chili. My mom always said coffee stays fresher if kept refrigerated so we always had a can of coffee in the fridge.
When I cook I like to make extras of most dishes and freeze for another meal. Things with sour cream like Strogonoff don’t freeze well though. Don likes a roast every Sunday. He said it’s one of his few pleasant family memories from childhood so I fix a roast one Sunday with gravy and potatoes and freeze the leftovers. On Leftover Sunday I pull everything out of the freezer in the morning so it will thaw and the gravy and potatoes heat up well and I’ll wrap the sliced roast in foil and stick in the toaster oven for about 30 minutes.
I know bread and lunch meat an be divided and frozen for future. A friend of mine would separate her lunchmeat into sandwiches servings separated by wax paper. The 1-2 slices thawed quickly enough for a sandwich for lunch that day. I do chop up green peppers and onions and freeze for cooking. They loose their crunchiness when thawed but they still add flavor to sloppy jo’s, meatloafs and chili. My mom always said coffee stays fresher if kept refrigerated so we always had a can of coffee in the fridge.
When I cook I like to make extras of most dishes and freeze for another meal. Things with sour cream like Strogonoff don’t freeze well though. Don likes a roast every Sunday. He said it’s one of his few pleasant family memories from childhood so I fix a roast one Sunday with gravy and potatoes and freeze the leftovers. On Leftover Sunday I pull everything out of the freezer in the morning so it will thaw and the gravy and potatoes heat up well and I’ll wrap the sliced roast in foil and stick in the toaster oven for about 30 minutes.
OK, here is another thing I have been wanting to scream about. The local supermarkets seem to have this new idea that to get the "sale" price on an item we have to purchase 10 or more items that are included in the special sale. If I just need one or two items on sale I am out of luck. I truly HATE this new practice. We are both seniors and retired and don’t need all that much food just to get the sale prices on soap or tissues. Most of the items are cookies and junk food. I know they are just trying to sell more items but I don’t even have that much storage space for all that stuff. I am in Houston, do you guys find them doing this where you live????
have to purchase 10 cans – do you know how long it takes me to go through ten cans of peas? I’ve even put some in the doggies kibble…although, I do stock up on the two-fers like TP and paper towels! Can you believe the brand name TP goes for $15 !!! And Camp. soup is $1.25 for some flavors – I can remember not that long ago (it seems anyway) that I bought a can of soup for 25 cents a can…can you imagine what it’s going to cost in ten years for groceries? Not to mention electric, house, gas for the car – I think seniors are in big time trouble! So much for living to a ripe ol’ age!
I have the same problem as most of you others. I have reached the point that I just hate to cook much of anything, and I really can’t afford to throw away food.
My sister has a neat thing that she does to use leftovers. She keeps a Tupperware container in her freezer and chops any left over meat, like chicken or beef, adds to the container and freezes it. Each day any left over vegetables from that day, are added to the container in the freezer. When she has enough in the container, she removes it from the freezer to thaw, and then makes a pot of soup. That way she gets her husband to eat leftovers because they reappear as a totally different dish.
Goody
After my brother and I were grown and moved out of the house I would laugh when my mom would complain that it was harder to cook for 2 as I always thought it was easier. Now that I’m cooking for just Don and I I’m finding that it’s much easier to cook when we’re having guests than just us. Every recipe serves 4 or more and there are times when you try to cut it in half and it just doesn’t come out right. I am learning to experiment more and change recipes up a bit for the 2 of us.
As for soup, if it’s for cooking we always go generic or store brand, if it’s to eat as soup it’s got to be Campbells.
thank goodness the weather is cooler! Great idea your sis has with the veggies added into the meat and freeze! I love the crockpot – I can always make a bunch and then freeze individual portions. And yes, it is tough cooking for just one or even two as opposed to four or more…I find myself never using my big pots or pans (unless I make spaghetti and freeze once a month or such). On the bright side, after rinsing dishes, I only have to use the dishwasher every second or third day.
I love the great tips and sharing on saving and cooking on this site with you guysies! It seems we’re all in the same boat – trying to save and such. Wish I’d paid more attention to what grandma and mom used to do about being frugal – they went through the depression and WWII so they knew how to save bucks! And really, I don’t see where we’re anywhere near what those folks went through, but these days do require saving and a sharp eye at the stores for bargins!
at another that doesn’t pull that stunt and they are almost always cheaper. They don’t do double coupons but I’d rather have the cheaper prices and their ‘store’ brands are just as good as the name brands, plus they are cheaper. It really annoys me when I got to certain stores and see the price on an item at $3.99 or more and the same item at the other store is only $2.50. That is a huge difference and it has happened on many items that I get. I do have to travel further to get to the cheaper store but if you plan it when you’re going to that area anyway, it’s worth it. The store doesn’t always have as many choices but cost is a huge consideration for what you do get.
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