We have always had a night during the week to use up leftovers so that we don't waste them. It works great when you have small amounts of several things that need to be used up.
I brainstormed a list of meals with my family. Then I sorted all the meals under which meat each contained including vegetarian meals. This really helped with the question “what’s for dinner”. Without too much difficulty we found we always had a starting place. We decided that on Monday nights we would have soup so every scrap of leftovers went into a soup container that was kept in the freezer. That made for the most delicious and creative soups.
Not currently doing this, but in days past I would keep a container of leftover cooked vegetables in the freezer. Anytime I had leftover vegetables that I didn't any immediate plans for, I would add them to the container. It helped use up even the smallest amounts of veggies so nothing went to waste.
A brilliantly succinct video with really good tips Karen. My best food buying and storage tips are: 1. Don’t have more than two weeks to a month of pantry items. People always tend to buy more than they need and often don’t use it and it goes to waste. 2. Identify the food stocks you use most often by keeping an ingredients journal for a month. Then you can see what you actually use rather than what you think you are using. 3. Keep track of food waste by making note of the types of food you generally throw away each week. Is it leftovers? In which case reduce portion sizes. Is it meat? In which case, like you did Karen freeze it before it expires so it lasts longer. Is it salad? Then adjust your meal plan to include a least one regular meals in the week that requires a side salad, put it in sandwiches for lunch or make a light pickle dressing to have with crudités as a dip by blending it and adding oil and vinegar to make a pour over dressing. This way you can assess in what way waste occurs and reduce it effectively. 4. Keep strict zones for each type of ingredient or food stuff in your freezer, fridge and pantry. Use a container appropriate for the amount you actually store (not just what you think you’ll store) to create a boundary or use shelf zoning; then you can quickly see when you are low in a food stuff before you run out. This is because buying emergency ingredients at small/convenience stores often costs more than buying in advance.
👑 My mom called me the Leftover Queen back when I lived with my parents and it's a title I'm proud to uphold to this day! I'm also known for making what I call "Past Due Stew" with any broth, canned items, veggies on their way out, and anything else past the best before date that I don't want to go to waste. Now that I'm trying to adopt a more minimal lifestyle, I'm making fewer and more intentional choices about what food we buy to ensure that we'll actually prepare the food and eat it.
We do "Meatless Mondays" and a weekly leftover night the night before the trash runs.I plan meals a month in advance. At the end of the month, the plan is for the freezer and the pantry to be pretty bare. We also do breakfast for dinner about every two weeks.
I have a small fridge and no pantry (2 shelves of a cabinet is all I have for nonperishables), so I limit myself to what I will consume within two weeks. Every Thursday I make an 8-day meal plan, which covers my meals for the next week plus an extra day if I can't get to the grocery store on Thursday. I live alone, so I make large batches of one recipe and then eat them all week. I'll make one batch of 8 servings or two batches of 4 servings. I don't assign days to the meals; I just write down how many breakfasts, lunches, and dinners I have ingredients for so I can be flexible. Sometimes I'll have lunch for dinner, and vice versa. I have almost zero food waste. And since I've cut out most carbs and processed foods, I have very little packaging waste, either.
We keep a magnetic list pad on the fridge and add grocery items as we use them up or almost use them up so grocery shopping for the stuff we always keep on hand is easy. Also I like to Google search or Pinterest search for recipes by listing the foods I have when trying to use what I have. Sometimes that might mean picking up one item from the store but it still helps use up what we already have. And we get to add a new recipe to our rotation.
I lived in Louisiana my hole life and now I live in Egypt. I am pretty new to your channel. I have already 0:220:22 learned so much from you and Jodi about I don’t have to clean my all my house nonstop until finished. I am 61years young. And thought I was sick because I can’t clean all my house in a day. Man I am so happy to see other people that have the same problem I have I love watching your videos
Plan to have leftovers once a week. Keep a sharpie in your kitchen and label everything, what it is and the date. When our cupboards get too full we do a no spend week and see what we can make with the ingredients we have. It's a fun challenge !
I haven’t made Shepard pie in awhile good idea! I go through periods when I meal plan and times I do not. I buy same basic meats and veggies etc and just make something from what I buy rather than buy what I need from meal plan I made. Yes Yes! Make food from what is about to spoil first. I get great joy using up veggies in frig before they spoil.
Regarding the meal plan. I don’t if you know Hope & Larry from Under the Median. Hope has great way of doing her weekly meal plan. Instead of planning for each meal by day, she does it by meal types. So instead of Mon, Tue, Wed, etc., she does it by Main Dishes, Salads, Sides, Soups, Desserts & Other. So that way she doesn’t have to think about it ahead of time what day to cook what. She has a great video called “Reverse Meal Planning” and it’s on their website. I hope this might be useful. 😊
We buy our meat in bulk because it is cheaper per pound and usually when a great sale is on you have to buy several pounds. When we return from the store we sit down and split the meat for designated meals. We make hamburger patties, combine ground beef and pork for meatloaf or meatballs, and package the rest of the meat for breakfast, lunch or dinner and mark the bags accordingly. If we have company, I can just pull out an extra bag or two. In addition, I make extra spaghetti sauce, chili, swedish meatballs, and stuffed cabbage and freeze to have handy on those busy or I just don't want to cook nights. I also always incorporate leftovers in to lunches and dinner before I make any starches or vegetables. I have very little waste and for the two of us can stick to a very tight budget.
Meal planning has saved me tons of $$$$! On Sunday and Wednesday is when I make extra protein (roasts like beef, chicken and pork, extra veg like carrots, potatoes, etc) to incorporate into the remaining days of the week. I am making double the corned beef and potatoes tomorrow (this is March 16th), and then on Tuesday we will have corned beef hash, Monday is salmon and asparagus (we don’t eat leftover fish so it’s a one and done e meal), Wednesday is a roast chicken, Thursday is a chicken-bacon-ranch salad, Friday is Hamburgers and Saturday is Chicken Fajitas. I will peel and chop the carrots, onions, potatoes and store in a vacuum seal bag (Zwilling Fresh and Save) on Sunday, then precook the bacon (buying the raw bacon is WAAAAY cheaper than the precooked) and store on Wednesday, get the celery diced and nuts crushed, onion minced for the chicken salad sandwiches and the lettuce and salad veg ready for the chicken-bacon-ranch salad on Wednesday. For the burgers, I take the burger meat out Wednesday night to thaw, then season and make into patties and put in a sealed container with wax paper separating the patties on Thursday night. Any meats that need marinating for a meal I will rub down and place in a vacuum glass container (Zwilling again) and put in the freezer until the night before it needs to be cooked. We just bought a bunch of chicken thighs and we made up 4 different marinades for it and divided the thighs into ziploc bag with each marinade then put each bag into a vacuum sealed individual one (FoodSaver this time), labeled and froze until we want to cook it. I do this with crockpot veg and meats too, get everything seasoned, chopped, diced, etc and place in FoodSaver vacuum seal packages to dump into the crockpot in the morning before leaving for work. I make my grocery list, then shop my cabinets and freezer and fridge first and cross out on the list what I already have, then I go to my grocery apps (Safeway, Kroger and Walmart) and plug in the list to see which place is cheaper- I will say that where we live, Walmart is not good for fresh fruit or vegetables so I may shop there for shelf stable items but not fresh stuff- that’s a Kroger or Safeway shop. Then away I go on Saturday (usually at the store by 8am) to shop then home to put away and do all the prep work for the next week’s menu plan. It sounds harder than it is, but once you get a rhythm, you are done within 2 hours or less.
We are working on using everything in our pantry and freezer before restocking. Some items are older and need used up. Our rule is leftovers have to be used first.
What works for me is keeping inventory down, weekly planning then only buying those ingredients for those meals that week. There is some extra food but very little. Rarely do I lose food from expiration dates or freezer burn. I just run out of ideas for what to have!
I recently threw out all the food in my freezer (it was all out of date and some had been defrosted when I accidentally left the door of the freezer open a tiny bit). But now I only have what I know I am going to eat soon in there. It makes me feel better.
Hellooo Karen, as always lovely to see you. Meal planning😫😫😫 gosh I get so sick and tired of feeling like I’m responsible for what we eat all the darn time, I usually do set out a weeks menu but since I’ve been ill (6 weeks now🫤) I just don’t have the bandwidth to do it and I’m sad to say I’ve snapped at my hubby a few times recently when he’s asked what’s for dinner.. he’s not been well either for coming up to 3 weeks now so he’s not in his usual helpful self. I do find ‘cottage pie’ tasty, pretty easy to throw together and generally enough for two nights useful. Shepherds pie I’m not so keen on, I’m not a fan of lamb,I find it too gamey tasting. I loved it until I became pregnant, from then on ( my daughter is 41 now!) I can’t even stand to smell it cooking😂 all the windows have to be open,crazy isn’t it. We definitely spend far too much on food and I reckon we could live out of the stores for easily 3 months, just buying fresh food as we needed it, Costco meat I find is always really good quality😍 As always much love and light to you my friend.🥰🥰🥰
I have a freezer bok, so food easily gets forgotten in the deep. I sort everything in different, reusable shopping bags. Then I know what to pull out when I am planning or prepping dinner. I also often keep a written list of what I have in there. ❤
I’ve found it helps me to put raw meat in a clear bin together in fridge in care of spills. I also try to zone my fridge in those clear bins too so I can quickly see what I have but also so my kids put things back most of the time where they go. I know you have many cooks/ food preferences in your home maybe that would help too?
My top tips to safe on groceries: 1. Meatless days. 2. Meal plan and only buing what´s on my list (it also helps with mindless snacking). 3. Buing what´s in season. And in the summer: Vegetables and berries from my own garden. Actually I think it´s not a bad thing that we all need to be more mindfull and frugal these days. Hugs 🤗
Just like you organized the pantry by shelves, I think it would be a good idea to par down what is in the fridge and have it zoned. So one half of the fridge self is for left overs and nothing else. One zone of the fridge is for raw meat and nothing else (probably a bottom shelf to prevent drips onto prepared food and vegetables), etc. Because the fridge inventory seems to be the most overwhelming part to you.
Yes. I always do better when I do an inventory first. Make a meal plan based on that, and make a list of things to fill out the meals. Add the ingredients for 2 more meals, and I’m good to go! Otherwise hot (or cold) mess!
I do stock up on things I know I will always use, stewed tomatoes, can corn and green beans, garbanzo bean, chili beans, & black beans. Also gluten free pasta and tomato sauce etc.I stock up on freezer meats for a month from Aldi: Hamburg, chicken, steak, pot roast. I try to have 20 meats in freezer. (5 times eating out each month) contemplating getting an upright freezer from garage.
Good plan to cook up meat before it goes to waste, as well as those veggies! I currently meal plan for three weeks at a time, so that I can shop the commissary across town for the best prices. I use that run for meat, non perishables, and the produce for week one. The following two weeks I simply make a small run for produce and eggs. We have highly reduced our processed foods (unhealthy and expensive), which is where we save the most!!! I will buy meat on clearance if I see it. I do shop my "meat drawer" and pantry as I make my next meal plan. Next week my husband is out of town. Instead of making our commissary run, I think I can actually eat all week from the pantry and freezer!
I’m really bad at menu planning - I always think I’ll do better. I do freeze meat in smaller sizes which helps with preparation on busy days . My husband and I eat out too much, but it works with our season of life. I need to get better at using up leftovers I bring home. Too many times, I carry them home and put them in Tupperware, but let them sit in the fridge until garbage pickup day. 🤪
My husband has been trying new recipes. But, most of the spices and seasonings we have. But, he has to go buy the rest. Which is things we might not use again. On the nights he has worked his 12 hours. We fix frozen chicken nuggets and fries. Or egg and bologna sandwiches. So, our meal planning is not anywhere under control. 😂😂 Really enjoyed the video. Lots a good tips.
Your video you did I think last week where you cleaned behind your oven and behind your refrigerator inspired me to want to do the same in my home. No way did I have the strength to tackle both projects in one day, but today I tackled behind the oven and mine was as disgusting as yours was. I too am a follow of Christ Jesus. I really enjoy watching your videos and really enjoy your content. It’s so realistic to do a little bit a day and be OK with that. I love it when you talk about the Lord in your videos. And so often your music selections have been a great encouragement. Thank you for all you do. I know it’s for motivating you to get things accomplished but it’s also a motivator to me even if it’s something I don’t get to that day or that week. it gets me thinking about it. Blessings to you, Karen.
We went to Sam's club yesterday for steak and bricks of cheese my husband was in the mood to cold smoke both so he did that today so so good ❤ we don't buy much meat because he is a hunter he just wanted something different that he likes to eat at a restaurant we use to go to but they charge a fortune so glad we will have the cold smoke stuff for special nights at home
It hurts to see things thrown out! My husband and I hate to see food wasted. We eat all of our leftovers and eat straight up out of the cabinet. Yes, I mean a can of something on its own!!
Great tips and video as always Karen. I am TERRIBLE at sticking to a meal plan after I write it. I mean it's fine if you switch days but I will just make different things all together lol.
I am bad at food waste. I just recently had to throw away a roast that was 16.00. No need of that. Anyway, I will do my best to not do that again ever.
I can't contribute with. I try to buy daily, max. Weekly. My ex used to writing down list of meals ready in the freezer. I used to cook batches of food to have a variety in for him. Same with any product going to the freezer. I do list for my shopping. Rarely buy sales, most of the time become wasted then the sale become expensive.
I think you should rename the video to „10 ways to save money when eating meat“! If you really want to save money (and do your body a favour, especially with your medical conditions!) you should really cut down and have meat only once or twice a week, and pay a little up for good quality instead. I know these thoughts are unpleasant, but your body consists only of what you put into it. And I can absolutely not imagine, that meat for 99cents a pound is something valuable for your body. Another tip is to look for food that really satisfies your body. If you feed it only empty calories, you have not even finished your plate and are hungry again. For example start with whole wheat spaghetti- yes they taste different than we are used to, but it will keep you filled for a few hours and you don’t crave sth else so fast.
I wouldn’t chance spreading bacteria if they have held anything like meat or chicken! You can see the microorganisms that lay in the seams and zipper? Ew.
Once a month or so we do a “no shop week” where we use whatever we have in the freezer/fridge and cupboards to make meals.
We have always had a night during the week to use up leftovers so that we don't waste them. It works great when you have small amounts of several things that need to be used up.
I brainstormed a list of meals with my family. Then I sorted all the meals under which meat each contained including vegetarian meals. This really helped with the question “what’s for dinner”. Without too much difficulty we found we always had a starting place. We decided that on Monday nights we would have soup so every scrap of leftovers went into a soup container that was kept in the freezer. That made for the most delicious and creative soups.
Not currently doing this, but in days past I would keep a container of leftover cooked vegetables in the freezer. Anytime I had leftover vegetables that I didn't any immediate plans for, I would add them to the container. It helped use up even the smallest amounts of veggies so nothing went to waste.
And great to add to a pot of soup
A brilliantly succinct video with really good tips Karen. My best food buying and storage tips are:
1. Don’t have more than two weeks to a month of pantry items. People always tend to buy more than they need and often don’t use it and it goes to waste.
2. Identify the food stocks you use most often by keeping an ingredients journal for a month. Then you can see what you actually use rather than what you think you are using.
3. Keep track of food waste by making note of the types of food you generally throw away each week. Is it leftovers? In which case reduce portion sizes. Is it meat? In which case, like you did Karen freeze it before it expires so it lasts longer. Is it salad? Then adjust your meal plan to include a least one regular meals in the week that requires a side salad, put it in sandwiches for lunch or make a light pickle dressing to have with crudités as a dip by blending it and adding oil and vinegar to make a pour over dressing. This way you can assess in what way waste occurs and reduce it effectively.
4. Keep strict zones for each type of ingredient or food stuff in your freezer, fridge and pantry. Use a container appropriate for the amount you actually store (not just what you think you’ll store) to create a boundary or use shelf zoning; then you can quickly see when you are low in a food stuff before you run out. This is because buying emergency ingredients at small/convenience stores often costs more than buying in advance.
Truly great advice! Thanks for sharing!! 😃
👑 My mom called me the Leftover Queen back when I lived with my parents and it's a title I'm proud to uphold to this day! I'm also known for making what I call "Past Due Stew" with any broth, canned items, veggies on their way out, and anything else past the best before date that I don't want to go to waste. Now that I'm trying to adopt a more minimal lifestyle, I'm making fewer and more intentional choices about what food we buy to ensure that we'll actually prepare the food and eat it.
We do "Meatless Mondays" and a weekly leftover night the night before the trash runs.I plan meals a month in advance. At the end of the month, the plan is for the freezer and the pantry to be pretty bare. We also do breakfast for dinner about every two weeks.
I have a small fridge and no pantry (2 shelves of a cabinet is all I have for nonperishables), so I limit myself to what I will consume within two weeks. Every Thursday I make an 8-day meal plan, which covers my meals for the next week plus an extra day if I can't get to the grocery store on Thursday. I live alone, so I make large batches of one recipe and then eat them all week. I'll make one batch of 8 servings or two batches of 4 servings. I don't assign days to the meals; I just write down how many breakfasts, lunches, and dinners I have ingredients for so I can be flexible. Sometimes I'll have lunch for dinner, and vice versa. I have almost zero food waste. And since I've cut out most carbs and processed foods, I have very little packaging waste, either.
Love it! Thanks for sharing!! 😃
Would love to see a no spend shop your pantry/fridge meal plan 💚
I like this idea!
I always put all raw meat in an open Rubbermaid container in the bottom of the fridge in case of leaks. I cook which ever one defrosts first.
Yes! I need to do this!! 😃
We keep a magnetic list pad on the fridge and add grocery items as we use them up or almost use them up so grocery shopping for the stuff we always keep on hand is easy. Also I like to Google search or Pinterest search for recipes by listing the foods I have when trying to use what I have. Sometimes that might mean picking up one item from the store but it still helps use up what we already have. And we get to add a new recipe to our rotation.
I lived in Louisiana my hole life and now I live in Egypt.
I am pretty new to your channel. I have already 0:22 0:22 learned so much from you and Jodi about I don’t have to clean my all my house nonstop until finished. I am 61years young. And thought I was sick because I can’t clean all my house in a day. Man I am so happy to see other people that have the same problem I have I love watching your videos
A simple tip is to make sure that you're storing your meat purchases in the coldest spot in the fridge to keep them fresher longer.
Plan to have leftovers once a week. Keep a sharpie in your kitchen and label everything, what it is and the date. When our cupboards get too full we do a no spend week and see what we can make with the ingredients we have. It's a fun challenge !
I haven’t made Shepard pie in awhile good idea! I go through periods when I meal plan and times I do not. I buy same basic meats and veggies etc and just make something from what I buy rather than buy what I need from meal plan I made.
Yes Yes! Make food from what is about to spoil first. I get great joy using up veggies in frig before they spoil.
Regarding the meal plan. I don’t if you know Hope & Larry from Under the Median. Hope has great way of doing her weekly meal plan. Instead of planning for each meal by day, she does it by meal types. So instead of Mon, Tue, Wed, etc., she does it by Main Dishes, Salads, Sides, Soups, Desserts & Other. So that way she doesn’t have to think about it ahead of time what day to cook what.
She has a great video called “Reverse Meal Planning” and it’s on their website.
I hope this might be useful. 😊
I look for it, thanks! 😃
Karen, that’s a cute top you’re wearing. And I love the idea of shopping our own fridge and pantry. I NEED to do that for sure.
We buy our meat in bulk because it is cheaper per pound and usually when a great sale is on you have to buy several pounds. When we return from the store we sit down and split the meat for designated meals. We make hamburger patties, combine ground beef and pork for meatloaf or meatballs, and package the rest of the meat for breakfast, lunch or dinner and mark the bags accordingly. If we have company, I can just pull out an extra bag or two. In addition, I make extra spaghetti sauce, chili, swedish meatballs, and stuffed cabbage and freeze to have handy on those busy or I just don't want to cook nights. I also always incorporate leftovers in to lunches and dinner before I make any starches or vegetables. I have very little waste and for the two of us can stick to a very tight budget.
Meal planning has saved me tons of $$$$! On Sunday and Wednesday is when I make extra protein (roasts like beef, chicken and pork, extra veg like carrots, potatoes, etc) to incorporate into the remaining days of the week. I am making double the corned beef and potatoes tomorrow (this is March 16th), and then on Tuesday we will have corned beef hash, Monday is salmon and asparagus (we don’t eat leftover fish so it’s a one and done e meal), Wednesday is a roast chicken, Thursday is a chicken-bacon-ranch salad, Friday is Hamburgers and Saturday is Chicken Fajitas. I will peel and chop the carrots, onions, potatoes and store in a vacuum seal bag (Zwilling Fresh and Save) on Sunday, then precook the bacon (buying the raw bacon is WAAAAY cheaper than the precooked) and store on Wednesday, get the celery diced and nuts crushed, onion minced for the chicken salad sandwiches and the lettuce and salad veg ready for the chicken-bacon-ranch salad on Wednesday. For the burgers, I take the burger meat out Wednesday night to thaw, then season and make into patties and put in a sealed container with wax paper separating the patties on Thursday night. Any meats that need marinating for a meal I will rub down and place in a vacuum glass container (Zwilling again) and put in the freezer until the night before it needs to be cooked. We just bought a bunch of chicken thighs and we made up 4 different marinades for it and divided the thighs into ziploc bag with each marinade then put each bag into a vacuum sealed individual one (FoodSaver this time), labeled and froze until we want to cook it. I do this with crockpot veg and meats too, get everything seasoned, chopped, diced, etc and place in FoodSaver vacuum seal packages to dump into the crockpot in the morning before leaving for work. I make my grocery list, then shop my cabinets and freezer and fridge first and cross out on the list what I already have, then I go to my grocery apps (Safeway, Kroger and Walmart) and plug in the list to see which place is cheaper- I will say that where we live, Walmart is not good for fresh fruit or vegetables so I may shop there for shelf stable items but not fresh stuff- that’s a Kroger or Safeway shop. Then away I go on Saturday (usually at the store by 8am) to shop then home to put away and do all the prep work for the next week’s menu plan. It sounds harder than it is, but once you get a rhythm, you are done within 2 hours or less.
Thank you for sharing!! It is so helpful to me and a to all! 🥰
We are working on using everything in our pantry and freezer before restocking. Some items are older and need used up. Our rule is leftovers have to be used first.
Great method!! 🙌
What works for me is keeping inventory down, weekly planning then only buying those ingredients for those meals that week. There is some extra food but very little. Rarely do I lose food from expiration dates or freezer burn. I just run out of ideas for what to have!
Janice from Ozark Family Homestead has a good way for buying groceries for her large family. Its a lot of work but think it works for her. Judy
I recently threw out all the food in my freezer (it was all out of date and some had been defrosted when I accidentally left the door of the freezer open a tiny bit). But now I only have what I know I am going to eat soon in there. It makes me feel better.
Hellooo Karen, as always lovely to see you. Meal planning😫😫😫 gosh I get so sick and tired of feeling like I’m responsible for what we eat all the darn time, I usually do set out a weeks menu but since I’ve been ill (6 weeks now🫤) I just don’t have the bandwidth to do it and I’m sad to say I’ve snapped at my hubby a few times recently when he’s asked what’s for dinner.. he’s not been well either for coming up to 3 weeks now so he’s not in his usual helpful self. I do find ‘cottage pie’ tasty, pretty easy to throw together and generally enough for two nights useful. Shepherds pie I’m not so keen on, I’m not a fan of lamb,I find it too gamey tasting. I loved it until I became pregnant, from then on ( my daughter is 41 now!) I can’t even stand to smell it cooking😂 all the windows have to be open,crazy isn’t it.
We definitely spend far too much on food and I reckon we could live out of the stores for easily 3 months, just buying fresh food as we needed it, Costco meat I find is always really good quality😍
As always much love and light to you my friend.🥰🥰🥰
I have a freezer bok, so food easily gets forgotten in the deep. I sort everything in different, reusable shopping bags. Then I know what to pull out when I am planning or prepping dinner.
I also often keep a written list of what I have in there.
❤
I love this!! 🙌
I’ve found it helps me to put raw meat in a clear bin together in fridge in care of spills. I also try to zone my fridge in those clear bins too so I can quickly see what I have but also so my kids put things back most of the time where they go. I know you have many cooks/ food preferences in your home maybe that would help too?
My top tips to safe on groceries: 1. Meatless days. 2. Meal plan and only buing what´s on my list (it also helps with mindless snacking). 3. Buing what´s in season. And in the summer: Vegetables and berries from my own garden. Actually I think it´s not a bad thing that we all need to be more mindfull and frugal these days. Hugs 🤗
Thanks for sharing!! 🫶
Just like you organized the pantry by shelves, I think it would be a good idea to par down what is in the fridge and have it zoned. So one half of the fridge self is for left overs and nothing else. One zone of the fridge is for raw meat and nothing else (probably a bottom shelf to prevent drips onto prepared food and vegetables), etc. Because the fridge inventory seems to be the most overwhelming part to you.
Great idea!! 😃
I have to do a meal plan, too. If not, I’ll spend way too much on food…and not the healthy kind! 😫
I also got a Libman toilet brush that sits in a washable cup. Clorox wand refills are cool, but I'd be buying them forever?!
Yes. I always do better when I do an inventory first. Make a meal plan based on that, and make a list of things to fill out the meals. Add the ingredients for 2 more meals, and I’m good to go! Otherwise hot (or cold) mess!
I do stock up on things I know I will always use, stewed tomatoes, can corn and green beans, garbanzo bean, chili beans, & black beans. Also gluten free pasta and tomato sauce etc.I stock up on freezer meats for a month from Aldi: Hamburg, chicken, steak, pot roast. I try to have 20 meats in freezer. (5 times eating out each month) contemplating getting an upright freezer from garage.
Good plan to cook up meat before it goes to waste, as well as those veggies! I currently meal plan for three weeks at a time, so that I can shop the commissary across town for the best prices. I use that run for meat, non perishables, and the produce for week one. The following two weeks I simply make a small run for produce and eggs. We have highly reduced our processed foods (unhealthy and expensive), which is where we save the most!!! I will buy meat on clearance if I see it. I do shop my "meat drawer" and pantry as I make my next meal plan. Next week my husband is out of town. Instead of making our commissary run, I think I can actually eat all week from the pantry and freezer!
I’m really bad at menu planning - I always think I’ll do better. I do freeze meat in smaller sizes which helps with preparation on busy days . My husband and I eat out too much, but it works with our season of life. I need to get better at using up leftovers I bring home. Too many times, I carry them home and put them in Tupperware, but let them sit in the fridge until garbage pickup day. 🤪
My husband has been trying new recipes. But, most of the spices and seasonings we have. But, he has to go buy the rest. Which is things we might not use again. On the nights he has worked his 12 hours. We fix frozen chicken nuggets and fries. Or egg and bologna sandwiches. So, our meal planning is not anywhere under control. 😂😂
Really enjoyed the video. Lots a good tips.
Buy in baulk too if you can
I also store my raw meat in a glass dish on the bottom shelf of my refrigerator, so it catches any leaks and doesn’t drip on other foods.
Great plan! I need to remember to do this! 😃
Your video you did I think last week where you cleaned behind your oven and behind your refrigerator inspired me to want to do the same in my home. No way did I have the strength to tackle both projects in one day, but today I tackled behind the oven and mine was as disgusting as yours was.
I too am a follow of Christ Jesus.
I really enjoy watching your videos and really enjoy your content. It’s so realistic to do a little bit a day and be OK with that. I love it when you talk about the Lord in your videos. And so often your music selections have been a great encouragement. Thank you for all you do. I know it’s for motivating you to get things accomplished but it’s also a motivator to me even if it’s something I don’t get to that day or that week. it gets me thinking about it. Blessings to you, Karen.
We went to Sam's club yesterday for steak and bricks of cheese my husband was in the mood to cold smoke both so he did that today so so good ❤ we don't buy much meat because he is a hunter he just wanted something different that he likes to eat at a restaurant we use to go to but they charge a fortune so glad we will have the cold smoke stuff for special nights at home
It hurts to see things thrown out! My husband and I hate to see food wasted. We eat all of our leftovers and eat straight up out of the cabinet. Yes, I mean a can of something on its own!!
Awesome! I lose track of things sometimes with 5 cooks in the house!! 😳
@@ThisMainerMomtell them to eat what they cook until it's gone!
Watching you while I also watch paint dry literally lol. Still exterior trying to pick trim color on house, waiting for it to dry so I can choose. 💜👍
Meal planning is not my thing I’ve tried food prices are awful . You can do meatloaf or stew
Great ideas, Sarah🙌!
Great tips and video as always Karen. I am TERRIBLE at sticking to a meal plan after I write it. I mean it's fine if you switch days but I will just make different things all together lol.
I’ve done that too or someone uses part of what I planned! 😳
I am bad at food waste. I just recently had to throw away a roast that was 16.00. No need of that. Anyway, I will do my best to not do that again ever.
We all have those days! I know if have!! 💝
I don't use scent beads or fabric softener???
I can't contribute with. I try to buy daily, max. Weekly.
My ex used to writing down list of meals ready in the freezer. I used to cook batches of food to have a variety in for him. Same with any product going to the freezer.
I do list for my shopping. Rarely buy sales, most of the time become wasted then the sale become expensive.
Good video
Do you have a krogers type store near you? (Out here they are called Fred Meyers). Anyway, they have really great meat clearance.
No! I wish I did! 😃
You label bins. Why not label the leftovers as to what they are and the date cooked.
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I think you should rename the video to „10 ways to save money when eating meat“!
If you really want to save money (and do your body a favour, especially with your medical conditions!) you should really cut down and have meat only once or twice a week, and pay a little up for good quality instead.
I know these thoughts are unpleasant, but your body consists only of what you put into it. And I can absolutely not imagine, that meat for 99cents a pound is something valuable for your body.
Another tip is to look for food that really satisfies your body. If you feed it only empty calories, you have not even finished your plate and are hungry again. For example start with whole wheat spaghetti- yes they taste different than we are used to, but it will keep you filled for a few hours and you don’t crave sth else so fast.
You do a good job Karen but you are a great user of plastic throw away,you could wash your zip lock bags bit dont? 😢lizzie
I wouldn’t chance spreading bacteria if they have held anything like meat or chicken! You can see the microorganisms that lay in the seams and zipper? Ew.
You could use that money to go see your grandkids ❤
Be still my heart!! ❤️
Karen, do the girls ever help you cook dinner?
Yes! They are great cooks! 😃