I personally love grocery shopping. It’s convenient for me, and I can get what I want. One thing I don’t like is the constant trips and the costs. Spending $500 plus a month for two people got me thinking, how can you prolong your groceries? How can you do it in a way that preserves time and money? If you have wondered the same and are searching for solutions, read more below to find out the answer.
Proper Storage
One of the easiest things you can do to ensure your products stay fresh for longer is to store them properly. Too often, we don’t read the labels on our products. We store things that should be refrigerated in the cabinet and things that should be in the cabinet in the refrigerator. Make sure you are reading the food labels and store them accordingly. You can place some items like bread, vegetables, and soups in the freezer for longer storage. If you have a lot of vegetables and fruit, be aware of where you store them and what you store them next to. For example, you should not store ethylene-producing produce like apples next to ethylene-sensitive produce like asparagus and broccoli. Putting these things together can mean over ripped fruits and veggies that will be no good after sometimes a few days.
Making Use of Scraps
There are tons of ways to use kitchen scraps for your benefit. If you have a garden, look into composting. Amazon carries these countertop compost bins that you can fill with leftovers. Put leftover meat, dairy, vegetables, bread, grains, and even coffee filters into it. Once it’s ready, throw it in your garden plot for healthy soil and a bountiful harvest. Aside from composting, you can replant some of those scrap vegetables. Get you a mason jar with water and regrow lettuce, garlic, celery, green onions, and so much more.
Ditch Plastic
You should also consider ditching the plastic. I’m not just talking about the plastic grocery bags used to carry your food out of the store, but the plastic packaging that comes on or with most products. Instead, opt for air-tight glass mason jars and glass containers. Use them to store cereals, grains, sweeteners, flour, beans, and other products. You can use freeze-safe glassware to store meat and fish products as well. Using glass over plastic for storage can increase the shelf life of your grocery by up to several weeks for non-refrigerated products. Not only that, but your food will remain fresh and high quality.
Among the ideas posted above, there are so many ways to prolong your groceries. Check out the posted video for more tips, and don’t be afraid to drop a comment below with some of your own.
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