You all know how much I detest food waste. It. Really. Bugs. It is such a waste of time, money, resources, etc. Everybody has their thing—and I guess this is mine.
I’ve written countless tips on reducing food waste. BUT, while perusing the world wide web the other day, I came across an article on treehugger that quite literally blew my mind. It suggested changing the way you shop to reduce food waste—and not just the basics, like buying less, menu planning, etc. {which for the record, are all really good practices}. Instead, it suggested that you start shopping more often.
Instead of hitting bulk food stores once or twice a month, which doesn’t always allow for life to happen {going out to eat to celebrate an unexpected something, or ordering in because of a late work day, etc.—all of which can contribute to food waste}. Yes, it is absolutely cheaper to buy in bulk, but how much of our bulk purchases go to waste because life happens unexpectedly before we have a chance to use them up?
The general idea is that if you are not a strict-stick-to-the-plan menu person, you could move to shopping only for a handful of days at a time {time permitting}. Shop for what you need for breakfast lunch and dinner for say, Monday through Wednesday, and then hit the store again on Thursday to carry you through the weekend. This is exactly how they do it in most of Europe—AND, I think it would totally reduce food waste, because if for some reason you can’t get to one of the meals in those 3 days, you have a cushion of time to eat it in the next three days.
How about it? Do any of YOU already do this? Any of you willing to try? If you do try, report back on how time consuming it is to shop more often…
~Mavis
Connie Murray says
Actually I go grocery shopping just about every day because I am NOT a good meal planner. Its only to buy something for dinner because lunch and breakfast are usually the same every day (except Sunday when we get fresh baked bagels). Also I can never remember to defrost frozen meat (but we only eat meat 3 or 4 times a week). So I never waste food, but I do waste gas. I am hoping to get better about this but so far it doesn’t look good.
JoAnn Moran says
First, let me say how much I love your blog and admire your work ethic and discipline. I Hate wasting food, but I am quite guilty of it. I believe this might be the answer. I’m such an impulse food buyer.
Pam says
I spent 20 years working for a large grocery chain. I was in at least one store everyday M-F so I picked up whatever I needed on a daily basis. It was an advantage in the fact that I could grab things on sale/markdown/closeout/etc. as they became available and use the fresh items immediately. It worked really well for me at the time – both of my kids were little/school aged and it let me make dinner plan changes at the drop of a hat. Now, both of my kids are grown and out of the house. I work from home and live 45 minutes drive from the closest grocery store. I’m living semi-off the grid and like the idea that I have enough food in the house to hold hubby and I for several months rather than several days. I do meal plan since I only go to a grocery store about twice a month. Many of my fresh items are taken care of right here at home so that’s not really a consideration anymore. So…..having lived both ways over the years – I see advantages to both. If you live in a city and are out everyday for work/school/whatever, stopping at a grocery store every day isn’t really a problem. And it does help cut down on food waste (especially produce and meat products). Maybe it’s my senile paranoia at work but….I much prefer having my little stockpile. Our economy being what it is, I prefer not to depend on the grocery store being there on a day to day basis. But that’s just me………….:)
Katie C says
If I lived in a pedestrian-friendly city, I would do something like this…perhaps. If I could keep it within my budget. Like many others, I tend to buy a few extras every time I go to the store, so for me, staying out of the store makes me use what I have on hand, and not waste what I’ve got.
I think this article is meant for city-dwellers. It would be incredibly wasteful of other resources (time, money/fuel) if the majority of Americans did this.
It’s an interesting idea, that’s for sure! I wonder if I, personally, could change my habits 🙂
Tisha says
I fear that doing this would lead to other unintended consequences. There would be the days of no energy where if I had to go, I might as well just pick up a pizza instead of something nutritious. It would also lead to a lot more impulse buys, not to mention the gas usage. Now, if I lived somewhere like Europe where the produce is more perishable and it was easier to go out (walk) and find truly exceptionable goods, then it might be worth it. Where I live now, it is just better to be a mindful shopper and make an effort to use what I have and what I do not use in time can still go to the chickens or the compost bin so it is not truly wasted.
Angie Smith says
No way! That’s what a freezer and a dehydrator and neighborhood parties are for – to keep food from going to waste. 🙂 If something comes up that gets in the way of my regularly scheduled shopping trip, I love knowing that I have food in the house. Also, I find that I actually waste MORE food when I shop less frequently, because I tend to think I will save this ingredient to make such and such meal after I buy the rest of the ingredients in a couple of days…but I forget, or it really shouldn’t have waited that long, or the store is out of one of the other ingredients, etc. I am now in the habit of doing the vast majority of my grocery shopping one day per month. Then I go maybe once a week to buy fresh milk, cream, fruits and veggies. I can go two weeks or more on produce if I plan a bit more carefully and buy some things that need to be eaten right away (lettuce, cucumbers, berries, peaches, tomatoes) and some things that last longer (kale, potatoes, cabbage, carrots, apples, garlic, onions). I want to get to the point of growing all my own produce, and I want to shop as infrequently as possible.
Dy says
Hey Mavis! I already do this, but it needs to come with a warning about impulse buying: the more you are exposed to cleverly marketed and placed items, the mitre likely you are to think, “Oh, it’s just one more thing.” So do NOT attempt this method without willpower in check and having eaten before going in. Also, it helps if you limit yourself to one carry basket or reusable bag because as that sucker gets heavier, you start to question whether the great but on oreos is worth it.
Dy says
Bah, autocorrect bites me again… That would be *buy 🙂
Susie says
This is how I shop too- we have meat in the freezer and I shop for produce and I don’t like when the fridge is too full because things could get wasted.
Another Lisa says
When I lived in the suburbs, having milk delivered actually saved me the most money because I wasn’t in the stores “just to buy milk” and while there, well, I might as well get this…and this…and this… I used up what was in the fridge and used my well-stocked pantry before heading out to the store. Unfortunately, milk/dairy delivery isn’t available in many places.
Now we get our milk from a local co-op so I’m not hitting the grocery stores at all. Pretty much get everything at Costco biweekly, go to the grocery about 2x a year to stock up on some things Costco doesn’t carry.
With the article, I wonder if they count in the time spent in the parking lot and in line. I hate parking lots with a passion and there are certain times when the lines at the grocery are horrendous. I couldn’t put up with that several times a week. With kids in tow. Yuck. Root canals sound more pleasant : )
With my current family situation, bunch of kids, including teens, 2 dogs, 15 chickens, and a husband who will take nearly anything to work for lunch (celery stalks, mashed potatoes, lima beans…) nothing gets wasted here.
If I was single or it was just the two of us, and no dog, or chickens, then it’d be a different story…
Lisa says
To cut down on impulse buying and to stay within a budget, I’ve challenged myself to grocery shop with cash only. It definitely helps me stick to my list in hand.
Jen Y says
I think Europeans do this more because they have such limited space – small fridge/freezer, ect. It would take some self-control to do that when you have space for food to get lost.
I shop weekly for the most part but since I’ve entered the empty nest I shop produce when I need it which takes me to the store a few times a week sometimes. Rather than buy more lettuce for example, when I’m doing my weekly shopping, I wait until I run out to prevent some going to waste before I can use it up.
My biggest food waste help has been a weekly gotta eat meal. going through the fridge & planning meals around what needs to be eaten before it goes bad.
Jen Y says
I should have read the article before I commented!
Yes, I agree with the article for city dwellers but it takes me 45 minutes to an hour round trip to make a grocery store run, not counting shopping time. That seems to be much more wasteful to me. Also, I shop two stores weekly, right across the street from each other. The 1st stop, aldi on their produce day because the prices & quality are so good, then Walmart for what I can’t buy at Aldi. I occasionally do Walgreen ads as well. I think most people who shop multiple stores are shopping in one town or on the direct route to the store.
Becky says
I’m seriously considering this, especially because I want our family to eat the freshest produce possible.
Erin says
Ok, this is so frustrating to me on the sustainable living/environmentally conscious mindset. Yes, in Europe, they shop every day and get only what they need for the next day or two. However, they are able to do this because they can walk to or bike to their shops, or live near them. I have to drive to my shops. If I drive to the store every day, I’m using fossil fuels and contributing to pollution and the destruction of the ozone layer. I want very badly to do the right things environmentally, but I find myself having to make decisions on a “lesser of two evils” level than on how I would really like to decide.
I think it’s great to shop for little bits every day if you can work that, but it’s really not feasible for everyone. I’m not picking on anybody, and sorry for the rant, but I get tired of the “this is what we should all be doing” messages when it doesn’t work for everyone. No offense to you at all, Mavis!
Teckla says
I think Erin has it exactly right; each one of us has to do what works best for us at any given time in our lives. It’s okay to try new things. If they work, fine. If they don’t, move on. Lives change so much and so often these days that what works at one point in time, may not at another, i.e., small children, teens, store near by or far away, available storage, motivation to meal plan, etc. I do love hearing how others do things because it gives me ideas, but I have no qualms about saying no, that won’t work for me, or yes, I can incorporate that idea. It doesn’t affect how I see myself as a person or homemaker. Being open to both change and reality now seems to me to be a good working hypothesis.
Ellen in Clackamas says
Mavis, haven’t heard for a while how you East Coast garden is doing. Is there someone there who can harvest crops for you?
Mavis Butterfield says
Yes. 🙂 I’ll be talking more about the East Coast Garden next month. 🙂
Marcia says
I’ll go to the European shopping model as soon as I have the European work day, ha ha!
Seriously, I work full time and have two small children. From the time I leave work till I get home is 1 hour, and dinner is 1/2 hour from there. OH, except for the 3 days that I work until 6 or 6:15 – those days I have to make sure there is something for my husband to heat up.
The more you shop, the more chances you have to spend money. I probably need to shop more. I took a pic of my empty fridge last night. 1/2 bag of apples, a container of berries and melon, and 1/2 bag of baby peppers. All the other produce is gone. Luckily today is CSA day. I could probably stand to shop one extra day a week.
I used to, in fact, when I worked only 32 hours a week. That extra 1.5 hours a day gave me wiggle room between ending work/ getting the kids/ cooking dinner. Nowadays, I can’t do it – if I need to get milk, then I have to leave early OR go with 2 kids, because if I try to go in between pickups, I will get one of them past the deadline.
Of course we are out of milk, so one of us will have to make a run tonight anyway.
Sharon@MLT says
This is in fact the exact way things are done in Europe. In Japan, the norm is daily or very nearly daily shopping.
My husband is Japanese and a foodie and he’s nudged several times for me to adopt this shopping style.
In Japan, almost all married women are homemakers. They also almost always live within a quick walk or bike ride to the store. I on the other hand work full time, then bus commute home from downtown Seattle. I’m tired by the time I make it home. There will still be plenty for me to do when I arrive without adding food shopping to the mix.
I’d shop once a month if I could.
There was a funny but sad comment posted that in an emergency all that was in the house was oreos and liquor. Something like that? Buying dibs and dabs could get you there.
A well planned weekly shopping trip works for me.
Karen says
Exactly why I have a dehydrator, a Vitamix (to grind the dried foods among other things) and a couple freezers. I attempt never to lose food; I even dry and powder the tops of leeks when I use them. 🙂
Elise says
I’ve real all the comments as well as the post, and the addition of travel distance and time should be
factored in to the equation!
I never went real grocery shopping or cooked for myself regularly until I was out of college. I didn’t live in an independent apartment until the year after I graduated and moved to a suburb of Grenoble in the French Alps. The small town (village) I lived in didn’t even have a produce market, just a meat shop, bakery and pharmacy (all surrounding a circle plaza). But I had lots of friends “in town”, and I would frequently stop in a shop there before heading home (on the bus). The SUPER funny thing was that THEY would also take my bus to the “supermarche” between town and my village to stock up on stuff. I would shop there sometimes too, but it was more of an ordeal than the markets in town (hauling those heavy flimsy plastic bags all the way to the bus stop, etc), so only if I really needed things like paper, pens, things that were SO much cheaper than in town. I just got into the habit of buying what I could carry on one elbow from the start, and I have a SUPER hard time buying more than that now, except at Costco, and even there I usually with there were an express lane 🙂
Fortunately for me, we have Trader Joe’s, Smart & Fina and a local chain with EXCELLENT organic and regular produce values all within a mile of each other right near my highway exit. So I usually go to one or more of them 2-4 times a week, but it’s no extra trouble for me. I sneak it in before pick-up, as I get off the freeway. I go to Costco (10 miles away) about once every 2-3 months. I wouldn’t bother with the membership anymore except that their TIRE value is AMAZING, and they deliver pictures to the house for free within a few days. Next week my girls will be in day camp near Costco, so I’ll go get my tires rotated and what ever else we need 🙂 I used to live 8 blocks from a Costco, and I would literally go in for a Polish sausage for dinner, or one thing from the main store, whatever I needed at the time.
Lana says
It all depends on one’s lifestyle, how close the stores are, etc. I have often toyed with the idea, but right now I have 3 other people living with me and I need to have a good amount of food available in the house. I also have an extra freezer in the garage that is quite full. I wish we had more of the markets like they have in Europe. I think you are right about the fact that it would be less wasteful and the food would be more fresh. I think also that everyone should have some emergency back-up supply, such as the long-term freeze dried stuff you just ate last month.
Monica says
I would love to go back to going to the store everyday to get dinners. We would go to the grocery store maybe once a month to get items such as shampoo, soap, etc., then every night on my way home I would stop at the store and pick up something to make for dinner. Now, this was just for myself and husband and may not work for others unless their children are older. It was actually cheaper for us. I would decide what I wanted to get on the way to the store, go right to the items and get them and leave. I may have picked up something extra here or there, but nothing to really rock the boat and it really did cut down on food waste and money waste. But, I literally drove right past the store on my way home so I was not wasting any extra gas, I did maybe waste 15 minitues of my time but they were worth it. We have since moved and I live right across the street from where I work, so I walk to and from work and no longer get to stop on my way home from work.
robin says
Europeans live differently than most Americans and I don’t feel it is a good comparison. My mother is from south Netherlands and although she has lived here in the US for over 50 years, she still shops almost daily which is a huge waste of time and gas, not to mention she does waste more food than my family. My aunts, uncles and cousins in Europe, like most Europeans, have small homes in the city, refrigerators about the size of a bar fridge here in the US and usually a small two burner oven/stove combo or two burners and a convection oven. You have to shop fresh there almost every day and there is a bakery and produce and meat market within walking distance everywhere. In my home here, we virtually have no food waste. Because we don’t need to rely on a store for most of our food, we do eat almost everything we grow and raise . What I don’t grow or raise, I hit the bulk store about every 2 months. Pastas, grains, flours, cheeses, these kinds of items don’t go bad too quickly. I have produce from my garden year round and we compost or the rabbits, cows, chickens and dogs enjoy it too. Making freezer meals and planning ahead helps enormously with food waste too.
Eleanor Herrick says
Love your ideas! I’m going to the shop about twice a week and buy products for meals for about three-four days and it really works for me. I started trying to reduce my family’s food waste few months ago and it’s the best choice I’ve done.Finding nice tips and ideas like yours is of a great help for me. Thank you for sharing!