My shift from hating leftovers to planning for them after a $200 food waste wakeup

I used to throw away any food that sat in the fridge for more than 2 days. Last month I totaled up what I tossed and it came to nearly $200 just in spoiled veggies and half eaten containers. Now I purposely cook extra on Sunday nights and portion it into labeled containers for Tuesday and Thursday lunches. Has anyone else had to teach themselves to actually enjoy eating the same meal twice in a week?

4 comments

4 Comments

craig.sage1mo ago

Started writing down my waste after a neighbor told me about her "rotten veggie jar" where she tossed all the money she wasted into a glass container as a visual. Ended up finding an old container of chili @murray.spencer mustve left at my place six months ago with a label on it saying "extra spicy" and the whole thing had turned into some kind of science experiment. Now I just leave a sticky note on the fridge door that says "check the back" and rotate my leftovers to the front so I actually see them before they grow legs.

robinp722mo ago

$200 seems like a lot until you realize a single takeout dinner for two runs $40-50 these days, so that's really only like four or five bad weeks. I get being mad about wasted food but counting every penny like that just sounds stressful, you know? Unless your fridge is full of like, lobster tails and prime rib, I bet most people lose more than that to things like forgotten yogurt or old takeout without even noticing.

murray.spencer2mo ago

Yeah I forgot a whole bag of spinach in the back once and found it three months later...

anthonymurray1mo ago

You said "I bet most people lose more than that to things like forgotten yogurt or old takeout without even noticing" which is probably TRUE for lots of folks. But here is my question - do you actually track your food waste or are you just guessing? Because I started writing down what I throw away for one month and it was eye-opening. Like I had no idea I was tossing half a bag of limes every two weeks until I actually counted it up. I wonder how many people would be surprised if they really looked at what goes in the trash instead of just shrugging it off.