How I Stopped Wasting Money On Groceries

Tips & tricks for shopping in a single-person household.

The biggest money-suck in the world of cooking is letting food spoil before you get the chance to use it. When everything is packaged in servings sizes of 2 or 4, it’s hard not to waste food living by yourself.

I used to throw out hundreds of dollars worth of groceries every few months.

I’d walk into the store with wide eyes, and plans to eat healthy for the next week, filling my cart with produce. Then, as the week went on, I ordered in once or twice instead of using the ingredients I’d already bought. Maybe I made an old classic like ramen or frozen pizza on a night when I just couldn’t be bothered.

I soon found myself tossing half my haul.

My dilemma is I enjoy eating out sometimes, and the unhealthy 10 minute classics are classic for a reason.

I needed to find a happy medium.

So, here are the steps I’ve taken to stop wasting money on groceries I don’t have a chance to eat without completely cutting out take-out and meals induced by spontaneous cravings (aka laziness).

Some of the hardest foods for me to get through before they go bad are fruits and veggies.

They’re great for you, but they go rotten fast. Especially if you prefer organic. I combat this by making smoothies a part of my daily diet.

Because smoothie ingredients all go through a blender, you don’t need to buy fresh. Frozen fruit is just as good! This also allows you to save some money if you buy in bulk.

If you still want to include some fresh produce in your shopping list, smoothies also make an excellent catch-all for scraps and overflow (I often add extra spinach or avocado to mine).

Blend some frozen fruit, water or milk, maybe a little protein powder, and you’ve got yourself an easy, healthy, cost-effective breakfast.

I’m a big fan of ingredients that go into 3–4 meals every week. One of my most-used examples is cherry tomatoes. I put them in pasta, salads, stir fries, etc.

Ingredients that go into multiple meals have a lot less chance of getting wasted than ones that only work with one new recipe you thought you might try. I cannot count the number of times I’ve bought all the unique fancy ingredients for a healthy new recipe, and then ended up tossing most of them at the end of the week after making box mac & cheese instead.

I no longer purchase any ingredients that don’t either fit into multiple recipes, make up my absolute favorites, or last for a long time.

That brings me to my next point.

Food that lasts a long time is your new best friend when you live alone.

Why buy milk that goes bad in two weeks when you can buy ultra-pasteurized that lasts for a month and a half? Honest question.

If I have any chance to stretch expiration dates, I do.

I just don’t go through most foods fast enough to deal with short expiration dates.When longer expiration dates aren’t an option I freeze.

How on earth am I supposed to eat 6+ servings of chicken in the week and a half it lasts in the fridge?

The answer: bag 4 of those servings in plastic and toss them back in the freezer for next week. It takes some prep time when you get home from your grocery run, but it’s well worth the money you save in the long run.

I’ll be honest, I’ve never been a big fan of leftovers.

This used to mean every time I cooked a larger meal, I’d inevitably end up tossing up to half of it. I’d let my leftovers sit in the fridge, opting for something new instead of reheating what I was sure wouldn’t be nearly as appetizing.

Unfortunately, as I mentioned previously, most grocery stores have almost everything packaged in serving sizes of 2–4. Those that don’t usually jack up the single-serving prices.

I’ve come up with a compromise to myself.

By only having one round of leftovers per meal, and never eating them the same day as the original meal, I actually enjoy my leftovers instead of avoiding them.

There’s always ways to save money on groceries by couponing, buying in bulk, comparison shopping, etc. All that work goes to waste if you throw out the food you buy because you just don’t get around to eating it.

Not to mention, wasting food that someone else could enjoy is no one’s idea of a good time.

I spend less on groceries now than ever before, despite my tastes (and standards) getting more and more expensive the further from college I find myself.

One of the best parts about living alone in your 20’s is getting full control over your own kitchen. This is how I enjoy that freedom, without breaking the bank or wasting food.

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