I came across a very interesting website, www.stopfoodwaste.ie, on the topic of how much food we Irish waste, literally throwing our money in the bin.  The statistics are astonishing and really we could save money if we just stopped throwing away food.  Savings of as little as €700 or as much as over €1000 per year could be made by making changes to how we shop and how we store our food.

The average household in Ireland will throw about 1.2 ton of rubbish in a year.   Approximately, 30% of this rubbish accounts for food and a further 35% of the rubbish we throw into our black bins could be recycled.  The main types of food wasted is bread, apples, potatoes, salads, meat and fish, dairy such as milk and yogurt, spreads and dips.

So some minor adjustments to your shopping list would mean saving money two fold, firstly by spending less on your shopping bill and secondly by having fewer bin lifts.  Save money by planning your meals in advance and always check what you already have in the cupboards and fridge before you go shopping.  Be mindful of the “Use by” dates on perishables and use the foods with the shortest dates first.  Some fresh foods can be frozen and used later in the week or month, but always check the packaging or advice given by your supermarket.

Only buy what you will eat.  Many of us would like to be eating the healthy options and include our “5 a day” on the shopping list, but do you eat your 5 a day.  Don’t buy it if you or your family will not eat it.  Use leftovers to make another meal for the family or freeze leftovers in single portions if there is not enough leftovers to feed the whole family, these can be taken into work for lunch.  Don’t leave them in the back of the freezer to take up residence, remember to do a weekly check before you prepare your shopping and use your frozen leftovers from one week as a meal for the following week.