Plan and save - food management tips

There has been quite of lot of press recently about food wastage. "British families throw away an average of the equivalent of 6 meals per week, which would amount to £60 a month for a household, research has suggested" I find this staggering. Apparently staples such as bread, milk, vegetables and fruit are most commonly thrown out and 86 million chickens are said to be discarded every year. Also, from my experience of coaching and helping people with time management, food management can be stressful and time consuming so here are some tips to help:



Quick Quote

"The most remarkable thing about my mother is that for thirty years she served the family nothing but leftovers. The original meal has never been found." ~ Calvin Trillin

Plan and save

1. Plan your meals for the week. The best time to plan is the evening before the weekly shop. It need only take 5 minutes, and if you involve the whole family it makes for happy mealtimes!
2. Create a 3 week rolling menu including one day which is an experimental day (Sunday, say) and if it is a success it replaces a standard meal on the menu and one flexible (take away?) day
3. Have a shopping list on the fridge which you and your family update whenever you are running low on a staple (it's amazing what creeps on in my 8 year old's handwriting!)
4. Shop for the freezer and store cupboard especially for meals later on in the week, and then if plans do change you are not left with fresh items 
5. Review what you are tending to throw away and make a note on your shopping list to buy less of that item. Also keep an eye on what you have in your freezer (keep a list on the front including the dates items were frozen)

It reduces stress immensely having this level of planning and is even more useful over the Christmas period. Do you have any tips to add? Please share them here: