Family of 4 trashes up to $2,000 in food

Are you throwing money in the trash? If you're not eating your leftovers, you might as well take the cash in your wallet and send it to the landfill. Here's an abundance of ideas to help you use up your abundance of food.

Wed, Mar 21 2012 at 10:40 AM

Related Topics:

Healthy Eating, Recipes, Waste, Save Money

Photo: cheryl/Flickr

The Wall Street Journal is asking if leftovers are tasty or trash. Many people don’t eat their leftovers because they don’t think they’re all that delicious. Throwing leftovers in the trash can be costly financially. It’s estimated that a family of four throws away $500 to $2,000 in food each year.

That figure encompasses food that is bought and never gets touched before hitting the trashcan and also leftovers that get thrown away because many people think leftovers are no good.

I have been in a battle with leftovers for years myself. Sometimes I do really great at using the odds and ends in the fridge. Sometimes, I clean out the refrigerator and get disappointed with myself for what I’ve let go bad. It’s an ongoing battle — one that I’m not giving up on.

Over the years, I’ve blogged about using up leftovers. It seems like a good time to take a look back at some of those ideas:

If you have a specific leftover that you never know what to do with, let me know. I get a sort of geeky pleasure out of digging for ideas.

The opinions expressed by MNN Bloggers and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not reflect the opinions of MNN.com. While we have reviewed their content to make sure it complies with our Terms and Conditions, MNN is not responsible for the accuracy of any of their information.

Previous Post
What's in Italian ice?

Next Post
McDonald's to replace foam cups with paper

You might also like:

Join the conversation

Comments: 3

Frances Wagner Mar 22 2012 at 11:32 AM

Make your own dog food. All of those veggies and fruits you buy and are not quite fresh enough to serve to your family will make your dog very happy and healthy. Pre-cook ground meat (turkey, beef, pork, canned salmon, liver) with veggies in a food processor until blended. Freeze in individual servings. Check out the book, "Dogs, Diet and Disease".

Log in or register to post comments
Report This Post

Tarrant Mar 21 2012 at 10:47 AM

We were doing well at the beginning of the year with eating leftovers, produce before it rotted, etc. Lately though, it has fallen off. I need ideas. Usually it is mixed dishes that get left to refrigerate until death. (rice/vegetables/meat, salads)