Can You Make It For Less?

A study of the cost of preparing five different food items. The actual value of making things yourself is determined.

As our lives get busier we look for shortcuts to save us time anywhere we can. This is especially true at the grocery store where you can now buy almost anything ready-made, saving you the inconvenience of doing it yourself. But at what cost? 

This week I have chosen to look at five different items I normally buy at the grocery store. Instead of buying them I made them myself at home. I wanted to know if it is worthwhile to make them myself or to continue purchasing them at the grocery store. Here are the surprising results.

Pasta Sauce

My husband eats lots of pasta so I end up buying 2 to 3 jars of pasta sauce a week. This time I used a slow cooker to make enough sauce to last a week. For simplicity sake I used canned tomatoes, but in the future I am going to try and make pasta sauce again using fresh tomatoes. The recipe I used is my own creation.

• 2 cans of diced tomatoes
• 1 can of tomato sauce
• 1 can of tomato paste
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 bunch fresh basil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper

1. Mix ingredients together in slow cooker and cook on low for 6-7 hours.

Original Item Cost: $2.99 for 700 mL
Ingredients Cost: $5.17 for 2100 mL
Prep Time: 15 minutes

In order to measure the actual savings I am going to add the cost of the ingredients plus labour at minimum wage (currently $10.25). Part of the prep time is allocated for dishes. So to make one jar (700 mL) of my own pasta sauce it cost me $2.57. While this is cheaper than buying the store-bought kind, it's not as big a savings as I was expecting. However, since I buy 2-3 jars of sauce a week it could add up to almost $1.26 in savings a week overall.

Total Savings: $0.42 for one 700 mL jar


Granola Bars

I like to buy granola bars for work because they're a great snack. However, I don't like all the sugar in them, so making my own is great. I followed a recipe I got from All Recipes, except I cut back on the sugar and added a couple of extra toppings. Since Valentine's Day has passed I picked up some Toblerone for 50% off and used that in these granola bars. I also added almonds and coconut for extra flavouring. If you make this yourself you can obviously add whatever you want.

• 4 1/2 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 honey or maple syrup
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds (optional)
• 1 Toblerone bar (optional)
• 1/2 cup sweeted coconut shavings (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 325F (165C). Line a 9 x 13 inch pan with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl combine oats, flour, baking soda, vanilla, butter, honey, and brown sugar. Stir in your additional ingredients, ie. chocolate, coconut, almonds, etc...
3. Press the mixture into the prepared pan. Bake at 325F/ 165C for 18 to 22 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for 10 minutes then cut into bars. They will be very soft at this point, but will harden. Let bars cool completely in pan before removing. 

Original item cost: $3.13 for 6 bars, 176 grams
Ingredients cost: $6.00 for 18 bars, 528 grams
Prep Time: 20 minutes

Including labour costs each one of my granola bars costs $0.44. This cost could either go up or down depending on what ingredients you include. Maple syrup, for example is more expensive than honey. I also included almonds, coconut, and toblerone. If you included just one extra topping instead of three, you could possibly save money.

Total Savings: $0.49 for 6 bars.

Salad Dressing

I like having lots of different types of salad dressings on hand because I like the variety. I found a recipe for a Raspberry Vinaigrette from AllRecipes.com that sounded yummy so I decided to try it out. I made a couple of slight adaptations, so here is the recipe I followed.

• 2/3 olive oil
• 2/3 cup raspberry balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp white sugar
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1. Combine all ingredients together. Shake well.

Original item cost: $2.29 for 475 mL
Ingredients cost: $2.25 for 475 mL
Prep Time: 5 minutes

When you add up the cost of the ingredients and the labour for making this dressing, you realize there is almost no difference between making your own and buying. I would therefore say that unless you really want to, buying salad dressing is the more cost effective and easy way to acquire it. If you also buy it on sale, you will save even more.

Total Savings: -$0.47

Wings

Wings are one of my guilty pleasures, I really love buying the Buffalo Blue Cheese ones from M&Ms Meat Shops. Making my own is a great opportunity to try a new flavour out though. Many of the recipes I found involved little more than adding a pre-made BBQ sauce to raw wings, but I wanted more of a challenge than that. So I found a recipe for Slow Cooker Sticky Wings from Tracey's Culinary Adventures that looked easy to do. I made a couple of slight adaptations to make it a bit hotter, so here is the recipe I followed.

• 1/4 brown sugar
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1 tbsp ginger
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 can tomato paste
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 1 tbsp hot sauce
• 1 tsp cayenne chili powder
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 5 lbs chicken wings, split

1. Combine all the ingredients except the wings together in a bowl. Mix until combined.
2. Add chicken to slow cooker.
3. Cover chicken in sauce.
4. Cook on high for 3-4 hours.
5. Place wings on baking tray and bake at 350C for 30 minutes to make crispy. (I also added some tapioca starch to the sauce leftover in the slow cooker to thicken it up. I marinated that sauce on the wings)

Original item cost: $15.99 for 2 lbs 
Ingredients cost: $21.00 for 5 lbs 
Prep Time: 10 minutes

The actual cost per pound of wings including labour is $4.71. The cost savings appear to be quite good for wings. However, in calculating the original item cost I used an expensive brand, not the cheapest available. If I had used the cheapest available to compare then the difference between my homemade wings and the store-bought wings would diminish. The reason I used a more expensive brand is because that is the one I typically buy. So for me it can be more cost effective to make my own wings, but if I got cheaper wings or the more expensive brand on sale, that might not be the case.

Total Savings: $5.03 per 2 pounds.

French Fries

My hubby and I love having fries on hand for late-night snack cravings. Making your own fries is ridiculously easy. It's so easy you hardly need a recipe but here is what I did.

• 2 lbs potatoes, preferably Yukon Gold
• 1 tbsp canola oil
• 1 tsp salt

1. Wash potatoes. Peel if desired.
2. Cut potatoes into 1/4 inch thick strips. They should look like french fries. You can cut them thinner or thicken depending on what you like.
3. Cover with canola oil and salt.
4. Cook for 30 minutes at 400C or until done.

Original item cost: $3.27 for 900 grams
Ingredients cost: $1.00 for 900 grams
Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cost with labour for fries is $2.06. However, the potatoes could have been purchased cheaper as you know from my Farmers' Market post. This would have brought to cost down even more.

Total Savings: $1.21 for one 900 gram bag.

Overall Savings

When you look at the sum total of all the costs including ingredients and labour you realize that it's not that much cheaper to make these 5 items yourself. While 4 of the 5 items were cheaper, the savings were minimal. When calculating the original item cost, I used name brand products. If I were to chose to store brand products the cost of the item would obviously be less. 

If your time is also worth more than the minimum wage I have calculated for labour costs, then the savings go down even more. To me this was very surprising. I went into this experiment thinking I was mastering a new way to save tons of money. However, if you're willing to work for "free" because your job is to save money, then you will save more money. Just to show that, here is a table comparing the costs of the items I made with labour and without:

ITEM	ORIGINAL ITEM COST	COST WITHOUT LABOUR	COST WITH LABOUR
Pasta Sauce	$2.99/ 700 mL	$1.72/ 700 mL	$2.57/ 700 mL
Granola Bars	$3.13/ 176 g	$2.00/ 176 g	$2.64/ 176 g
Salad Dressing	$2.29/ 475 mL	$2.25/ 475 mL	$2.76/ 475 mL
Wings	$15.99/ 2 lb	$8.40/ 2 lb	$9.42/ 2 lb
French Fries	$3.27/ 900 g	$1.00/ 900 g	$1.21/ 900 g

You can see that with the exception of salad dressing, the savings is more substantial if you exclude the labour costs. When considering whether to make your own food, it's important to ask yourself "How much is my time worth?". Then you can truly evaluate the real cost of making it.

There is, however, another benefit to making things yourself: You can control what goes into them, meaning you can make it as healthy or unhealthy as you want. Eating healthier can hopefully prolong your life, and that is priceless.

Farmers' Market

An examination of the savings to be had by shopping at the local farmer's market instead of the grocery store.

Recently I made the decision to stop doing most of my weekly grocery shopping at the grocery store. Instead, I now do the majority of my shopping at my Farmers' Market. For me my local market is the Kitchener Market.

I've shopped at the Kitchener Market on and off for years, but I've never committed to doing the bulk of my shopping there until now. I was encouraged by some friends who do most of their shopping there to try it out. I did and I'm loving it - I can't imagine ever switching back! Let me tell you all the reasons why:

The Prices Are Better!

The vendors at the market don't have a lot of overhead since they are only operating a stall once or twice a week instead of a complete store. They also only accept cash, so they don't pay any fees to credit card companies. For these reasons they can offer you the same produce and meats you would get at the grocery store for less money. Some of the vendors at my market have stores as well and I've noticed they offer better deals at the market than at their own store. For example one fish vendor charges $3.99 for a 4-ounce marinated salmon filet at their store. At the market you can get those same filets 3 for $10.00 (a savings of $1.97).

Just for comparison sake I looked at what I normally buy and compared the market to grocery store prices when I was doing my shopping today. Here are the results:

ITEM	GROCERY STORE	MARKET
English Cucumber	$1.47 each	$0.75 each
Red Peppers	$2.97/lb or about $0.80-1.00 each	2/$1.00
Field Tomatoes	$1.27/lb	$0.29/lb
White Potatoes	$2.97 for a 5lb bag	$4.00 for a 5lb bag
Carrots	$1.67 for a 3lb bag	$2.00 for 3 lbs
Onions	$1.67 for a 3lb bag	$2.00 for 3 lbs
Celery	$1.97 each	$1.50 each
Bananas	$0.69/lb	$0.59/lb
Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast	$6.05/lb	$4.99/lb
Large Eggs	$2.85	$2.75/dozen
Fresh Basil	$3.20 a bunch	$1.50 a bunch

Highlighted in blue is the cheaper item. While some of the items were cheaper at the grocery store, the majority were cheaper at the market. Though I buy in smaller quantities at the market (see my Food Waste post), were I to buy 10 lbs of potatoes I'd save even more money. The gentleman who sells me chicken at the Southern Pride Poultry stand told me that if I bought 5 lbs of boneless skinless chicken breast the price went down to $4.49/lb. Buy 10 lbs, the price goes down to $4.15/lb. It's amazing the deals you'll get if you buy in bulk. And remember, these are the everyday prices, you'll get them week after week.

Now the cost savings I get at my Kitchener Market are not the same you would get at every market. Some markets are more expensive because of their location and hours of operation. I would consider the St. Lawrence Market in Toronto and Covent Garden Market in London, Ontario to be great examples of this. These markets are centrally located in dense urban areas and are open 7 days a week. Real Farmers' Markets like the Kitchener Market happen once or twice a week, usually Thursday and Saturday.

If you want the best prices you need to go to the local market. This market might only operate one or two days a week, maybe even seasonally. There will also be little or no tourists; that is what you want. Farmers' Markets Ontario has a website where you can find a list of most markets in Ontario. Check it out and see if there is a market near you that you weren't aware of.

The Selection Is Better

Often the quality of the products available at the market is superior to that of the grocery store. It is frequently sold from the people who harvested it and therefore spends less time in transit, so it's fresher. There is also something great about being able to ask about a particular item and have someone extremely knowledgeable answer you. I often hear fellow shoppers asking "When was this picked", or "How do you cook this"? The vendors are always more than willing to help out.

One thing you have to be careful of is getting to the market early, otherwise you will miss out on the best stuff. Arrive late and there might be better prices as vendors try to sell everything, but it's not going to be their best.

It's Fun!

Grocery shopping can be considered a chore, but when you do it at the market I think it's an adventure. There are lots of things to see, smell and taste. I've turned grocery shopping from something I have to find time to do into something I can't wait to do. I sometimes have an exotic lunch or buy a pastry to make it feel special. And why not? You should enjoy life and this is great way to turn something you don't like doing into something fun.

Support Local

Support your local farmers and small businesses by buying their products. Supporting businesses that promote sustainable harvest practices is smart shopping. It's also nice to know your meats aren't being processed in large facilities where disease outbreaks are known to happen. 

Don't just take my word on the savings you'll experience. Check it out for yourself. Maybe you'll decide the market is the best thing in the world  (OK maybe that's a slight exaggeration) or perhaps you'll decide to stick to the tried and true grocery store. Either way it's great to explore your options and try something new.

Reading The Sales And Store Prices

An in-depth look at how to read the price labels at grocery stores to assess the actual cost of an item and determine the best deal.

Ever bought something because it was on sale and you thought you were getting a good deal? Did you actually check to see whether it was the best deal or did you just assume it was? Don't feel bad - we've all done it; stores want us to do it. But no longer! By learning how to read the price tags at grocery stores you can quickly learn how to find the best deal!

Read The Label

Above is a sample price tag at my grocery store. Have you ever noticed the writing below the the name of the product? Your grocery store should have this amazing feature of price per 100 mL. Here you can see it circled in pink. By comparing the price per 100 mL instead of total cost you can better compare product to product. 

Here is an example of where I found it helpful. I was looking to buy pineapple tidbits and had my choice of 3 different products.  Here are the price tags for all of them. Which do you think is the cheapest?

Product A
Store Brand - Regular Price

Product B
Name Brand - Regular Price

Product C
Name Brand - Sale Price

If you compare all 3 of these products you will realize that Product A (the store brand at regular price) is the most economical. Product C, the only one on sale, is actually the most expensive at 0.365 per 100 mL compared to 0.294 and 0.217 per 100 mL. Even though Products A and B are the same price, Product A has a greater volume than Product B, making it cheaper. So by reading the labels carefully I was able to know that Product A was the best price and was not be fooled by the "sale".

The Sale Label

Sale Label A

Sale Label B

Both of the above are pictures of sale labels at the same grocery store. Sale Label A was located in one of the aisles, while Sale Label B was located at the end of an aisle, in a prominent sale location. There is a lot to learn from these 2 labels.

First you'll notice that Sale Label B does not have the price per 100 mL, while Sale Label A does. When sale items are placed at the end of aisles or in low refrigerated units in the center of outer aisles (you know what I'm talking about), the price tag will not contain the price per 100 mL. This is something I have noticed in several different grocery stores, not just the one I took these pictures at. The reason for this is that you think it's a good deal because it's in such a prominent location, but you can't actually check there to make sure it is a good deal. Generally these items are also available in other areas of the store where the price per 100 mL is included, so buy it from there not the special sale area.

Sale Label B shows that the product is 2/$5.00 or $2.50 each. The 2/$5.00 means nothing, the price is $2.50. This label suggests to the customer that you should buy two of them to get the best deal. In reality, it almost never matters how many you buy because you nearly always receive the sale price for any number, so only get as many as you need.

Sale Label B also shows the product is 2/$8.88 (likely $4.44 each, even though this label doesn't show that), for a savings of $5.10. Wow save $5.10 off cheese, that's awesome! Wait. You're actually only saving $2.55 per bar of cheese. If you buy 2 bars you're savings $5.10 together. By lumping the savings together, you think you're saving a lot more money than actually are, making you more likely to buy it. Again, if you need 2 bars of cheese, buy both. If you don't only buy the one.

More To Come

I hope this has helped you out and that you'll be able to always find the best deal at the grocery store. This is just one of many posts that are coming out this month, so stay tuned for more exciting ways to save on groceries.

Where Do You Grocery Shop?

A comprehensive look at rewards programs offered by several major chain grocery stores in Ontario.

Where do you do your grocery shopping? Do they have a rewards program? Are you signed up for it?

Most chain grocery stores offer rewards programs to encourage customer loyalty. Generally people shop at the same grocery store, so why not take advantage of the rewards program they have in place?

If You Shop At Zehrs, Loblaws, No Frills, Superstore, Fortinos, Extra Foods, Valu-Mart, Independent, Provigo, Maxi, SaveEasy or SuperValu 

If you shop at any of the above listed stores you should be collecting PC points. In order to get PC points you need to get a PC Mastercard or bank card. It is free to do so and for the most part they don't charge any fees (except interest of course). For every dollar you spend with your PC Mastercard you earn 10 PC points. For every dollar you spend with your PC bank card you earn 5 PC points. 20 000 points equals $20  in free groceries. To redeem them you simply ask your cashier at the checkout to use your points.

You can earn bonus points by bringing your own reusable grocery bags when shopping. For every bag you bring and use, you get 10 PC points. Just make sure that you inform the cashier of how many bags you have, most won't ask if you are collecting PC points in my experience.

You might not think you would earn that much doing this, but trust me its worth it. Last year I got over $100 in free groceries and I'm living with just one other person so we don't spend that much on our credit cards. Feed a family of 5 and you'll definitely earn a lot more. This is basically free money, why say no to that?

Pros: It's easy to collect and redeem PC points. They are accepted at a large variety of stores. You can redeem them for fun items like clothing and cosmetics at Joe Fresh. Lots of opportunities to earn extra PC points.

Cons: You commit yourself financially through either a credit card or bank account to PC. If you're comfortable doing this then it's great, but not for everyone. 

If You Shop at Sobeys, Foodland, IGA, Fresch Co., Price Chopper, or Thrifty Foods

If you shop at any of the above mentioned stores you should be collecting Club Sobeys points. At participating stores you earn 1 point per dollar spent. 725 points gives you $5 off your next grocery bill. Like PC points you can redeem them at point of purchase. 

You can also convert your Club Sobeys points into Esso Extra points, 2 Club Sobeys points for 1 Esso Extra point. Esso Extra points can be redeemed for free gas and car washes for example. You can also convert them to Aeroplan points, again 2 Club Sobeys points for 1 Aeroplan point. Aeroplan points can be redeemed for travel rewards like discounted flights and hotels. 

If you have a BMO Club Sobeys Master Card you'll earn twice the number of points than with a regular Club Sobeys card. If you don't want a credit card, you can sign up for a BMO Club Sobeys banking account. You won't get bonus points for every dollar you spend, but you can get bonus points if you set up automatic deposits on those accounts. Again, like the PC Master Card and bank account it can be a bit of a financial commitment, but if you do most of your grocery shopping at Sobeys, you could end up with some great rewards.

Pros: The points can be redeemed for a variety of things not just groceries. I like that they can be combined with Esso Extra or Aeroplan points. I also really like that just enrolling in the Club Sobeys program does not involve any financial commitment to the program, unlike PC.

Cons: It takes a long time to accumulate points. Without bonus points, you have to spend $725 to save $5. That's like an interest rate of 0.007%, if you want to look at it another way. Not all stores owned by this company accept Club Sobeys cards, generally only Sobey's does.

If You Shop At Metro

You should be collecting Air Miles. For every $20 you spend at Metro you'll get 1 Air Mile. They offer 3 options: Air Miles Cash, Air Miles Cash and Dreams, or Air Miles Dreams. Air Miles Cash can be redeemed for instant savings in-store. When you have 95 points in your cash balance you can redeem them in-store for instant $10 savings. Air Miles Dreams are accumulated and redeemed online or by mail. 

When you purchase certain products in-store you can earn bonus Air Miles.

Pros: Air Miles can be earned at more stores than just Metro so you can accumulate points faster. It doesn't cost anything to get an Air Miles card, so there is no obligation in joining. There are opportunities to earn bonus air miles.

Cons: It takes a long time to accumulate enough points to get good rewards. 

Conclusion

I've chosen to look at the reward programs for the grocery stores near me, but there are lots more grocery stores and rewards programs out there. So do some research, you have to buy groceries so why not get some rewards for doing it.

Plan Your Next Grocery Visit

Tips for preparing for your next grocery visit to maximize savings.

How To Grocery Shop

How would you describe your approach to grocery shopping? Do you:

• A) Finally go when you have absolutely nothing left and buy anything and everything you need/want?

• B) Shop once or twice a week with a mental list of things you need?

• C) Shop once a week armed with a list of things you need?

If you chose C) I would say that you are one smart shopper. Like I talked about with my food waste post, people often end up buying things they don’t need at the grocery store. It’s on sale, it looks appealing, you think you might want it, so you buy it. Then it sits in your fridge or cupboard until it goes bad or you give it to the food bank. I know we are all guilty of this, but, really, how does this habit make any sense? 

A study from the University of Pennsylvania showed that it is on weekly shopping trips to replenish household supplies that the most impulse spending takes place. So let's stop our impulse shopping and stick to a list!

Make A Meal Plan

Once a week, preferably on a regular set day (just so you get in the habit) come up with a meal plan for you and your family. Do it alone or do it with others, it can be a lot more fun than it sounds and a great way to try new things. By having a list of everything you're going to eat you avoid the inevitable, "what's for dinner tonight?" (you'll probably eat less takeout too). Make sure you include snacks in your meal plan; they don't have to be healthy, but include them. If you think you're going to eat a bag of chips as a snack all week, write it down. Then when you're at the grocery store you only need to buy one bag and not the other one you were eyeing as well.

Write It Down

You know what meals you’re eating, so now you write up what ingredients you’ll need. Double check it to make sure you’re not forgetting anything. I would also recommend dividing the list by how you will find the items at the grocery store. So lump your fresh produce, fresh meats, frozen items, dairy, and canned items together, as an example. 

My husband has an app for his phone and has his grocery lists divided by store so that he can start from the top at each store, instead of wandering around. For him grocery shopping is about getting in and out as quickly as possible. Personally I like to wander, but the University of Pennsylvania study showed that my husband's approach is better. Those "fast and efficient" shoppers are 82% less likely than the average person to make impulse purchases.

Check Your Stock

Chances are your kitchen is going to have some of the ingredients you’ll need already. So take an inventory, look around and eliminate redundant purchases. 

This is also a good chance to check on your supplies of other items you don't regularly buy but use, like condiments and butter. Doesn't it suck when you've just done all your grocery shopping and come home to discover you're out of jam to put on that bread you just bought?

Shop Smarter

Armed with a well-organized list you’re ready to start. Try and buy only what is on your list. Remember that you already made a well-rounded meal plan so there shouldn't be the need for any superfluous spending. Once you have everything, double-check your list just to make sure you haven't forgotten anything.

Other Tips

Ever heard someone tell you to shop the outside aisles of the grocery store? This can be a good approach as the outskirts of the store usually have the produce and fresh meat. However they generally also contain frozen items which can include things like ice cream. And don’t forget those center aisles contain canned fruits and vegetables, pasta, rice, and baking items. These are all things you’ll likely need.

Don’t get distracted by the sales. Items on sale are placed in prominent locations to attract our attention and thus end up in our carts. But they aren't necessarily the best deal (more on this late this this month), so don’t get fooled.

Walk or bike to the grocery store and you'll be less likely to make impulse purchases according to the University of Pennsylvania study.

Shop with a full bladder and you'll want to get in and out as quickly as possible. This can backfire on you though if you wait too long, so be careful...

Overall this might all sound like common sense. That's because in general it is. Personally I would like to see some more studies backing this up to convince more people of the savings they can get. In the absence of those studies I'll try and convince you to do this through my own experience. I've been strictly sticking to a grocery shopping list for about 2 months now and can proudly say I've cut back my household grocery shopping by $150 a month. I credit those savings to creating meal plans and shopping lists. So try it for yourself and save some money.

Food Waste

A comprehensive look at how much food Canadians waste annually and ways to cut that down.

How much food do you think you waste every year? According to a study by Value Chain Management Center, Canadians on average waste 40% of their food, for a total of $27 billion dollars. That is crazy! So if you're wasting 40% of your consumable food, you're buying 40% too much. Isn't that great - you could save up to 40% on your groceries by only buying what you need!

Why Do We Waste So Much?

The Value Chain Management study found that the primary cause of the waste is the consumer. The main reasons for waste are:

• Buying too much food because it's a good deal
• Making too much food
• Not using food before it expires
• Lack of use of leftovers

This make sense to me, so I'm going to cover how we can fix these problems, as well as others I think are important.

It’s A Good Deal, I Should Stock Up

True it makes sense to stock up on items we know we go through because they're on sale. The reason why things go on sale isn't to save us money (that's a happy by-product), but rather to make us buy more and/or get rid of excess inventory. How often do you end up buying something you didn't intend to, but found on sale and thought you might use eventually? Buying on sale makes sense, but only if you need it. When you see something on sale ask yourself when the last time you bought it was? If you buy that item every week and don’t question whether you really need it, then definitely stock up. Otherwise, think hard before buying. Also try to only buy non-perishables on sale. That way you don't have to get around to eating them right away. Finally, set a limit for how much of every item you're going to buy. You don't need 10 bottles of mustard, this isn't Extreme Couponing. 

Making Too Much Food

It's hard to make just the right amount of food. Especially if you're single. Someone really needs to come up with a singles grocery store where everything comes in single servings.

So how does one make the right amount of food? I try to make all the food I'm going to eat all week on Sunday. It takes me about 3 hours and then I don't have to worry about it for the rest of the week. Once the food is prepared I put it into reusable containers with enough food for one meal. Everything goes into the freezer and that way when I want to eat I just heat and eat!

I Don't Feel Like Leftovers

I get it, leftovers aren't the most appealing thing to eat, but you've already made them, so don't let them go to waste. If you don't think you're going to eat them right away, freeze them for later. You could even try adding a new spin on your leftovers by adding another sauce, vegetable, or cheese to them, totally changing the composition.

Watch Those Expiry Dates

Check expiry dates frequently. Use the FIFO system (First In First Out). Make sure that you're eating your oldest eggs first, not the ones you just bought (even though you weren't out of the old ones first!). Rotate your food and put the food that needs to be eaten up first in plain sight.

Cleaning your fridge regularly is a great way to find stuff you didn't know you had. Quickly clean it once a week when you go grocery shopping and you'll find less will slip through the cracks. 

Food Isn't That Expensive, I Can Afford To Throw A Little Out

The Value Chain Management study said that a lot of the waste came from people's attitudes about food, citing that it wasn't that expensive. In fact, groceries are very expensive in Canada. According to Numbeo, the average Canadian would need to spend $312.90 a month to sustain themselves. This makes it the 12th most expensive country in the world for groceries in 2012. Countries where groceries cost less include: Australia, UK, France, Hong Kong, the USA, and Italy to name a few. Bet you thought that it would be much more expensive to buy groceries in Europe – it’s actually not. We as Canadians pay a lot of money for groceries, so why would we waste good money and good food?

What Do We Waste?

According to a 2009 Statistics Canada study the bulk of food wasted by retailers and consumers are fresh and processed fruits and vegetables. 122 kg per capita to be exact. This is followed by 18 kg of oils, fats, sugars and syrups; 16 kg of red meats; 10 kg of poultry; and 6 kg of dairy products. 

How Can I Stop Waste?

Plan your meals. Know how much you're going to eat every day and put everything else you can in the freezer. I prepare most of my meals for the week on Sunday night. The meals are divided into serving portions and frozen to be thawed on the day I eat them. This is great because plans change, so keeping most of your food in the freezer means that if you decide not to eat one of your pre-made meals, it won't go bad.

Don't buy stuff that is already spoiling unless you're going to eat it that day. My grocery store offers food that will be expiring that day or the next for 50% off, its tempting to buy lots, but there is a reason they're selling it cheap.

Shop with a list and only buy what you need. Very simple, but it works.

Finally, here’s something I found on Pintrest that I really like - 27 ways to make your groceries last as long as possible. Check it out, it has a lot of great advice relating to fresh produce in particular.

I know its hard to use everything you buy and make and sometimes things slip through the cracks. But once you start making a conscious effort to stop throwing food out, you'll find you're buying less and saving more. Now that I'm sure you can all go for. 

Grocery Store Month

An introduction to the upcoming grocery month segment on my blog.

I want to keep things new and exciting on this blog, so for the month of February I am introducing the first of several theme months. February will be grocery month! Groceries-they're expensive and we have to buy them. So how can we save money?

I will cover things from shopping the sales, taxes, making your food last longer, and many more! So stay tuned in all month and hopefully learn how to cut down your grocery bill.