I am honored to have my first guest blogger: Melissa Huston. We have become friends through our networking group, and she has some great tips to offer on decluttering your life in regards to grocery shopping!
Have you ever noticed on the front of most women’s magazines that the lead articles are always the same…….lose weight, exercise, get organized, de-stress and by the way here is a great recipe for chocolate cake. Talk about a vicious cycle! The holiday editions are the worst. Each issue is full of ads that scream BUY! BUY! BUY! – followed by the January articles that suggest we all learn to downsize and de-clutter. Anyone see a pattern here? The best part is when we start making New Year’s resolutions vowing to tackle every one of the areas all at the same time. No wonder we fail!
For me, picking one resolution with a big impact provides the incentive I need to stick with it. This year my resolution is to get a handle on my grocery shopping. I work for a hunger-relief organization and I am constantly reminded of the extremes in our society. I look at food differently now and feel compelled to avoid waste whenever possible. In this economy, managing your food budget is one of the best ways to stretch a dollar, but it will also help with those other resolutions to de-stress, get organized and yes, even lose weight.
I have enjoyed following The Wellnessmom Challenge’s January tips for de-cluttering our clothes closet, so I decided to apply some of those principles to my pantry as well.
1) Shop your Pantry First - Take all the food out of your pantry and group together the like items. You might be surprised that you have the beginnings of many meals already on hand. Make a list of meals that come to mind and note which missing ingredients you need to add to your grocery list.
2) Dinner or Donate? You may find that you have duplicates of items or products that are nearing their expiration date. If you are really ambitious – dedicate a day to cooking up some meals to use these items up, freeze and store for future meals. If you are focused on de-cluttering – consider donating those items to a local food drive or neighborhood food pantry where they will be put to good use before going to waste!
3) Plan your Week - Make a list of all the meals your family likes the most. What is the little black dress on your family menu? How can you “accessorize” to keep meals from getting boring? For example, pick four chicken recipes to rotate throughout the month instead of serving the same version week after week. Once you have your list of menu options, picking a week’s worth is not so bad.
4) Does this Dinner Make Me Look Fat? Seriously, this is a great time to assess what is actually going on your dinner table. Make note of which meals yield the highest health benefits and stick to those. Look for “lighter” recipes of your favorite comfort foods.
5) Bargain Shop- You don’t have to be an extreme-couponer to spend less at the grocery store – but don’t ignore those savings either. Start with the store’s weekly flyer. These are readily available in the weekend paper and many stores have on-line versions. See what is on sale and plan your menu around these featured items. If you do like to coupon – go for it, but be careful not to fall back into the clutter trap. If you can’t pass up a good bargain, remember that donation box! Couponing is a frugal and fun way to make a contribution to a local food pantry.
6) Invest in Core Pieces- Sometimes you have to invest a little to get the most return. Consider signing up for a local farm share. The quality and flavor of fresh produce, eggs and locally raised meat products are worth every penny. Even a few items to supplement your weekly groceries will make a difference. Not only are you providing your family with the healthiest food, but you are supporting a local business as well. Even your pickiest of eaters will look forward to seeing “what’s new” each week. I live in Maine, so imagine my excitement to find a farm share that runs all winter! www.freerangefarmtruck.com
7) Know Before You Go – The hardest part of staying on track with all shopping is making and then sticking to a list. Ironically, I had to organize my list first, in order to get me organized! Consider making a template for your grocery list and storing it on your computer. I made categories that correspond to the order of the aisles in my local grocery store. (Click Here) No more zig-zagging back and forth for forgotten items! As you make your list, record each item under the section it is located in the store and highlight any items that should be on sale or that you have a coupon for. Some prefer to have a pre-set list of all their routine items. Create a system that works for you and you will be amazed at how much faster you can get in and out of the store!
Now, those that know me know that I am not religious about doing this every time I go to the grocery store – but it is what I am aiming for! A healthy,well-planned diet is one of the most important ways to take care of ourselves and our families. Yes, some planning is required – but once it is done, you really will feel more organized; less stressed and might even be able to celebrate with a small portion of that chocolate cake!
Melissa Huston works in development for Good Shepherd Food-Bank , a hunger relief organization that serves as a supplier to a network of over 600 partner agencies across the State of Maine. She can be reached at mhuston@gsfb.org . For additional resources on empowering families to make healthy affordable meals visit www.feedingmaine.org and learn about the Food-Bank’s partnership with Cooking Matters.
For recipes and additional tips on reducing food waste:
http://cookingmatters.org/top-10-tips-to-waste-less-food/
