New Year New Habits

Shopping listJanuary is the month of saving money and making New Years resolutions, so why not resolve to make the most of the food you buy.

Here are our top tips to get you started;

  • Why not start writing a shopping list – Did you know that half of us make a shopping list all or some of the time, but half don’t stick to it in the store. Try making 2010 the year of the shopping list and sticking to it!
  • Try planning weekly menus – Take the effort out of thinking what you are going to cook each night, and wondering if you have the ingredients to make it, by planning weekly menus. By buying ingredients for the delicious meals we've planned at the supermarket, we will be less likely to buy foods we won’t get round to using up.
  • There really is such a thing as a free lunch - Simply by using what’s already in the fridge, or last night’s leftovers for a packed lunch at work, we can save between £3.00 and £5.00 a day.
  • Freezer portion Get friendly with your freezer – There’s not much that can’t be frozen for later. Freeze your leftover festive foods such as meats and cheeses to eat in the New Year.
  • Double up on family favourites – When you’re cooking dishes such as Bolognese, chilli, soups and casseroles, cook one for now and freeze one for later. That way will have a readymade meal when you get in on these cold nights. 
  • Storecupboard essentials – Keeping essentials such as oils, sauces, beans, pasta and rice in the storecupboard means that there’ll always be something to create a quick meal with odds and ends in the fridge which might have been forgotten otherwise.
  • Perfect Portions – One of the reasons we throw away food is because we cook too much! Its easy to cook too much of foods such as pasta, rice and potatoes, so use the Love Food Hate Waste portion calculator to help you buy and cook just the right amount of food for yourself, your family and your friends.