Tips on how to save money on food

First of all, let me say that I get so frustrated when I go to other people's houses and see their pantry and there's a ton of food they will never eat in there! (I'll take it, please! LOL) I mean really, people! Make a list and stick to it. If you don't know what is in your pantry or cupboard then go through it, take inventory and donate the things you haven't used or won't use! There are people out there (like myself) that cannot afford but a tiny amount of groceries every week, and it would help them out tremendously. Another thing that makes me upset is leftovers. People have food leftover, they store it, then it never gets eaten. There's three things you can do to avoid this. A. Make only enough for you and your family to eat then B. EAT YOUR LEFTOVERS! And /or C. Make a care package for a friend or family member that would enjoy your leftovers. One more pet peeve about leftovers is that people that waste them. Example: you make a pot of chili and refrigerate the leftovers. Good for you! Next day, you heat it ALL up, but don't eat it all. Well, there are people think that if you heat something twice, it's all of a sudden bad, but that is just not true! Secondly if you do believe this silly rule, then OK, just get out what you will eat THEN and put the rest back in the fridge. Don't be silly and cook all of it and then throw it all out when you've only had two bowls and there's clearly enough for 10 people! It won't kill you to go back to the fridge for more if you need it. Better to have to go back for more than to waste it. That's money down the drain, folks!
Another way to save money, you've all heard of, is to buy in bulk. But don't just stop there, guys. Don't go through the trouble of buying bulk, and then come to find out your food is freezer burnt because of a cheap plastic bag, or WORSE you just left it in the saran wrapped package! Oh no! AHHHH!!! There's money down the drain too! Invest in a good vacuum sealer.  I bought one a few years back and never regret it. My husband might because he never sees me use it, but that's because we haven't had the money to buy stuff in bulk for a while now. Anyway, it is well worth it, and I would suggest the food saver brand. The others aren't as strong, and don't have the longevity, either. Follow the instructions for best results.  
TTFN -SpooSpa


Ok I thought of something else: KEEP YOUR REFRIGERATOR CLEAN! You can't see what you have and what is going south if theres crap upon crap piled in your fridge! If you have a knack for organizing and can keep things pretty tidy, you should only need to pull everything out and clean it about once every 6 months if not once a year. Now, if you are like so many people I know that don't know organization from Adam, then you should probably pull everything out for a detail clean once a month. Maybe if you do this you will realize the work that goes into it and you will keep your fridge cleaner to begin with.
OMG! Another thing! If you have raw meat or open packages of whatever, don't leave them that way! I saw someone open a bacon package and put it in their fridge OPEN! WTF People? Haven't you heard of food borne illnesses? Storing that open bacon next to that package of half used half open cheese WILL GET YOU SICK. Why can't you just use common sense and buy some dang ziplocs?? It will save your food from spoil and yourself from getting sick. And put your open hot dog packages in a ziploc too! They have juices that come out of the bag and get your fridge dirty! Yuck. 2 plus 2 is 4 guys, not 5! ;)