Credit and Personal Finance Blog | Credit Karma

February 1st, 2012

5 Tips to Avoid Spoiled Groceries

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**Today’s guest post is contributed by Coupon Mountain.**

Each time you visit the grocery store, you are spending your hard earned money to feed you and your family. We all have times when we buy something and forget about it, only to find it rotten and unusable later. Spoiled groceries are a waste of money, and the cost can add up faster than you think. To keep your money from going to waste, read up on these five tips to avoid spoiled groceries.

1. Shop Smaller

Even if your food supply is running low, don’t feel the need to stock your shelves to the brim in one trip. Pick up only what you need for the next few days instead. Smaller, more frequent trips to the store will assure that you use everything you buy and that you never leave anything behind to go bad. Whenever you go to shop, make a concise list so that you don’t accidently buy more than you need to.

2. Plan Meals According to Ingredients

To make sure that you use everything that you have in your fridge, plan your meals ahead of time. Make your meal plans based on what ingredients you already have before you go to the grocery store. Having a precise meal plan will help you use all the ingredients before they go bad because you will account for them ahead of time. Check out this article for some simple meals that can be made with just a few ingredients that you may have in your home.

3. Check in the Back for Perishable Products

Most perishable ingredients have a date listed on the packaging to let you know when the product is no longer usable. Grocery stores always put out the earlier expiration dates in the front so they don’t end up with any spoiled food on their shelves. Dig to the back if you can to see if there are any later dates. This is particularly useful with items like milk because you can often find other cartons with much later dates. Some products are even good past their “sell by” dates. Make sure that you know when it is safe to eat something past its date.

4. Change the way you Store Food

To avoid rotten food, be mindful of the way you store things. Check the temperature of your refrigerator and freezer to make sure they are set appropriately. In the summer, make sure countertop fruits like bananas and oranges are kept away from direct sunlight so they do not get too hot. For veggies, consider buying some reusable green bags to slow the aging process. Beyond saving money, these tips are valuable for basic food safety.

5. Keep a List of your Inventory

If you have the time, make a list of everything that is perishable in your food inventory. List all of the items, then write the expiration date next to them. Keep this information on your fridge so that you can quickly and easily see what items you should consider using next.

Kiley Theiring is a film student at Chapman University who also loves to write. She writes about saving money and living frugally for CouponMountain.com and also maintains her own personal blog.