There’s no denying it, everything is going up, things like gas, rent, the price of
wood, and even food. We can’t help you with gas, rent or the price of lumber,
but we can give you some tips on how to reduce that ever-increasing grocery
bill.

The Tips:
a) Check The Sell-By Dates-
This confuses a lot of people, and not understanding this means we toss
about $380 dollars worth of food each year. These dates help stores know how
long to keep products and which ones to sell first. And according to researchers,
you can still use the foods after that date or after the best-buy or use-by has passed.
And if this isn’t comforting enough, just use your nose to sniff the product and see if
it’s okay or look for other signs like color changes.
Another tip: A lot of stores sell dairy, meats and canned goods (that are a
few days past their expiration dates) at reduced prices, so you may want to
buy them up, bring them home, cook them and then store in the freezer.
See freezer tip below.

b) Cook It Up First-
As mentioned in the last post, sell by or use by is confusing and if you’re
uncertain about this and still get nervous about using milk or yogurt, there’s
a way to put these fears aside.
The new solutions:
Cook the foods you feel may spoil. Pour that small amount of milk into
a bread pudding or casserole, and after cooking it, allow it to cool, and then
freeze it. Or that package of sliced ham has been in the refrigerator for
2 weeks, that’s okay, just make a stir-fry with veggies, brown rice and ham.
After cooking it, let it cool down, and freeze it for a future meal.
Heating food to at least 165 degrees should kill any potential germs
that could get you sick.

c) Download This App-
To find out how long you can keep all your foods, try the free FoodKeeper app,
which you can download to your phone or access online at FoodSafety.gov/keep-
food-safe/foodkeeper-app.

d) Fill The Freezer-
If you have a freezer you may want to start freezing foods that you can get (right now)
for a bargain. Foods like butter, milk, cheese, luncheon meats, meat can stay in the
freezer for 6 months or more. You can also put leftovers in the freezer if you’re
certain you’re not going to eat them. Have a leftover chicken or turkey or pot of soup?
Put them in the freezer. Doing this cuts food waste for dairy foods by 20% saving you
about 310 dollars and meat by 15%, saving you close to 600 dollars a year.
Just make sure your freezer is set at 0 Degrees.

e) Apples and Oranges-
A lot of the food we waste is produce. Bananas turn brown, toss into the
garbage. Apples get brown spots-toss outside for the squirrels and raccoons.
And according to researchers, Americans toss out about 725 dollars worth
of produce each year. To stop waste and save some money…
Keep refrigerated produce in the plastic bag and place a moistened paper towel
inside, then poke a few tiny holes in the bag. The bag and damp paper towel
prevent moisture loss (most refrigerated produce thrive in high humidity) and
the holes prevent condensation that can lead to mold growth.
Another tip: If those bananas or apples start to brown and get mushy,
you can peel them and place them in a plastic container or zip-loc
bag and place them in the freezer. Use them when you want to make a
smoothie or baked good. Or make a baked good add some older bananas
and then place the baked banana muffins or banana bread in the freezer.

Sources:
* Kansas State University -Food Department
* Londa Nwadike, Ph. D. Professor of Food Safety
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