Find more in what you already have

With prices for groceries soaring, one thing is clear to everyone, affluent or not. We’ve got to stop wasting food.

The last time I bought a dozen eggs, the price was $1.29. That’s almost 11 cents per egg. The head of lettuce I purchased yesterday cost $2.89. With 22 leaves on that head, that’s 13 cents per leaf. A six-pack of English muffins cost $2.99, or nearly 50 cents per muffin.

For me, it took counting those lettuce leaves to bring home the costly waste that is not uncommon in my home. I have to admit that, until I counted these items, I was more relaxed about throwing out an outdated egg or two, the soggy remains of a lettuce head, an English muffin sporting moldy spots.

Not anymore. It is clear that it’s time to get a grip on waste by using what I have in a timely manner.

That means cleaning out my refrigerator and purging it – just once, I hope – of all items that are now out of date. It means doing the same with kitchen cabinets and the freezer, and organizing canned and frozen items with older goods in front, so they are easily chosen and used first, when they are most fresh.

It means looking at my food use habits. Realizing I often let the last English muffin go moldy, I know I need to get smart about freezing at least one from each package as soon as I bring them home.

It’s also wise to mark not only frozen items but other perishables with clear, bold dates. That includes the egg carton on which the stamped date is just not noticeable. This will remind me to hard-boil eggs before I waste them. It means looking through all food products before making a grocery list, so I don’t double up on purchases, out of ignorance of what I already have.

Knowing, though, that I often shop en route from work – sometimes without a list that was compiled at home – I’ve decided to write the contents of my refrigerator, cabinets and freezer on a small memo pad, which I can carry in my purse. It’s time-consuming to do this the first time around, but updating it is easier than feeling the pain of waste.

It’s a good idea to organize the list by storage area and category, such as “Refrigerator: Condiments,” “Freezer: Poultry,” and “Cabinets: Soups.” The list also helps to evaluate whether or not I can actually use any quantity of items that I am tempted to purchase on sale.