We can already see that food prices are constantly hiking. Even prices for fast food has increased while the portions has grown smaller. Produce prices has increased as well as packaged foods. Because fresh produce is expensive and prepackaged foods are cheaper, families are opting to get that, therefore, obesity cases have risen. We don’t have to let food prices prevent us from eating healthy and saving a few extra bucks. So we ask ourselves “How to Save Money On Food and Make Food Last”?
Make sure you check out sites for markets you shop at as they always have weekly deals or coupon. Sprouts and Trader Joe’s advertise their weekly deals and offer coupons on their site. Fresh & Easy offers coupons when you sign up for their ”Friend’s Reward” program. Even Ralph’s and Target has coupons available on their sites. Go to the market on Wednesday or the weekends since there are usually sales on produce. The produce won’t be as fresh but there are ways to help them last longer. When you want to buy prepared foods at the Korean market, go towards the end of the day as prices has dropped by 50%.
When eating out, try to bring home left overs as they can make good next day meals.
Here are ways to at least help make your food last:
Bread: When the weather gets hot, don’t leave the bread out as that can cause the bread to retain too much moisture creating mold. Refrigerate them thought it will cause them to dry out. If its almost due for expiration date, you can freeze it. You can thaw out the bread the day before or that same day. Just pop them in the toaster and they’re ready to eat.
What to know some interesting facts about packaged bread? Bakeries often use a color coding system where each color describes which day the bread was packaged.
Monday = blue
Tuesday = Green
Thursday = Red
Friday = White
Saturday = Yellow
Bananas: My family love banana and know how beneficial it is to our diet. So we usually end up buying 3 or 4 bunches of bananas which are still green. But they always ripen within a few days and next thing you know, they’re too brown to eat. They usually last about 2 to 7 days. Brown bananas can be used to make banana bread or even frozen. You can toss them in the refrigerator which will help them last 2-9 days. Frozen bananas make a perfect summer treat. They will last in the freezer for about 2- 3 months.
Avocados: We usually get avocados when they’re in season because they’re much cheaper so we end up buying so much, and by the time we try to use it all, it’s rotten. Other off seasons is not a problem because we only buy 3 at a time since it’s usually 3 for a dollar.
So how can we make avocados last? Will they typically last about 3-4 days ripe and 7-10 days in the fridge. It’s best to put them in the fridge to help make them last longer. Better start making guacamole right away! That will last about 1-2 days.
Oranges: Oranges are high in vitamin C and is a nutritious snack. They are one of the most best shelf life fruits. They can last up to 2-3 weeks on the counter and a whopping 1-2 months in the refrigerator!
Strawberries: Like I’ve mentioned many times I love strawberries. They will not last when I’m around but wouldn’t it be nice to have them last longer? They last on the counter for 1-2 days which I would never do. I’ll refrigerate them since they’ll last 5-7 days. You can also put them in a freezer top bag and freeze them which will last them for about 6-8 months.
Tomatoes: They typically last about a week on the counter and about 2 weeks in the refrigerator. Different types of tomatoes can last longer such as cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, and plum tomatoes.
Watermelon: They will typically last 7 to 10 days on the counter and 2-3 weeks in the refrigerator. I like to cup them up into cubes and store in an air tight tuper wear. Then I put it in a freezer and it makes a great summer treat. They will last a long time. I doubt it gets bad because i never have a problem finishing frozen watermelon.
Asparagus: They last to about 5-7 days.They can be frozen to 6-8 months.
Broccoli: They last about 7-14 days. When broccoli gets old, they change from green to a light green and yellow. It will also turn limp and it’s important to practice food safety hygiene as you can get food borne illnesses.
Carrots: Carrots lasts about 4-5 weeks and baby carrots about 3-4 weeks. That’s because the skin isn’t on the carrots.
Cheese: Soft cheese has a shorter shelf life compared to hard cheeses. Since bacteria likes to grow more rapidly in moist environment, soft cheese will mold quicker. There’s an option to freeze soft cheese which will last you about 6 months when stored properly. It should be stored in a freezer safe container.
Eggs: They last to about 3-4 weeks. When you check the egg carton, the expiration date should be located on the side of the container. If you know the eggs are about to expire, you can boil them, which will last you for an additional week.
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