Prices are continually going up and looking on ways to save even a little bit, helps overall. Did you know, most Americans end up discarding 32% of their food before it can be eaten?!

Saving Money and Making Money will give you five more ideas on how to stop throwing your food away, which is throwing your money away, and put that money back into your pocket!

1.    Utilize Your Freezer

Did you make a big batch of chili or soup and by the end of the week you and your family are so sick of it, you end up throwing the rest away? Why? When you make that big pot of chili, take half of the chili, and put it in a freezer container (label it with what it is and the date) and put in the freezer. This will work for you twofold:  one, you and your family will not get tired of eating the same old thing and two, when you are running late one night and not sure what to have for dinner, take out the chili and defrost! It is a win/win situation!

If your freezer is set at 0 degrees Fahrenheit, foods that you freeze, should be just as good to eat in three months to a year.

Milk, butter, and eggs freeze great too! Think of the money that you will be saving, by not throwing food away.

2.    Ignore Sell-By Dates

Sell-by dates are used to help stores know how long to keep products and what to sell first. According to the Food and Drug Administration, 20% of food is thrown in the trash because of confusion over sell-by and use-by dates. A professor of food safety from the University of Missouri says “that you can often consume food after the sell-by or use-by date. Use your nose to detect an odor and/or look for visual changes in how the food looks can help you determine if it is not usable anymore.”  Great to know!

3.    Wrap Produce the Correct Way

Fruits and vegetables seem to go rotten before we can get the chance to eat them. To keep them fresh for up to an additional five days, keep refrigerated produce in the plastic bags in which they were sold. Just add a paper towel to the bag and poke a couple of holes in the bag. This will help prevent moisture loss (most refrigerated produce thrive in high humidity) and the holes prevent condensation that can lead to mold.

Make sure that you refrigerate produce that is supposed to be refrigerated. You would be surprised by how many people do not realize that apples, oranges, bananas, potatoes, and tomatoes should not be refrigerated.

4.    Cook Cold Foods

Did you know that researchers found out that most of us throw out 11% of our refrigerated foods because we think that they are close to spoiling? You can extend the life of milk, meat, and other perishable items simply by cooking it!

Fry up ham slices or lunchmeat or add milk to a cooked pudding recipe. If the item still smells fine and looks normal, heating it to at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit, should kill any germs that could get you sick.

5.    When in Doubt, Throw it Out

Not sure how long you can keep certain food? Try the free FoodKeeper app. Download to your mobile phone OR you can access online at FoodSafety.cov/keep-food-save/foodkeeper- app

The five tips mentioned above are just a start to help you save money by not throwing out perfectly decent food. Stay tuned for more ways to help keep your food fresher longer.

As my husband always says, Saving Money Is Making Money!