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How to Organize Your Kitchen to Reduce Food Waste @ AVirtuousWoman.org

How to Organize Your Kitchen to Reduce Food Waste

This post may contain affiliate links. You can read my disclosure policy here.

Food waste can be a black hole in our budgets. Things get forgotten or lost in the back of the fridge and we never see them in edible condition again. Today we are going to talk about how to organize your kitchen to reduce food waste.

How to Organize Your Kitchen to Reduce Food Waste @ AVirtuousWoman.org

I used to really struggle to use up food in our house before it spoiled. But I’ve gotten a lot better about it over the last few years. There are a number of things you can do to help you reduce food waste and I’m excited to share them with you today.

How to Organize Your Kitchen to Reduce Food Waste

Mark expiration dates with a marker. Expiration dates on the packaging are small and easily overlooked. By marking dates large across packaging you can look into the fridge and see which pack of cheese or whatever is going to go bad first and use that.

In the pantry things often get tossed around so the protection of easy to read expiration dates helps your family watch what they are grabbing. Those bold markings are a great reminder to check.

I keep a sharpie in my kitchen drawer along with our food storage bags, plastic wrap, Bee’s Wrap, and aluminum foil. The sharpie is great for marking freezer bags, expiration dates, etc.

How to Reduce Food Waste @ AVirtuousWoman.org

Keep produce visible. Often when we come home from the supermarket we toss produce into the crisper drawers. This is where fruits and vegetables go to die. Out of sight, out of mind really applies here. You can now get storage containers just for keeping produce fresh and visible. Replace crisper drawers with these storage containers keeping produce visible at all times.

I like to go ahead and prep fruits and veggies when I purchase them so they are ready to use. I’ll wash grapes and store individual servings in half pint jars with plastic lids. I’ll also cut up celery and carrots and store in pint size jars ready to grab for snacks later.

Meal Prep @ AVirtuousWoman.org

Prepping produce ahead of time makes it easier to use when you are in a hurry so that you are less likely to let it go to waste.

related: Meal Prep 101 for Beginners 

Rotate food going into your pantry when you get home. This will keep your freshest pantry goods in the back and the older stuff up front ready to be used. If your family is known for tearing your pantry apart when choosing things from the pantry, regularly straighten it up when you stock. For cans, you can find great rotating shelf units if your pantry space is large enough.

Also, marking cans with expiration dates that you can clearly see really helps if you have a lot of food in your pantry.

Replace containers you can not see through with transparent versions. Keeping food visible at all times is key to keeping it from becoming forgotten about until you clean and discover that canister you filled with flour last year in the back of the pantry that you thought was something else.

How to Organize Your Kitchen to Reduce Food Waste @ AVirtuousWoman.org

Freezer cooking & meal prep is a great way to get organized and reduce kitchen waste. When you get home from the supermarket grab some tea, put on some music, and start doing the prep work for your meals. Wash, chop, even season meats and veggies for slow cooker / crock pot and Instant Pot meals into gallon size freezer bags.

This will ensure food stays fresh and gets used rather than lost in the fridge or forgotten. You save a lot of money as well when your meals are organized and ready to cook.

Recently I’ve been making recipes ahead and freezing them for quick weeknight meals. It’s also a great way to make sure that food isn’t wasted! In January I made Twice Baked Brocoli Cheese Potatoes and Homemade Frozen Hash Browns. So easy and it was a great way to use up that huge bag of potoates!

Once a Month Meals has so many great recipes like the Twice Baked Broccoli Cheese Potatoes recipe I used – and their service makes freezer cooking so easy!

Some of their most popular menus right now are:

  • 101 Winter Freezer Meals
  • 2-n-1 Winter Instant Pot or Slow Cooker Menus
  • 101 Traditional Freezer Meals

Clean out the fridge regularly to prevent food waste. As items start to get older use them up for that night’s dinner or place them out for snacks for the children. Grab those leftovers and use them to create a fun feast of leftovers where everyone chooses what they want or pack for lunches before they have a chance to become science experiments in the back of the fridge.

Kitchen organization helps you reduce food waste, feed your family easier, and get the most out of your budget. It just takes a little time and a few handy tools like Clear food storage, a  marker, and a dry erase marker to label foods.


Free Printable List of Foods You Can Freeze

Foods You can Freeze to Save You Money @ AVirtuousWoman.org

How to Download

This list of foods you can freeze to save you money is also available in a free printable you can download! Just fill out the form below and you’ll receive the list in your email box.

FOODS YOU CAN FREEZE

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About Melissa Ringstaff

My name is Melissa Ringstaff and I've been blogging here at A Virtuous Woman since 2001. I'm a pastor's wife and homeschooling mom living in the beautiful Appalachian Mountains of Southeastern KY. I believe in finding freedom from perfection and living life with purpose and I want to help you do exactly that.

I'm so glad you've stopped by to visit with me. I hope we can be friends!

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Glavonne

    January 8, 2018 at 6:05 pm

    Thank you. I was just cleaning the frog. Good ideas'
    Reply
  2. Kathryn Hutton

    February 5, 2019 at 11:15 am

    Each night I put the leftover veggies, meat, gravy in a big glass bowl with a lid. Then when the bowl is full i use it to make soup. Once a month or so we have a large super good soup made from left overs.
    Reply
    • Melissa Ringstaff

      February 5, 2019 at 1:32 pm

      What a great idea! Thanks for sharing, Kathryn!
      Reply
  3. Ashley

    February 6, 2019 at 6:28 am

    Our left over food goes out to the chickens who then turns it into more food in the form of eggs and meat later on. A great recycle and reuse way of life.
    Reply

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purposenotperfection

Freedom from perfection. 🪁
Live with purpose. ✝️
Proverbs 31 for modern women. 👱‍♀️
Wife + Mama + Homemaker + Kentucky
Life: @melissa.ringstaff

Melissa Ringstaff
Not gonna lie. 2020 was a hard year. And not just Not gonna lie. 2020 was a hard year. And not just because there was a pandemic. Our family has faced many trying times in the past but 2020 gave us some doozies.  I’m looking forward to a new year. The beginning of the new year always feels like a fresh start to me. It feels like HOPE.  But the truth is, whatever heartaches and hardships you and I were facing on Dec. 31 will most likely still be there on Jan. 1.  That’s why it’s hard to keep New Years resolutions. It’s easy to feel motivated for a few days or a couple weeks until we realize life hasn’t really changed and things are still hard.  But if we want to see real change it takes hard work and real effort. It takes showing up every day - even when it’s hard.  Whether that means working on your fractured relationships or setting healthy boundaries or cultivating self disciple... whatever that hard thing is that you need to work on ... it will only get better if you work on it.  We aren’t promised an easy life. But we are promised an “Ever Present Help in times of trouble.” Psalm 46:1  *
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#faithblogger #faithfulness #faithandfamily #bibleverseaday #christianbloggers #dailyverses #christianlife #jesuscalling #shereadstruth#proverbs31women #proverbs31life #10virtues #daughteroftheking #jesuslovesme #womenoffaith #faithquotes #proverbs31
We’re coming into the new year with all the same We’re coming into the new year with all the same problems we had in the last year. And that’s okay! Life doesn’t have to be perfect to still be amazing. Perfectionism is a joy stealer. Let’s determine to enjoy life right now in all its messiness.  I believe you can find freedom from perfection and the confidence to live your life with purpose. #purposenotperfection  #christian #Jesus #love #quotes #quoteslife #quotestoliveby #godisgood #votd #lifequotes #inspirationalquotes #life #motivationalquotes #inspiration #bible #bb #bestoftheday #happiness #wordofgod
🏠 Being a homemaker is such an important role. 🏠 Being a homemaker is such an important role. It’s a ministry to your family and all who enter your home.  But I want you to know: You don’t have to be perfect. ❤️  There’s a fine line between teaching your children to be neat and insisting on perfection. No one can meet that kind of standard and it can be detrimental to the emotional health of your family.  What we want for our homes is to provide a space that is neat and clean enough that your family and friends feel comfortable and well loved.  There is freedom in accepting the fact that you’re not perfect. Not to make excuses for slovenliness - but to give yourself grace.  It’s when we recognize our weakness that we find ourselves reaching out to Jesus to receive the power that comes only from him. As homemakers, when we can find grace for the moment when we accept His Gift.  “But now for a brief moment grace has been shown from the LORD our God, to leave us an escaped remnant and to give us a peg in His holy place, that our God may enlighten our eyes and grant us a little reviving in our bondage. Ezra 9:8  Let His Grace wash over you, cleanse your weary heart. Homemaking isn’t about creating a perfect space. It’s about creating a home where loved ones feel cared for and nurtured. 
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#proverbs31 #proverbs31woman #purpose31 #10virtues #homemaking #homemakingministries #happyhomemaking #homemaking101 #cleanhome #cleanheart #fromchaostocalm #housekeeping #cleaningroutine #inspiredhome #makingahome #lovewhereyoudwell #homemaker #homebody #biblicalHomemaking #wearethehomemakers
❤️Your attitude about homemaking matters.⠀
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A homemaker by definition is someone who manages and makes a home. 🏠⠀
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But, anyone can clean and organize a home. ⠀
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☑️ Homemaking is about more than checking off the items on your to do list.⠀
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Learning how to be a homemaker means you learn how to make your home feel like haven of peace and love. You seek out ways to make your home feel inviting. You work at it.⠀
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There is no easy button for homemaking. There are easier, more efficient ways to do chores, but the chores still have to be done. If you live in a house, you will create the need for the house to be tidied every day and cleaned on a regular basis.⠀
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Having the right attitude about homemaking is the first step in learning how to be a homemaker.⠀
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The good news is, even if you’ve been struggling with your homemaking, you can always go to God and ask Him for help. ⠀
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He sees the unseen work of your hands. And He loves you very, very much. He wants to help you succeed. ⠀
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#proverbs31 #proverbs31woman #purpose31 #10virtues #homemaking #homemakingministries #happyhomemaking #homemaking101 #cleanhome #cleanheart #fromchaostocalm #housekeeping #cleaningroutine #inspiredhome #makingahome #lovewhereyoudwell #homemaker #homebody #biblicalHomemaking  #youngwife #housewife
🙏 If you’ve found it difficult to have a regu 🙏 If you’ve found it difficult to have a regular time with Jesus every day, you’re not alone. Lots of busy Christian women struggle to find time for a daily prayer and devotion time. ⠀
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But I still want to encourage you to start your day with God! ⠀
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⏰ If it’s hard to spend 30 minutes in the morning for a quiet time, I want you to remember you can still begin your day with God – even if that means saying a short prayer before your feet hit the floor in the morning.⠀
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✝️ I also want to encourage you to memorize this verse:⠀
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“Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you.⠀
Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life.” Psalm 143:8 📖⠀
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In the morning you can recite this verse and say a prayer. It doesn’t have to take a long time. Although – if you do have time – you will be greatly blessed by spending more time in prayer and devotion.⠀
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📌 Free Printable Morning Prayer Prompts on the blog today: https://avirtuouswoman.org/morning-prayer-prompts/  #linkinbio ⠀
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#faithblogger #faithfulness #faithandfamily #bibleverseaday #christianbloggers #dailyverses #christianlife #jesuscalling #shereadstruth #Christ #Church #Christian #Jesus #Jesuslover #JesusChrist #JesusisLord #CreatorGod #Devotional #verseoftheday #Love #Faith #biblestudy #God #dailydevotional
🏠 As a homemaker, one of my goals is to be inte 🏠 As a homemaker, one of my goals is to be intentional with how I plan our days. I love any opportunity to create a good memories at home for my family and guests. ⠀⠀
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📌 If you're looking to make this holiday season really special, you need to be intentional. Goodness knows 2020 has had a lot of ups and downs. And maybe you feel like it's been mostly downs. ⠀⠀
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🎄 But the holiday season is a chance to focus on celebrating the life we have right now. Things don't need to be perfect for us to celebrate life right now!!⠀⠀
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☑️ Inside the pages of my Purpose 31 holiday planner, you'll find 8 weeks of planning and cleaning all laid out for you. Recipe pages, journaling pages, and more - 120 pages total. ⠀⠀
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✏️ The Purpose 31 Holiday Planner is by far one of the most popular resource I produce each year. ⠀⠀
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Thousands of women have downloaded it over the last four years I've offered it.⠀⠀
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So, even though it's early still, you can go ahead and downlaod it. Print it out and then set it up so you're ready to go.⠀⠀
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I usually take my holiday planner down to Office Depot and have them spiral bind it with a plastic cover for about $5.00. This year, though, I just bought a new 3 ring binder at Walmart, printed off extra cover pages to slip in the clear sleeve, and created a binder with it. ⠀⠀
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📌📌📌 If you use the planner this year, be sure to share and tag me in your photos! ❤️⠀  Download: https://avirtuouswoman.org/holiday-planner/ #linkinbio
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#proverbs31 #proverbs31woman #purpose31 #10virtues #homemaking #homemakingministries #happyhomemaking #homemaking101 #cleanhome #cleanheart #fromchaostocalm #housekeeping #cleaningroutine #inspiredhome #makingahome #lovewhereyoudwell #homemaker #homebody #biblicalHomemaking #christmas #holidayplanning #planningaddict #plannercommunity #freeprintables #thanksgiving #christmastree  #plannerobsessed
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