This Simple Fridge Mistake Is Probably Causing You To Waste Food

There's few things worse, especially for a frugal foodie, than opening the produce drawer or a tupperware at the back of the fridge to find food that's gone moldy, slimy, or dried up. If the staggering stat that nearly half of all food in the United States ends up in a landfill isn't enough to motivate you to cut down on waste, current prices at the grocery store probably are. After all, no one wants to shell out their hard earned coin on groceries, just to end up tossing them — but it happens, frequently, despite our best intentions. 

One simple daily step can be the game changer — and that's giving the contents of your fridge a quick scan, every single day, to catch foods on the brink of turning. Look for foods like produce, milk, that half can of coconut milk, or that leftover soup and either use up or freeze anything that's clearly on borrowed time, before it's too late. 

Keep an eye out for signs like nearing expiration dates or early signs of decay like a few soggy spinach leaves — but never try to freeze food that's clearly already turned. Anything moldy, sour smelling, or slimy is probably too far gone to save — and you're always better safe than sorry. Consider habit-stacking this fridge scan onto another daily task — give your foods a once-over as part of your nightly kitchen cleanup or while your coffee brews.

Especially with blink-and-they're-spoiled perishables like avocados, fresh greens, or homemade sauces that spoil quicker due to a lack of preservatives, a daily scan is the only way to catch foods on the brink before it's too late. Of course, everything has its own shelf life and storage rules, but in general, almost all fresh produce as well as browning bananas, that days-old lasagna, soups, and many meats can be frozen with a bit of prep. Bagged spinach going soggy? Transfer it to freezer-safe airtight bags and use in smoothies. Berries showing signs of spoilage? Pounce on it before it's too late and freeze for later use. Liquids, especially ones stuffed in the back of the fridge in opaque containers, all too often get trashed before they're used, but if you catch them during your daily scan you can freeze that leftover chicken broth or some types of milk. 

Just remember to follow best practices for freezing food, including habits like labeling before stashing in the freezer to keep track of food's age and hacks to optimize storage space by flattening sauces and leftovers, rather than using bulky plastic storage containers. This quick perusal should dramatically reduce the amount you end of tossing, making the daily scan well worth the effort in terms of both the food and money you'll save.