Challenge - confess your waste here

belfastgirl23

Bad on vegetables (aspirational shopping) but getting a lot better. I have some v sad looking celery in the fridge I'm going to have to use for stock and some garlic that's sprouting which will go into the stock as well. And of course the clementines that are off when you open the packet. Actually now that I think of it I'm a bit proud of myself, since Christmas I've probably thrown away less than I would have thrown away in a week before!!

Can't imagine ever throwing away cheese (never lasts long enough). Fruit's pretty much always eaten as well, I like it best when it's nearly off. What never gets thrown out in your house?? My mum can't imagine ever dumping eggs, but I have trouble getting through half a dozen and have ended up baking for the freezer more than once.

rach

i also occasionally throw away the end of a pack of soft cheese. its still cheaper and i think better than buying those little mini tubs which are much more expensive and more waste plastic!

MATH

I throw almost nothing away! It has taken a few years but finely tweeking my fridge/cupboard/freezer rotation and planning meals around what I have to use up and moving to the freezer 'at risk items' and I throw zilch away (almost)
Occasionally I throw the odd piece of fruit becuase MIL descends with a huge bag of fruit for the MATHLETTS and there is far too much for them to eat in one week. As I havn't planned or bought this I don't count it as MY waste. LOL
It can be done but you have to plan,plan,plan

bargain_babe

I am getting a bit better at not wasting stuff. But I do find that if I throw anything away its usually the stuff I've bought at the reduced fridge section of the supermarket. If its so cheap I put it in the fridge and by the time I get to use it its well and truly past its best. I know I should freeze most but now I hardly buy unless I know exactly what I'm going to do with it - so less waste.

I find I throw some fruit away and I did throw two eggs away whose bb date was 4th Jan (yesterday). Would those eggs have been alright then. I am never sure, but promise I will try harder to not throw stuff away xx

ageandjo

I tend to throw away veg thats past it's best but I have only recently started making soup so hopefully I wont dispose of so much!
The odd bit of cheese that has gone rock hard tends to go into the dogs bellies!!

Bargain babe - I would have eaten the eggs, I used to work withing the egg industry and used to test no end of eggs for freshness etc so you would have been fine. Well I am still alive and kicking:D

System

Every week i buy salad stuff with my groceries and 9 times out of 10 i end up binning most of it. I've tried not buying it and you can guarantee if i dont buy it either me or the kids fancy a bit of salad as part of our sandwiches or dinner. I've also tried cutting down on the amount i buy but that hasnt worked either.

TKP_3

I used to throw loads - but I agree with MATH here - planning is what helps me. I plan the meals and only buy the fruit and veg for those meals, and what we need for a week. I look at each fridge item when I get home and decided "can 2 of us eat it in x days?" If not, 1/2 goes into the freezer.
The odd piece of fruit goes off in the fruit bowl :mad: but mostly we throw next to nothing these days.
Another one I used to throw was 1/2 cartons of cream cheese (gone mouldy by the time we had eaten 1/2 ), but now just put 1/2 in the freezer.
I did throw 1/2 a bag of rocket last week, as the bags you buy are SO big I can't get through them. Not sure if you can freeze rocket - but I plan to grow my own small pot of it this year to just use as much as I need.

Aril

I don't throw a great deal away but half a lemon went this week which I had taken the zest off for a recipe and then safely stored it in the depths of my veg drawer never to be seen again and I had to throw some cream cheese which had mould on it. I used to chuck away ends of loaves regularly but since being here I freeze them all in one bag and when I have enough I whizz them up to make crumbs for a topping [or my next plan is to try Hugh Fearlessly- Eatsitall's recipe for ginger biscuits]
Aril

Soapy955

I'm so proud of myself!!
I usually throw away bananas when their skin is black as I hate old bananas, but thanks to the encouragement from this board I actually used up the two old bananas out of my fruit bowl yesterday and made some really yummy banana and choc chip cakes.
My Husband can't stop eating them!!
So now I know that instead of wasting the last bananas in the fruit bowl I have an easy alternative for using them up! :j

I know this is a bit off topic but here's the recipe incase anyone wants it!

Cream together 6 oz of margarine with 6 oz of sugar.
Add 2 eggs and beat well.
Sieve in 10 oz self raising flour and mix in well.
Add a splash of milk to make a soft consistency.
Mash 2 old bananas until they are a very runny consistency and add them to the cake mixture. Mix well.
Add a packet of chocolate chips and mix again.
Fill paper cake cases with the mixture in a bun tin.
Cook at 200 C for about 20 minutes.

YUMMY!!

Hope you don't mind me putting this on this thread but like I said, I'm proud of myself!!

Shortie

Oh my... I'm not usually this bad but today I threw awat a HUGE bowl of veg soup from the fridge (2nd time I've made the stuff and 2bd time I've thrown it before eating any... I think I'll give up on making soup for now).

Then there was the spare prtion of homemade berry fruits crubmle and custard.

Oh, and I discovered 6-8 pears and a couple of satusmas under a pile of odd socks that are definately past their best... eugh!

Confession over ...... for now ....