Prevent spoilage. Go straight home after grocery shopping so perishable foods can be refrigerated or kept frozen. Warm temperatures are the leading cause of food spoilage, so refrigerate or freeze all perishable foods immediately after shopping. On hot days you may want to have a large picnic cooler in your trunk in which to place frozen and cold foods until you get home. Likewise, the trunk of your car is not heated and on a cold winter day fragile produce can freeze if left in the trunk for an extended time.
Highly perishable foods such as meats and milk should be handled with care to ensure they stay cool. Fragile foods such as eggs, fresh produce, and bread should be placed so that they will not be bruised or crushed on the trip home.
Check what you bought compared to your list. How did you do? Although you worked hard to plan meals, prepare a grocery list and shop, once you leave the store there is still more important work to be done. When you get home, compare your register receipt with your food cost goal. Then check your purchases carefully and critically...
- Are they economical when compared with other choices you might have made?
- Did you buy some foods not on your list?
- Can these extras be justified as important for meeting food needs, being real bargains, or providing a worthwhile treat?
Organize your purchases. As you take items from your grocery bag, write the date on cans and packaging. Check expiration dates. Sometimes items are reduced in price shortly before their expiration date. Store the oldest items toward the front of the shelf so they are used first.
Empty grocery bags and properly store all items in the appropriate location. Account for all the items purchased. It is easy for a can of vegetables to roll out of the shopping bag and hide in the trunk or under a car seat.
Store food properly.
Meat
- Brown ground beef now and package the ground beef crumbles into 2 cup portions so they are ready for chili, spaghetti sauce or a casserole later. Save money by rinsing a higher fat content ground beef with hot water after it is browned rather than spending more on the leaner version.
- Divide large packages of meat into family meal size portions.It is safe to freeze meat or poultry directly in its supermarket wrapping but this type of wrap is permeable to air. Unless you will be using the food in a month or two, wrap these packages as you would any food for long-term storage using airtight heavy-duty foil, (freezer) plastic wrap or freezer paper, or place the package inside a (freezer) plastic bag. While raw ground meat maintains optimum quality in the freezer for 3 to 4 months, larger pieces of meat like steaks or chops will maintain optimum quality for 4 to 12 months, according to USDA/FSIS. At 0 degrees F, frozen foods remain safe indefinitely.
Tip -- The safest way to thaw meat is in the refrigerator on a plate on the bottom shelf so it doesn’t drip on other foods.
Fruits and vegetables
Carrots and celery, can be cleaned, cut into sticks and put into an airtight container so they are ready to eat. They will dry out, so clean and cut only the amount you will use in a few days.
Tips for preparing fruits and vegetables:
- For longer storage life, wait to wash until just before eating, rather than as soon as received.
- Wash by gently rubbing the produce under clean running tap water. If the skin will be eaten, like potatoes and zucchini, use a scrub brush to clean the surface.
- Wash fruits and vegetables even when the skin and rind are not eaten, such as oranges, melons, and winter squash. Raw fruits and vegetables can carry bacteria or viruses that will make you sick. The bacteria come from the soil, from people who handle the produce, or from the knives and cutting boards in your home.
Other resources