Stretch Out Your Shopping Trips

If you want to save money and stretch out your shopping trips by going to the grocery store less often, you need to learn how to store fruits and vegetables in mason jars. I just went grocery shopping and haven’t been to the grocery store in over a month! Here are some ways that I prepare to grocery shop and different methods to store my produce and make it last for weeks!

Storing Fresh Produce

Blueberries are something I bought this trip and they can stay fresh for 6-8 weeks. These are stored in glass jars or flat glass containers in my fridge after they have been washed using the specific washing instructions from my eBook. A paper towel can be put in the bottom of the jar or container for any condensation from excess water. We enjoy these in our oatmeal for breakfast so I like having them on hand.

For leafy greens, I picked up some romaine lettuce that will last for three weeks when kept in an airtight container. It needs to be washed using my instructions. Drying it with a salad spinner helps to speed up the drying process. I use these  glass containers that fit whole romaine lettuce leaves perfectly, or you can put cut lettuce in glass jars. You can follow the same methods for most salad greens.

I have spinach in the freezer and it can be kept there in a resealable bag and will last for weeks.

While you are at the store, make sure that you look at your produce and inspect it. This is a great way to save yourself the headache of getting home with bad food. You do not want to buy it already moldy. Even if you get items that are not moldy, the mold spores are on the other produce items so this is why it is so important to still wash it with a water/vinegar bath when you get home. Even if you aren’t going to eat the outside, such as citrus fruit, this should be your first step to make your items last the longest time possible.

A best practice in my home is eating a rainbow to get all of your nutrients with fresh fruit and vegetables. I have taught this to my children since they were little so we always try to have different types of fresh fruit and fresh greens at home. It might take a couple of hours to get everything organized, cleaned, dry, and prepped. But it is worth it for fresh produce to last for weeks instead of only a couple of days. When doing this you buy back your time and stretch out your shopping trips.

When I am shopping, I bring my mesh bags for produce to reduce waste. This trip I bought about ten pounds of yellow onions. These will last in the pantry or other dry place where they are at room temperature and out of direct sunlight. Onions are a staple in so many recipes so they are easy to buy in bulk and we keep them with other dry goods in a cool dark place. Having a food storage location is a good idea because buying in bulk will save you money as you take less trips to the grocery store.

How to Change Your Habits

If you are looking for the best way to start making changes with your products, consider getting my eBook, I Bought It, Now What?. This outlines all of the washing instructions for over 50 produce items so you will have all of the directions at your fingertips. You will no longer be throwing away fresh produce or running to the grocery store because you ran out. You will be able to buy in bulk and keep your fresh foods in glass mason jars for weeks. How good will it feel to have no more food waste, a longer shelf life for your fresh produce, and less shopping trips to the grocery store?

Planning Your Shopping Trips

When you are planning your shopping trips to the grocery store, one of the first things I do is look at what I keep pushing to the back of the pantry or what is sitting in the bottom of the freezer.

Once I identify those items, I look up recipes so that the next time I go to the grocery store I can use up these items in my pantry and refrigerator. By rotating the food that you have, you will ensure that you do not have any food waste.

Also, when you have items stored in your freezer, you are less susceptible to rising grocery costs. If you buy extra items when they are on sale and store them properly, you can wait for another sale to purchase them again and save even more money in your grocery budget.

This week, peppers were on sale so I had to buy them. I will slice or dice them and put them into the freezer for recipes in upcoming weeks. Then if they are back up in price next month, I don’t have to buy them and can use the cheaper ones that are stored in my freezer.

I can also plan meals based on what is on sale. If I make Mexican Quinoa, we can have dinner one night and then I can put extras in the freezer for another evening when I don’t feel like cooking an entire meal.

If you are feeling overwhelmed by how to build a pantry, take inventory, or how long items can be kept on hand, my course, The Grocery Solution, can help. The first module takes you all through taking inventory of your pantry so that you know what you have and can start to build a pantry.

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