The Worse Mistakes People Make with Food

There are a number of common food mistakes that costs
dearly in money, health, and time. What are the major
mistakes made? What changes do you need to make? Here are
some food mistakes to avoid.

1. Last minute meal planning or no planning at all. The
results: not knowing what ingredients to have and/or not
having the right ingredients.

2. Bad planning for shopping; not knowing what's on sale,
what's in season, what you are out of, etc. Result? One
buys what isn't needed and spends too much on what is needed.

3. Convenience spending/cooking. Examples are; TV dinners,
chicken already cut up, items in ready-to-use/serving
sizes, etc.. This buying habit costs lots of money. Whole
chicken at 49 cents a pound is much less than skinned
breast at $3.89 a pound.

4. Unplanned trips for missing ingredients. Buying an
item at the last minute means paying full price and buying
other items not needed just because you are there.

5. Buying "wants" not "needs". This habit causes
incomplete meals or snacks as meals. Also, it results in
not having healthy food for meals.

6. Improper storage equals wasted food. A good habit to
get into is to properly store food the moment you get home.
Make it a family event. I call it "divide and conquer".
Each family member can place items in their proper place
even if they can't cut the chicken for freezing, or fix the
carrots, celery, or whatever for serving sizes to be stored
in the frig.

7. Trying too hard can result in giving up. Changing the
way you cook or buy can be exciting and frustrating,
especially if one attempts to do too much at one time. If
you want to try stir frying, don't try to do pressure
cooking at the same time. Frustration causes some to quit.

8. Surprise! Company's here! Unexpected company can put
the budget in a sling. What recipes can be fixed ahead of
time and cooked at the last moment? What foods feed a crowd
that can be stored year around?

9. Bad diet/bad eating habits. For whatever reason people
often just fall into bad eating habits. Unhealthy foods
costs more. Eating too much of certain foods costs more.

One way to spend less and feel better is to take a good
look at your buying habits. Decide what needs changed
first. Prioritize. Even if you are good at sticking to
plans everyone is in the habit of doing things certain
ways. As you become hurried or stressed you may fall back
into old habits. Precautions avoid unnecessary spending in
food buying and preparation.

Spending less money on food and eating better is possible
for almost everyone. Few are doing all they can. But don't
get all caught up with insignificant details. Life is too
short. Decide what will work for you, and don't stress
about it. You need to reserve energy for more important
things. Avoiding common mistakes can save time, food and
money.

Author info: Check out http://www.grocerystoresavings.com
for more information on saving money on food. L. C.
Peterson is a writer, and web marketing consultant with
over 400 manuscripts published. The author's web site is at
http://www.lcpeterson.com.

Related articles