Waste Not Wednesday: Labeling Food in the Fridge

Even with our limited food budget I still fight wasting food. I've tried a few methods I've read about. Some have worked .. for instance, wrapping celery in tinfoil so it will last longer. It really does.

But, I still end up throwing away food that gets lost in the fridge. Not too smart when you realize it's no different than taking my dollar bills and actually throwing them into the garbage.

I've looked over different suggestions to help in the fight against wasting food but haven't been able to find one that 'fits'. The more I thought about it I decided to try mother's method of labeling food to see how it would work. 

I've started keeping a roll of masking tape and a permanent marker in my tinfoil drawer.  Since I don't have many containers that are see-through I've found that marking a saucer on a bowl or a reused cottage cheese container with the food item name and the date helps give me a visual of what is in the bowl and how long it will be edible.How many times do you 'think' you know when you cooked an item but you're not really sure?

In the picture to the left I marked the jar with homemade mayonnaise. The date is important even if I THINK I'll remember..  because most the time I won't.


Labeling works great for the freezer, too. So many times in the past I've put an unmarked item into the freezer and by the time I've pulled it out I don't recognize what it is. A name and date on the frozen product has eliminated the question and loss of food.

The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season. Psalm 145:15

Do you have a method that helps you not waste food?