Average Americans toss $71.55 in food each month. How do you stack up?

[eileen1]

How do you stack up??? Try tracking how much you toss in the garbage for one week.

According to the 2009 Department of Labor's consumer expenditures reports, the average American spends $6133 on food each year. And according to several reports, the average American wastes 14 percent of their food purchases.

Broken down, this means the average American is tossing $858.62 each year. That's $71.55 per month. If that same amount was invested at 6.5% from age 20 to 65, that's $230,000 being tossed in the trash.

Tracking what I toss for a week is a consciousness raising excercise sparked by the fact I tossed almost $5 worth of moldy cherries and $3 worth of strawberries this morning - truly cash down the drain.

Hopefully after tracking this a week, I'll be a reformed woman. If you want to be really exact, be sure to include the half drunk glasses of milk the kids leave around or half eaten sandwiches you toss. Want to join me in this? Dates: Saturday, Aug. 15 to Saturday, Aug. 22.

Add a moldy, small squash 50 cents, 1/2 tomato 25 cents, 1/4 container of guac 75 cents.

[cicy33]

I know how you feel. I am trying to fix less for dinner these days because the leftovers just seem to get wasted. My family is hearing more griping from me lately too when I find something left out or crackers left open. groceries are expensive!

[kork13]

Well, 14% of my food costs would be about $21, and while it could be possible without me realizing it, I'd say highly unlikely... The only food I occasionally find myself throwing out is fruit (bananas, sometimes an apple) that I let become over-ripe before I could eat it. Otherwise, I think I'm pretty good about not throwing away food, even if just a small-ish portion of leftovers. However, given that I'm nearly incapable of cooking for just one person (I normally make 2-4 servings at a time), I subsist largely on leftovers anyway...

[Radiance]

I hardly ever waste anything away since I am budgeting
I think it helps that I hunt for leftovers before I buy anything else.
Most times I go to the grocery store and my fridge is virtually empty!
As per fruit, I am always running out, my baby and I eat plenty of them, at least 2-3 servings per day each.
I also freeze when I buy doubles to take advantage of buy 1 get 2 offers.

I used to throw a lot away before I was on a budget...

[LivingAlmostLarge]

Not much. My DH is fanatical. No buying unless we're out! Of course that may change with the baby coming. He "might" be willing to stockpile food instead of having a bare fridge, pantry, and freezer.

[Lori63]

I have three teenage boys-nothing is ever wasted. They pretty much eat EVERYTHING that is edible.

[arthurb999]

I've cut down that number a lot in my family by shopping every week and only buying what we use in a week...

[MonkeyMama]

I would say we don't throw out much of anything - but it would be interesting to keep track of.

BTW, I always found it ironic how mother's eat their kids food. Don't get me wrong - I think my spouse does that a lot. But I find most the time the kids are eating off my plate. You can't eat anything in front of them without having to share.

For the moments the kids don't eat their meals - we put them in the fridge for later (sandwhiches, leftovers, etc.). That sure is a rare moment though.

Oh yeah - bananas are a tough one. We often forget we have them - they turn brown so fast, etc. I now chop them up and freeze them for smoothies - once they get too mushy for our taste. That's my new trick to cut down banana waste.

Any food we end up not wanting or being able to finish (parties, etc.) I always take to work where everything is devoured. That's my other trick.

[feh]

We're pretty good about this in our house. We almost always eat leftovers, and I'm teaching my son to eat any food he puts on his plate.

[Caoineag]

Unfortunately in a family of 2, I often buy things knowing I will end up wasting a portion but it would cost more to get less (literally). Other times, I just don't get to things fast enough. Fortunately, since we compost, if things start going bad, I can put the food items there.

[Ima saver]

We don't drink milk, so it usually get tossed out when it goes out of date. I try and buy the smallest bottle possible for things like pancakes, etc.
We also tend to throw out bread because it is hard for 2 people to eat a whole loaf. We do usually eat any leftovers.

[shultice24]

My bad habit has always been milk left over after eating a bowl of cereal- for some reason I absolutely hate drinking it out of the bowl (unless it's Cocoa Puffs!). I'd often just dump it in the sink.

Now that I'm at college and am buying my own food, I'm much more aware of any wasteful little habits. I still don't drink milk out of the bowl, but I pour less and have almost none left by the time the cereal is gone.

I probably owe my mom about 50 gallons of milk though.

[Justice44]

RE: Waste

Broken down, this means the average American is tossing $858.62 each year. That's $71.55 per month. If that same amount was invested at 6.5% from age 20 to 65, that's $230,000 being tossed in the trash.

That's a good point. Perhaps we should be more committed to lowering how much we waste.

[Radiance]

Hello,

Maybe you can freeze milk in ice cube trays and use as needed.
Bread freezes well too, you could freeze half a loaf and keep the rest in the fridge.

I have not done it, but I guess for some items that are bought in larger quantities than needed, a portion could be donated?

[zakity]

I have three teenage boys-nothing is ever wasted. They pretty much eat EVERYTHING that is edible.

I am not quite there, but close. Things rarely go to waste. Leftovers are eaten for lunch or are frozen for later.

I have a small portion of leftover noodles and small portion of leftover gravy with ham in it that no one ate that went into the freezer for a lunch for someone. I have a small white board on the fridge where I write things like that. It also helps to keep them from standing in the fridge or freezer looking for something to eat. It is posted right there on the door, no need to open it.