I was throwing out my garbage last night, when I thought about the huge amounts of wasted food that end up in the dumpster each year and how it could help someone’s personal finance. This is especially the case around holidays such as the Independence Day that just past since there are so many family get-togethers during these times.

I did a quick search online, and found a BBC UK article that states:

A third of food grown for human consumption in the UK ends up in the rubbish bin, according to a survey.
Food industry and government statistics show that each adult wastes £420 of food a year.

As a Canadian living in United States with an Asian ethnic background, I feel qualified to say that the same thing happens everywhere. I’m certain that most developed countries share a similar story so don’t start hating the British people. If you think about putting that £420 (approximately $900 USD) in your retirement account and letting it grow, we will be rich in no time! (Note – you can check out how much it will be worth in your retirement years with the compound interest calculator here)

Reflecting upon myself, I think the times I waste food the most is not because I don’t pack the left over food. It is the fact that I end up having to throw some of the leftovers away because there is so much of it sometimes. I don’t have time to finish all of it before they turn bad so it ends up in the garbage can! This happens even with the food that I get from my family during the get-togethers at their house so I really need to stop this from happening.

I believe I should make an effort to be efficient with my food preparation. Before we cook (especially when there is a big dinner), I will start thinking about the amount of food that people eat, and plan accordingly. I should stop having the “I can always eat the leftovers” attitude because sometimes there is just too much.

In the cases where I am at someone’s house, I need to say no when they offer me too much food to take home. I also have to let my fiancée know the importance of this since in the end we should send the same message to our family members and friends.

Not only is this going to help us waste less food, it is going to help our budget for obvious reasons. I shall be more frugal and you should too. So share with us how you waste food and we will try to help you eliminate this habit!