> wrote in message
...
Chances are many (most?) of you are more disciplined than I am and don't
really need this trick, I admit.

Since I can be lazy about finishing leftovers, I have a spoilage problem,
especially when I'm just not in the mood to eat the same things two or three
days in a row. (There's also a freezer burn problem.) This is despite the
fact that I know how to keep my grocery bill under $100 a month, including
dessert and occasional takeout.

I also need to de-clutter my place, so I hit on something. Namely, for the
last 7 months, I've been selling off stuff and buying groceries with the
cash I get. I decided that I would not buy ANY food unless I had the cash
for it, without visiting an ATM (I ALWAYS use cash for groceries). This just
might lower my grocery bill even further and solve the spoilage problem. (I
might even de-clutter at a faster rate because of this - my relatives will
be thrilled if that happens!)

---

I almost always use cash for groceries. Although I still have a stockpile of
non-perishables, it's much smaller than it used to be. I am totally in
charge of the money now. So no fears that there will be nothing left to buy
food. I know how to budget. I do still stock up when I find good sales.
Mainly on beans and rice as that is the bulk of our diet now.

I try to be more flexible with meals, basing them on whatever fresh produce
and meat I can find for a good price. Once in a while, I will make a
specific meal that someone wants and pay no mind to the cost.

I buy what I can at Costco. Got a huge bag of tamales. Really cheap and
enough for three big meals. I also grow some produce.

I usually try for no leftovers. Unless they are planned. If I decide to make
fried rice, I cook extra so I will have that. I might cook a big pot of
beans and use them over the course of a few days.

I do put small bags of plain rice and cooked meat in the freezer for the
dog. Must lay off of the rice. That is building up in the freezer.

I have very little food waste now. If I do have some wilted produce or extra
slices of bread, my gardener takes them for his goat. He is also welcome to
all of the apples and pears. Mostly what I have are veggie scraps like ends
and peels and once in a while something that got smashed or spoiled before I
thought it would.