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A huge change in my food waste output took place when I stopped going to the supermarket, and instead started going to the local market once a week. Having to

A huge change in my food waste output took place when I stopped going to the supermarket, and instead started going to the local market once a week. Having to plan out what I needed for the week really changed my behavior for the better. (+ supporting local farmers + reducing plastic consumption)

wutbrodo 7y ago
How often would you go to the supermarket otherwise? My impression was that going once a week was the norm (I've never consistently done grocery so I dont know...)
- louismerlin 7y ago
  There is a supermarket between my university and my home, so it was extremely easy for me to hop in every 2 or 3 days.
Shivetya 7y ago
mine changed when I decided that since I passed the supermarket on the way home that I should only buy fresh foods I would consume from one day to the next. plus stopping daily meant I could more easily vary my eating
spodek 7y ago
A related change for me came when I joined a CSA http://joshuaspodek.com/farm-food-summer http://joshuaspodek.com/farm-food-summer and gave myself the rule to waste no food. Since I didn't choose what food I'd get and they design the shares for a family not just one person, it forced me to use new foods and learn what grew near me and barely go elsewhere. The experience taught me a lot about how to see plants (and fungi) and prepare them.
vonmoltke 7y ago
> Having to plan out what I needed for the week really changed my behavior for the better. Trying to plan for the week and shop for it on one day is the cause of most of our food waste, because we inevitably change plans (voluntarily or involuntarily). We are actually trying to be better about going to the store more frequently and buying less in advance. We are also trying to actually use things we stockpile in the pantry, since we also have a problem with stocking canned and dry goods we forget about.
- 18pfsmt 7y ago
  I buy mostly fresh food, so I go the store every other morning at 6am. They are still stocking shelves (a job I had in college), but there are no crowds. I live 2 blocks away from the store, so small takes are easier to carry home. The only canned stuff I buy are beans and olives.
AnIdiotOnTheNet 7y ago
Losing significant amounts of weight (100+ lbs) is a great teacher of how to plan meals: don't. Just eat the same meal, or the same 2 or 3 meals, all the time. No planning, no thinking, no temptation when you're at the store because you're always buying the same things.
JudgeWapner 7y ago
I'm suspicious about the farmers markets. I'm not saying they all do this, but what is there to prevent someone from going to costco, buying 6 racks of strawberries, then going to a farmers market and selling them at a steep markup? If there's money to be made, people will absolutely do it. And cognitive bias will definitely lead people to claim that "those farmers market strawberries are so much better than the ones from the store..."

wutbrodo 7y ago

How often would you go to the supermarket otherwise? My impression was that going once a week was the norm (I've never consistently done grocery so I dont know...)

louismerlin 7y ago
There is a supermarket between my university and my home, so it was extremely easy for me to hop in every 2 or 3 days.

Shivetya 7y ago

mine changed when I decided that since I passed the supermarket on the way home that I should only buy fresh foods I would consume from one day to the next. plus stopping daily meant I could more easily vary my eating

spodek 7y ago

A related change for me came when I joined a CSA http://joshuaspodek.com/farm-food-summer http://joshuaspodek.com/farm-food-summer and gave myself the rule to waste no food. Since I didn't choose what food I'd get and they design the shares for a family not just one person, it forced me to use new foods and learn what grew near me and barely go elsewhere. The experience taught me a lot about how to see plants (and fungi) and prepare them.

vonmoltke 7y ago

> Having to plan out what I needed for the week really changed my behavior for the better. Trying to plan for the week and shop for it on one day is the cause of most of our food waste, because we inevitably change plans (voluntarily or involuntarily). We are actually trying to be better about going to the store more frequently and buying less in advance. We are also trying to actually use things we stockpile in the pantry, since we also have a problem with stocking canned and dry goods we forget about.

18pfsmt 7y ago
I buy mostly fresh food, so I go the store every other morning at 6am. They are still stocking shelves (a job I had in college), but there are no crowds. I live 2 blocks away from the store, so small takes are easier to carry home. The only canned stuff I buy are beans and olives.

AnIdiotOnTheNet 7y ago

Losing significant amounts of weight (100+ lbs) is a great teacher of how to plan meals: don't. Just eat the same meal, or the same 2 or 3 meals, all the time. No planning, no thinking, no temptation when you're at the store because you're always buying the same things.

JudgeWapner 7y ago

I'm suspicious about the farmers markets. I'm not saying they all do this, but what is there to prevent someone from going to costco, buying 6 racks of strawberries, then going to a farmers market and selling them at a steep markup? If there's money to be made, people will absolutely do it. And cognitive bias will definitely lead people to claim that "those farmers market strawberries are so much better than the ones from the store..."