I try to clean out my fridge once a week and keep tabs on food that needs to be eaten immediately before it goes bad. I used to have a fridge that was brimming with so much food, but I never ate any of it! I wasted so much money and so much food before I was a minimalist. Thanks for your advice here!
The shared shopping list is a great tool. We use pretty much the same one on our shared “Notes” app. We also organize the items on the list by the section where they’re found in the supermarket (I.e. Produce, Deli, Meat, Cleaning/Cooking Supplies, Dairy, Pantry, Frozen section, etc.) and each section is in order of how we shop as we come in to the store. So the veggies first, then we go through to the deli and on so it’s easier to shop quickly and stayed focus.
Great tips as always, Ashlyn. I changed how I manage my groceries after the pandemic hit. I used to only buy what we needed for the week, I loved, it saved so much space. But then everything went crazy and supply chains were disrupted, I had several months of having to make what I call scrounge meals because all the stores were out of the staples that I buy every week. Now I keep about two weeks worth of shelf stable food in my pantry. So each week I still buy just what we need for that week, even though I have one in the pantry, then I put the new one in the pantry and use the old one from the pantry for that week. That way I always have a couple weeks worth of back up but I'm constantly rotating through my stock pile so nothing is going out of date and getting wasted. For things that last longer like condiments and oils I wait until the container is only 1/4 full, then I buy the next one and put it behind the current one, never had a problem with multiple containers of like things being open at once.
This sounds very much like the system my grandmother uses. She and my grandpa live in an area where when the weather gets bad it takes days for their road to be cleared, so she maintains a full pantry. As soon as she gets home from a store run she makes sure to rotate her items so the newest purchases are towards the back. She also keeps quick meal staples such as pasta on hand. It may not be fancy, but if needed she can whip up some vegetable soup or spaghetti in a pinch. She does the same with toiletry items, making sure if possible to have two extras in the cabinet.
Updating your grocery lost as you go is a good one, as well as storing spare items in a different place so you use up all of the already open stuff first. Storing fruits and vegetables properly reduces food waste and saves money. An eat-me-first bin in the fridge can be helpful, too!
I use the "back stock" first. The flour/cereal etc in the air tight container will stay fresh longer than the open bag I've stored with a chip clip to keep it closed. Plus when my canister is getting close to empty I know I need to buy more without checking to see if I have an open bag in the back stock area.
I hide an extra packet of choc biscuits in one of the "low traffic drawers" to stop my hubbie hoovering them all up before I've had a chance to have one.. Not quite a super hack but a hack none the less lol😊😊
Great tips, Ashlynne! At the end of the week, I focus on meal planning around the fresh food still in our fridge or on the counter that we didn’t eat that week. This ensures that it all gets used up. I get creative by making soups, omelets, salads, baked goods, etc. This usually takes care of weekend lunches and dinners and prevents us from wasting money on takeout. I also have a special place in my pantry for items that I don’t use in my staple recipes, and I try to plan a meal that uses at least one of them each week. For example, I have a random bag of split peas that I’m planning to make split pea soup with this weekend.
Once in a while I like to challenge myself to use up the pantry foods and frozen foods that I have before buying any new ones. I will only buy fresh produce for a few weeks to help clear out any foods that have been sitting in the house for a while.
@Morgan same🙌 I call it a "we're eating what we have week" 😁besides being practical, it's kinda fun, because it can challenge me at times to utilize ingredients in combinations I hadn't tought before, and like you mentioned adding a few fresh ingredients makes a difference
I don’t know if this is a kitchen hack but when I go shopping, I always stick to the edges of the store. That way I hit the produce, dairy, meats, and home supplies. That way, I don’t even go the “snack” section and end up with a bunch of junk food. Thank you for such motivational and fun content!! I always look forward to your videos! 🥰
Ordering online and picking up in store has been a game changer for me. It allows me to stick to my budget by allowing me to review what's in my cart before I purchase. If I'm at the store, I often lose track of the total and by the time I get to the cashier, I don't want to be a pain and put stuff back. It also keeps me out of the store so I'm not tempted to buy random items not on my list.
Great tips! I’m a foodie so this is a tough one for me to do minimally too but I will add that making realistic (as in sticking to types of meals and how many times a week you actually cook) menus, and a shopping list and only buying what you need for your planned meals is a great way to keep your food clutter under control. I also plan at least one meal a week using ingredients that are close to expiring or just need to be used up.
I love your spice jars! I've lowered my daily spices down to salt, sea salt, pepper, everything but the bagel, Italian, fajita, complete sazon, red pepper, sugar, & sprinkles (yes I keep those on my spice rack in a shaker bottle) 😂 you should do a spice jar tour!
My husband and I use Trello, which is both a website and an app, to organize our grocery lists, our to-do lists, our menus and pretty much whatever we want to organize. It's great for teamwork, so I really recommend it. As always, lovely video. I've been missing your videos 🥺.
I love these hacks! My partner and I use some of these (making grocery lists, having staple meals) and another thing that we do that I have noticed makes a big difference in making sure we don’t keep old, moldy, expired food is going through the fridge everytime we go grocery shopping so we know what leftovers we have and if there’s anything that’s too old and needs to be tossed. We usually go every two weeks on the weekend (never more than that unless there’s a special occasion we need to quick grab something for) and we do grocery pickup, so we only get what’s on the list. We live in an older house that has lots of open shelf space in the kitchen, and recently I reorganized them as a way to simplify and group like items together. I have flour and sugar on one shelf, baking items on another, cooking spices on another grouped by like kind, and then paper plates and napkins on another shelf. Great video!
I never use sour cream but I always keep unflavored greek yogurt and it works fabulously as a substitute in so many recipes . I also love that you keep your extra food/overstock in a different place; when we moved to a house that had less storage in the kitchen, we had to do this out of necessity and I love it!
I'd suggest taking out your old rice etc., putting the new in, and then adding the old afterward so you have to consume that first. Idk not really that important lol but something I thought of haha
When I purchase say ketchup, I write the expiration date on the lid. That way I know how to use that item up before it expires. In 2020 I strived to have a zero food waste year. This really helped me to achieve this. I saved a lot in groceries too. 😁
*Don't compare your 2. Chapter to someome elses 20. Chapter. Compare yourself to just your yesterday. And if you constantly see an improvement that means you are on the right track.* I hope you have an amazing day. 🖤
I used to shop this way, now I have a "backup" pantry. Where I live, one couldn't get many staples for quite some time when the pandemic hit, so now I keep two or three backups for my most important staples. However, they are stored in baskets in a closet I made into a back-up pantry (I don't even have a real pantry, have to use my cabinets). So there's never a problem with having two open at once. I honestly doubt I'll ever go back to shopping right before or when I need something again. This is probably affected too by me living in a very rural area with only a couple of grocery stores within half an hour's drive though.
For spices since I'm someone that likes cooking lots of different ethnic dishes from all over the place I just cant downsize my spice collection. I just keep my spices in 8oz deli containers and put a piece of masking tape on top with the name of the spice written on it. You can get like 50 of them for $15 on amazon and they're all uniform and easy to store away. (I take no credit for this I def learned this from Sohla El-Waylly)
Yes, I always have to ignore any spice advice in minimalist videos for the same reason lol! I’d love to have fewer but I can’t because I use them all 🤪
I love Thrive Market, and I also use it to send gifts to my family. A specialized box of staples, snacks, and home/beauty makes a great gift for any holiday, and is very useful. My daughters are across the country in college, and I use Thrive to send them care boxes as well. Also, congratulations on your new and lovely home!
I have been really happy with thrive market. I get a lot of staples from them- coconut milk in cans, fire roasted tomatoes, oats, plus snacks and spices. Their smoked paprika totally surprised me it is so good
I keep a list on the side of the fridge. When I run out of something I immediately write it down. Kathy B. I have specific spots for everything in my fridge and pantry. I HATE hunting for things so this keeps me calm.
I'm not super minimal with my food, as I love cooking and baking, and experimenting with different dishes is a source of joy. However, if I need to buy one ingredient for a meal, I make sure to find 2-3 other recipes that use that ingredient to justify the purchase. I also only shop from my list now, as opposed to before when I bought anything that looked good or that I thought I would use. Do I have 6 types of flour? Yes. Do I use them all every few months at least? Also yes.
Hi Ashlynne! I know it's not your regular content, but can you do a video about grocery shopping? I struggle with knowing how to properly shop for two and meal planning.
You had some good hacks for organizing and storing grocery items and I really like your presentation! Our kitchen is small, so it's essential to keep everything simple and like you, I never purchase one-time use groceries.🌼
Great video! I pull things forward in my refrigerator and plate up celery before it goes bad. I also have by morning ( from my shopping) what is for dinner.
I love these tips! I use all of them, but recently I have been struggling with the first one. There are two of us living together, we cook together as well. We have a bunch of foods that we can just easily whip up (this resulting in veeeery easy grocery shopping). But recently we have gotten so bored of cooking, weren't excited neither about cooking, not eating, bevause we kept switching between those staple food items... So now we are trying to find new staple meals, but it is quite hard 🥺
@@nancymicklatcher117 I know that all my minimalism channels are American (and offence meant x) but even some of those love to stock up. In my eyes there is nothing wrong with it if you have the room and it makes you feel calm.
“Alexa, add ______ to my shopping list” Similar to yours.... only my kids without phones can add to it too and I don’t have to get out my phone to add something when I run out while I’m cooking ☺️
Minimalist kitchen hack: Don’t cook more than you can eat! And if you do, get used to eating leftovers. My boyfriend’s mom is a wonderful cook, and she’s very good at meal prepping. However, she always cooks WAY too much (she used to cook for her military husband, and all his friends, so I’ll give her that). But right now she’s only serving herself, and her two kids. And she’s always left with a fridge full of leftovers, and usually throws away most of it because nobody can eat all of it.
Great tips, Ashlynne! I have kind of the opposite problem -- I only buy what I need and avoid buying more exotic or uncommon ingredients that might go bad from lack of use, especially since I only cook for myself. This is great, but my fridge always looks depressingly empty. It's like there's nothing in it, even when I've done a grocery run. Do you have any tips to work around this?
Thanks for the ideas, I'm already working on declutter my Kitchen... Can you please let us know where did you got your wonderful spices shelter? thanks 😊
Any time I have a new product that's in a container or jar I totally use it up and wash it out before I put in the new product otherwise you end up with the old stuff on the bottom and may go out of date before you use it all up.
