April was a better month (in some aspects). I got back to doing the Declutter calendar, which was great when I had to do the linen closet (in was in complete disarray).
Waste wise... not a great month.
Food wasted:
1 banana = $0.08 (it was rotten when we bought it)
1/2 loaf french bread = $1.00
Romaine lettuce = $0.75
1/2 pineapple = $1.00 (this was suppose to have been eaten when I took the kids to the Island. I was not surprised when it hadn't been touched when we got home)
1/5 of a ham = $1.16
1 sausage = $0.35
1 danish = $1.00
4 slices of banana bread = $0.47
1 pear and 1 apple = $0.57 (they went bad in the fruit bowl)
celery = $0.68
large thing of spinach = $3.00 (this one irks me. Was suppose to be used as salad and wasn't. Big items this month)
1/2 pork tenderloin = $2.00 (again, was suppose to eaten while we were on the Island)
bowl of cottage cheese = $0.35
3 potatoes = $0.44
3x bottom of chip bags = $1.00 (why do we always have bags of crumbs left... eat it or throw out the bag)
3 english muffins = $0.50
1/2 cup macaroni noodles = $0.55 (this was my fault. I forgot it was boiling and remembered after 20 minutes of boiling)
1 pizza bun = $1.00
Random leftovers pulled from the fridge (we did a clean out and just tossed) = $8.00
Monthly total:
$23.90
Year to date total:
$70.13
Average month:
$17.53
We are on track to throw out $210.39 this year (that's Insane!)
What I learned:
This was a BAD month for us. Part of it was left overs not being eaten while we were away and part of it was poor meal planning. Since we threw out the large container of spinach (which was basically untouched) I have been cutting up salad vegetables and putting them into a container. This way salad is easy, grab a handful of spinach and add some pre-cut up vegetables. Hopefully this will help us cut down on the amount of vegetables that seem to get tossed each month.
I had a really hard time when we did the clean out that we estimated to be about $8 worth of waste. It really upset me to see, yet again, food we could and should have eaten being tossed. I'm setting a goal of throwing out less than $10 in May (I know it's till a lot, but considering we're throwing out, on average, over $17 each month it's a noticeable decrease). One thing that will help is me returning to work so more left overs and fruit will get eaten.
I'm also looking forward to getting a handle on our bedroom next month. I have bins and boxes of baby clothes that I'm holding on to (my cousin finds out what she's having sometime this week and then I'll know if I can sell/donate or pass on) that will be cleared out.
We've also been working on our front yard the last 2 weekends and it's just about done. Then, if Danny gets any days off, we can start to figure out and clean up the back yard (this year it'll be reseeding the grass and put up edging around some areas). I will be starting some vegetables and fruits next month in planters on our deck (next spring I should be able to get them into the area in the backyard where we want to put our garden).
I think this month's disappointment for me will help motivate me to be better next month because we can't keep throwing out food like this.
How's your resolution going?
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