Make Your Food Go Further and Last Longer

Everyone wants there food to go farther and last longer. If we can stretch things to last a bit longer then we can save that much more money. Over the years I have implemented a few easy techniques that can really add up in the long run.

• Water it down. Water is something most people don’t get enough of and it’s free so why not use that to your advantage. At my house we water down juice. For my kids they get a 1:4 ration of juice to water and guess what they don’t care. It is healthier for them because they get less sugar and more water. My mother watered down my juice as a child and now I only like my juice with at least half water, this helps us to buy half as much juice as we would otherwise. There is one exception we don’t water down orange juice, other than that to everything we add water.
• Get Every Last Drop. By adding a bit of water to jars and cans you can get every bit of sauce or food out of the can. A tablespoon of water is hardly going to ruin a recipe and since you paid for the whole can you might as well use it all. Have a handful of odd pasta use it all together for a fun pasta dish.
• Turn It Upside Down. When condiments start to get low we store them in the refrigerator upside down. That way I do not open a new bottle when there is still plenty hiding at the bottom. Just be sure you securely close the top or you will end up with a messy fridge.
• Re-purpose It: So many food items can be used even when they are going bad you just need to use them for something else. Stale bread is good for making homemade bread crumbs or french toast. Old lemons are great for freshening up your garbage disposal. Mushy bananas make great banana bread and other mushy fruits make great smoothies.Try not to waste anything as a food approaches it expiration date be creative and find a use for it.
• Refresh It. Don’t you hate when your brown sugar gets hard and lumpy? Add a piece of bread or marshmallow and within a day or so you will have nice soft sugar again. Marshmallows getting hard melt them for rice krispie treats. Veggies not so crisp puree them and sneak them into a baked good for extra vitamins.
• Package It Right. Packaging is so important. If you are not properly packaging and storing your food you will end up with a  lot of waste. Invest in some quality storage containers to help keep your food fresh and make it last longer.