Moving is a rather stressful process and it becomes a bit more stressful when you want to move in the most eco-friendly way possible. However, the right planning can make your eco-friendly move easier and give you a clear conscience at the same time.
One thing you will need to deal with when moving is the food you have leftover. If you want to move in the most eco-friendly way possible, you will need to reduce food waste to as close to zero waste as possible.
There are several ways to make your food waste much less, if not zero. Here are a few things to consider when moving and trying to reduce food waste during the process.
Meal Plan
About a month before moving day will arrive, start planning your meals based on what you own. Obviously, fresh foods won't last an entire month, but you likely have pantry items and frozen items you need to use up.
Start by taking a full inventory of your frozen items and pantry items. Make sure you know what you own a month before moving so you can start planning meals based on the food you already have.
Once you have your inventory list, you can start creating a meal plan to use up what you already own. Choose recipes using the ingredients you have on hand with minimal added ingredients.
Note: Be careful of recipes with ingredients you'll struggle to find in smaller quantities. If you want to make a meal requiring you to buy a new ingredient only sold in amounts higher than you really need, consider other recipes using the same ingredient.
Shop the Bulk Aisles for New Ingredients
After setting your meal plan, you will likely need to hit the grocery store for a few ingredients. However, you don't want to buy huge amounts or you'll just have a new food waste problem on your hands.
Shopping at a store with bulk aisles letting you buy only what you need is a great way to keep from creating new food waste. These stores will allow you to buy a small amount and charge based on the weight of the item, in most circumstances.
Eat the Most Perishable Items First
Moving with fresh and frozen foods isn't fun and will likely create food waste. Even if you have a big cooler filled with ice, frozen foods become a pain to move and they may not stay frozen.
Eat the most perishable items first. Start with anything found in your refrigerator and freezer. These items are most likely to spoil if you try to take them with you.
Some of the food items you can easily move with you include:
Canned goods
Sealed boxed goods
Spices
Oils, properly sealed and packed
Condiments not requiring refrigeration
Meats, dairy products, fresh produce, frozen vegetables, fruits, and other fresh items should be eaten before moving.
Non-perishable items can also be donated if you don't want to bother moving them from one home to another.
Share Food with Friends
If you're getting close to moving day and you simply don't have enough days left to eat the 12 steaks in your freezer or the whole turkey you scored after Thanksgiving, it's time to share.
You can ask your friends if they would like any of the food you cannot eat or you can throw a dinner party and cook it up for everybody showing up. Either way, you'll be able to use up food without throwing it out and letting it go to waste.
Use these tips to help reduce your food waste. If you must move with food, make sure you properly pack the items you will be moving and make sure they make it into your new home first, especially if they are perishable items.