Homes in general create a large amount of waste. However, I happen to think the kitchen is the biggest offender of all the rooms in the house. From rotten produce to packaging, there's almost an endless amount of waste coming from this one room! If you have been considering a no waste kitchen there's no better time than now and I've got some tips to help you get started.
The first step to reducing kitchen waste is to reduce and reuse packaging. Be mindful when buying packaged items. Jars and containers can be reused for other purposes. Visit your local farmer's market to buy fresh produce and bring a basket or reusable shopping bag so you do not need to take plastic grocery bags. Not only are these foods better for you, they have a lower impact on the earth. Also, Bulk Barn Canada has introduced a reusable container program at all Bulk Barn locations!
Regrow
Regrow produce from leftovers. Yes, it's true! Several produce items can be regrown using the ends! From celery to pineapples to green onions and more, you are bound to find a favorite thing your family can regrow.
Don't Toss Overripe Food
Put overripe fruit to use by making bread, muffins, and other fun baked goods. We are all familiar with using bananas for banana bread, but you can do this with nearly any overripe fruit in your fridge or freezer.
Compost
A great way to work towards a no waste kitchen is to compostand boost your garden nutrients at the same time. Instead of throwing out what your family does not eat, use it to build up your garden and feed your family again. Banana peels and eggshells are great to toss right into your garden beds.
Smart Storage
Invest in storage that makes food last longer. Produce can go bad fast but with the right storage, you can make it last longer than ever. Washing fruits in a bit of Apple Cider Vinegar or white vinegar will kill off mold spores that make them spoil faster. Storing carrots and celery in water can make them last weeks at a time.
No More Sponges
Ditch the sponge for a washable dishcloths that last longer and cut down on bacteria that can make your family sick. I also recently purchased a washable pot scrubber like these, that I LOVE!
No More Paper Towels
Ditch the paper towels for a washable option like reusable towels or microfiber cloths. Reuse empty cans for draining things that cannot be washed down the drain, like bacon grease.
Store Eggs Properly
Make eggs last longer. When storing store bought eggs, put them directly into a sealed container in the fridge. These eggs no longer have the protective coating the chicken leaves on the eggs so they can absorb odors, flavors, and bacteria from your fridge. If you have your own chickens don't wash the eggs. Slightly dust off feathers and bedding that may be on them and store on the counter. Do not WASH until you go to use them.
Reusable Bags
Shop with reusable supplies like cloth grocery and produce bags. One trick you may enjoy is bringing laundry baskets or big storage containers when you go shopping. Have the cashiers toss everything into the baskets instead of bags. Move the basket to your car and from your car to your home. It cuts down on waste and makes getting everything in easier. You may want to separate refrigerated and pantry goods in these baskets to make putting everything away easy.
Buy What You Need
Don't buy more than you need. So often we see a sale and buy more than our families can use before it goes bad. If you do not have a deep freezer, control the impulse to buy out that clearance meat. The same goes for buying produce, milk, eggs and even pantry goods that can go stale.
Go Homemade
To cut down on packaging waste for convenience items like cookies, granola bars, apple sauce cups or even frozen entrees, start making those items at home and storing in reusable containers or your baking ware.
Meal Plan
I can't write anything relating to food without mentioning the importance of meal planning. Meal planning is especially vital to reducing food waste and lowering your grocery bill because it helps account for everything you buy. When you have a plan for your food, there's less chance that it will be wasted!
On that note, I created The Meal Planner bundle just for you! It will help make meal planning easy and less of a chore. Get Instant Access to the PDF file, which includes:
Monthly, Weekly + Daily meal planning worksheets
Meal brainstorming worksheets
Food inventory worksheets
Grocery lists
Price matching worksheet
Party planning worksheets
and more!
Armed with these tips, you should be able to make little steps towards a no waste kitchen. Changing one thing at a time will enable you to see progress and keep more money in your pocket too!
I'd love to know how you plan on going towards a no waste kitchen? Please share in the comments below!
Here are 7 Meal Planning Tips For Tight Budgets that you will appreciate:
When it comes to meal planning, these tips are going to transform how you view your grocery budget. There are so many simple tricks to help you create amazing meals for your family when you are on a tight budget. This post has some of the best! Armed with a few simple tricks up your sleeve, you can provide your family with delicious meals without breaking the bank.
Create your menu with what you have on hand first.
One of the best meal planning tips is to start not with what you want to buy, but what you already have on hand. Look at your pantry, freezer and refrigerator for great starts to a meal. Utilize your on-hand items and limit your week to week expenses as much as possible focusing on fresh fruits and vegetables.
Ask your butcher for budget cuts of meat.
Not only can you watch for sales on meat at your market or grocery store, but you can talk directly to the butcher. Sometimes they will have meat that isn't bad, but can be sold at a fraction of the regular price for some reason. End pieces of whole rib eyes can be found at low prices because they aren't enough to be a “steak”. Ask for these bits and then cube for stews or braised beef dishes.
Sometimes meat isn't past the 'best by' date, but close to it and the butcher has to mark it down. Grab those mark downs and cook in advance to freeze for a later date or simply freeze the meat uncooked as soon as you bring it home.
Check out The Meal Planner! I created the printable Meal planner to help make meal planning and saving money easy! The PDF includes:
18 pages
Monthly, Weekly + Daily meal planning worksheets
Meal brainstorming worksheets
Food inventory worksheets
Grocery lists
Price matching worksheet
Party Planning worksheet
Use your slow cooker.
Slow cooker or Instant Pot recipes are one of the best ways to stick to your meal plan as well as stay on budget. One of the best meal planning tips is to use those budget cuts of meat and tenderize them for amazing meals in your slow cooker or Instant Pot. A beef roast or whole chicken can feed your family several meals for half the price, but may not be as convenient or easy to cook in the oven. Use a slow cooker or Instant Pot and let them do the work for you.
Start your own garden if possible.
If you have time and space to have your own garden, this can be a huge savings for your menu plan each week. Learn to can or freeze your excess produce for future use, and use your surplus year round in your weekly menu plans.
Build around low cost staple items.
For most, this means picking up things like dry beans, rice and potatoes that are low cost but can stretch a meal further. While many would find this unhealthy, if you combine this with nutrient-dense vegetables and limit your high-fat proteins you truly can eat healthy. Focus on whole grains when possible and limit the regular potatoes and white rice.
Buy what is on sale and combine with coupons.
For sales at your market or grocery store, take the time to check your coupons and shop using those coupons on sale items. You'll get twice as much value toward your menu plan!
Utilize one item multiple ways.
One of my favorite ways to save money is to cook dry beans in my slow cooker or Instant Pot. Dry beans can be seasoned and eaten by themselves, added to soups or chili, refried to make dips or put into burritos. This simple item can be used multiple ways for very cheap.
Take advantage of my favorite meal planning tips that will stretch your budget even further! I'd love to hear your tips that make your grocery budget stretch further in the comments below!
Want to shop local and support Canadian businesses? You’re in the right place! Buying Canadian made products means getting great quality while helping homegrown brands thrive. Whether you're after clothing, beauty, home essentials, or food (hello, maple syrup!), this list has you covered.
From well-known brands to hidden gems, here’s your ultimate guide to Canadian made products. Let’s shop local and keep our dollars close to home!
Now, when you're out and about shopping, I recommend you read labels and do a bit of research. Shopping Canadian can be incredibly nuanced. For example, Lay's and General Mills are American companies, however, there are production plants in Canada employing Canadians. They also use Canadian ingredients. So my recommendation is to buy how you feel comfortable with what you know.
Here is how to tell if something was made in Canada:
From Vancouversun.com: Anything at the grocery store that is labelled as a ‘product of Canada’ means all of its major ingredients, where it was processed, and the labour used to produce it are Canadian or are located in Canada.
A product labelled “made in Canada” means just that: The item was last processed or had its “last substantial transformation” in Canada but its ingredients may be a mix of both domestic and imported ingredients.
As always, I appreciate your help in adding brands and retailers that I have missed. Canada has so many gems!
I mentioned above that buying Canadian can be incredibly nuanced. I firmly believe that you have to make the best shopping decisions for your family values. This might mean only buying from Canadian owned companies or brands. Or perhaps you feel comfortable buying from an American owned brand/company as long as products are produced in Canada and/or use Canadian ingredients and materials.
Also, it goes without saying, but supporting your local Mom & Pop shops, farmer's markets and even buying from your neighbour is hugely beneficial.
All that said, here are a couple more places where you can support Canadian via American owned companies:
Shopping on Amazon is one of my favorite ways to save money. After all, I can find almost everything I need at competitive prices and enjoy the convenience of having it shipped right to my door. But wouldn’t saving even more money be great?
Take a look below at 7 tips on how to save big shopping on Amazon Canada to get your household essentials, books, clothing and more at even better prices.
1. Take Advantage of Amazon Resale Deals
A great way to save some money on Amazon Canada is to shop through Amazon Resale!
The Amazon Resale section (previously known as Amazon Warehouse) on Amazon.ca, offers great deals on quality used, pre-owned, or open box products.
With all the benefits of Amazon fulfilment, customer service, and returns rights, Amazon provides discounts on customer favorites such as smartphones, laptops, tablets, home & kitchen appliances, and thousands more.
For each used product they sell, they thoroughly test the condition of the item and provide detailed descriptions to make it easier for you to make a decision.
2. Become a Prime Member.
For $9.99 per month or $99 per year you can become an Amazon Prime memberand enjoy many money saving benefits!
With an Amazon Prime membership, you will enjoy:
FREE Two-Day Shipping on eligible items. Free standard shipping on other items.
Unlimited streaming of movies and TV episodes on Prime Video
Amazon Music
30-minute early access to Lightning Deals.
Prime Reading: Borrow books, magazines, and more. Read them on your Fire tablet, Kindle e-reader, or the Kindle reading apps for iOS and Android.
Secure unlimited photo storage, enhanced search, and organization features in Amazon Drive.
Access to exclusive Prime Day sales.
Free DashPass.
If you make a lot of Amazon purchases throughout the year, a Prime Membership will pay for itself in no time.
Are you a student? Check out the Prime Student membership to save even more.
3. Try the Subscribe & Save option.
Is there a product you use often? Toilet paper, dish soap or diapers perhaps? If so, try the Subscribe & Save option!
If you decide to do Subscribe & Save on certain products, you can save up to 15% off and have that product automatically delivered every 2 weeks to 6 months. Shipping is also free. You can cancel your Subscribe & Save at any time.
4. Look for Coupons & Promo Codes
My favourite deals on Amazon are those that are on sale AND have a coupon to apply or a promo code to redeem! Here are some screen shots of what I mean:
When available, these coupons and promo codes are found below the price of the item you're looking at.
You can find available coupons by browsing this page on Amazon Canada. As for promo codes, as far as I know, there isn't a specific page for these. Which leads me to my next tip...
5. Follow Me for Everyday Deals.
Every day I post deals over on in my Instagram and Facebook stories. As well as my Canadian Deals Facebook Group. I like to post a variety of items that are actual good deals from Canadian retailers, including Amazon. You'll see deals on everyday essentials, clothing, decor, household items, holiday items and more!
As I mentioned before, my favourite deals are those that are on sale and have a coupon and/or a promo code. You'll find plenty of these over there!
Also, on Fridays I update my Simply Frugal Weekend Deals post. This is a great all-in-one article for easy deal browsing featuring only Canadian retailers.
6. Add an Item to Your Cart, But Don't Buy
This is a trick I use time and time again. If you have your eye on a particular item and it's currently not on sale, add it to your shopping cart, but don't buy it! Amazon will save it in your shopping cart and let you know when the price changes.
Sometimes the price will increase first, but you will also see when the price decreases. To find if there has been any changes in the pricing, click on the "Cart" button in the top right corner. If there has been any changes to the pricing, you will see a message at the top of your shopping cart. Once the price drops low enough for me, I buy it!
7. Utilize Camel Camel Camel
Camel Camel Camel is an Amazon price tracker. It tracks the price history of products available on Amazon. You can also sign up for a free account and add items to a Price Watching list to get email alerts when the price drops on the items you're watching.
See how simple it can be to save some extra cash with Amazon Canada? Give these tips a try and see how far you can stretch your Amazon bucks!
I'd love to know what your biggest deal was if you've shopped online at Amazon in the past. Let us know in the comments!
Stocking stuffers are one of the most fun parts of Christmas morning. But finding budget-friendly ideas that are actually useful (and available in Canada!) can be a challenge.
Don’t worry though, I’ve done the hunting for you! Here’s a list of frugal stocking stuffers that are thoughtful, practical, and easy on the wallet. Plus, they're all available from Canadian retailers you already love.
🎄 Be sure to check out my Amazon Storefront for even more stocking stuffers featured there. And don’t forget to follow Simply Frugal Finds on Instagram for daily deals and festive savings.
Want to know my top gifting hack? Split up those multi-packs! I love grabbing a set of something I know both my girls will enjoy. It’s more budget-friendly that way too!
Frugal Gift Ideas for Teachers, Neighbors and Friends
Do you give gifts to your kids' teachers, your neighbors or friends? It can be a really fun way to let them know you appreciate them!
This gift guide was so much fun to put together. There are so many neat things out there and I know I rounded up some great budget-friendly ideas for you.
Without further ado, here are my Frugal Gift Ideas for Teachers, Neighbors and Friends!
Maldon Sea Salt - This flaked salt is soo good! Perfect for finishing desserts or savory recipes.
Mini Silicone Spatulas - Sounds silly, but these are so great for getting the very last bit in containers!
Peppermint Bark Shortbread - Well this sounds absolutely delicious! You can never go wrong with something consumable.
Suncatcher Crystals - Add beautiful rainbows to your recipient's home with these suncatcher crystals! This comes as a six pack, so you could separate them to have multiple gifts.
Small Wood Paddle Board - Perfect gift idea for the person who loves to create those fancy charcuterie platters.
Winter Headband - Ok, how cute are these? Everyone needs something to keep their ears warm!
Bubble bath - Don't we all know at least one person that likes taking baths to relax?
Leather Wristlet Clutch bag - Perfect for when your recipient just wants to take a phone, ID and a few small things with them!
Scented Candle Set - I don't think you could go wrong with a candle! Great gift idea for a teacher, friend or neighbor! This is a set so you could even separate each candle to give away.
Angie's BoomChickaPop popcorn - Keep an eye out the the Peppermint and white chocolate flavoured popcorn! Soooo good!
