Save More Money On Groceries With This Genius Reddit Hack

Groceries have seen considerable cost increases over the years, and it's clear that the same budget doesn't stretch nearly as far as it did even a few years ago. At the same time, food waste is a growing epidemic, and while that may seem contradictory, these issues do feed into one another (pun intended). Luckily, the good people on Reddit are sharing their best tips and hacks to tackle the situation head-on, and the solution starts with the freezer.

Reddit users share that freezing half, if not more, of your grocery shop is the best way to ensure food is apportioned appropriately and not forgotten about: " As soon as I come back from grocery shopping, whatever in the lot is [freezeable], I'll freeze half of that." Another user replied that they batch cook rice specifically, then freeze individual portions for easy meals. Just microwave it for two minutes.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency records that over one-third of the food that households in the country purchase is actually thrown away, for a variety of reasons, many of which are preventable. If you want a figure on that statistic, you're looking at around $400 billion wasted each year in the United States alone. What's more, any food wasted at the grocery store itself or along the production line eats into the company's profits, so these losses are accounted for in the retail price of foods and beverages, forcing the consumers to bear the brunt of it.

Freezing can preserve food for months beyond its best-before dates — which can be mistaken for sell-by dates – allowing households (especially single-person households) to meal prep weeks in advance and save considerably on repurchases or new grocery hauls altogether. Redditors who have disciplined themselves in this way — because let's be honest, this is easier said than done — have seen tangible savings on multiple fronts.

Meat, fish, and chicken all hold up well frozen, and you can buy them fresh, divide them into meal-sized portions, and then freeze. This method has the added benefit of partially meal-prepping, so when you're ready, you can cook the exact right amount and avoid unnecessary waste. Fruit and vegetables are particularly vulnerable to fast spoilage, causing a lot of discarded food, not to mention the frustration. Produce items with high water content, like tomatoes or cucumbers, aren't great options for the freezer because, in the thawing process, all that water will disintegrate the food's texture and water down the flavor. But most actually stay in great condition for as long as a whole year, and there are myriad ways to cook them.

The key to effective freezing is proper sealing. Freezer burn occurs when too much moisture is lost due to improper sealing. While this doesn't render the food inedible, it does diminish the quality in an entirely preventable way. Airtight containers, like Ziploc bags, can mitigate this risk — just make sure to push any excess air out before freezing. Alternatively, double-wrap food in plastic and heavy-duty foil. It is fine to freeze raw meat and vegetables together in the same bag for meal prepping if you keep them away from already-cooked food also stored in the freezer.