Finish Your Plate

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average American household spends $7,000 on food annually. The Department of Agriculture estimates that at least 25% of this food is wasted.  Here's a handful of helpful tips to avoid the waste of food when it seems like we have so much that a little waste does not matter--because we want to keep a global perspective.
Have a plan when you go grocery shopping.  Impulse buying usually leads to unneeded extra food or uneaten food, plus a larger dent in your wallet.
That also means it would helpful to plan meals out during the week as much as possible.  America helps their people out by having all the nutrition facts on our food, so you could even plan eating healthier by planning these out (the problem then lies in the momentary desires when I want some chips or ice cream, but those can be fought or replaced with other snacks).
Eating the same meal multiple times a week would allow you to buy in bulk, which is usually cheaper.  Sometimes bulk is the only way you can buy, and this way you would not have extras laying around in the back of cupboards.
Cutting down fast food is always a plus.  When you go out to eat, consider sharing dishes.  If you are on a date, it could be romantic.  If you are a group of four friends, maybe order three dishes and share them family style (because sometimes one plate is just a little too much for each person), especially if the restaurant is Chinese--they dish out a lot of chicken.


The competition of the will for doing all this is time because while this will potentially improve health and decrease waisted food and driving time, the planning behind all this will take more time organizing and then cooking the food yourself.  It will come down to what you value most in each season of your life and what your resources allow you to do.  Consider the pros and cons of each decision but know that there will always be both with every decision.