7 Thrifty & Eco-Friendly Food Storage Hacks
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I’m always looking for new ways to be thrifty in the kitchen, and while that more often than not involves tackling the cost of food and food waste, I’ve also been looking at some ways to recycle that will also save me money.
Thrifty & Eco-Friendly Food Storage Hacks
If you find you’re always buying disposable items for your kitchen such as sandwich bags, cling film and tin foil there are actually plenty of thrifty ways you can re-use other items instead of buying these. It’ll save you money and it’s much better for the environment too.
You might enjoy: 8 Ways To Be More Sustainable
1. Re-Use Plastic Bread Bags
If you get through a few loaves of bread each week you could start keeping the plastic bags it comes and reusing them in place of sandwich bags. Reusing each plastic bag just once or twice will have a huge impact on the number of sandwich bags used during the course of the year.
2. Use A Pringles Pot To Store Spaghetti
Pringles are a favourite in this house but I’m trying to cut back as the cans can be incredibly difficult to recycle. As they are made up of several different materials it can mean standard household recycling centres aren’t able to recycle them.
So, it’s time to look for some ways they can be reused instead.
One of my favourite ways to re-use Pringles cans is as a storage container for dried spaghetti. Yes, just as random as it sounds. If you don’t already store your spaghetti in a glass jar then you may well have had the experience of picking the packet up the wrong way and tipping spaghetti all over the floor. I know I have.
Placing in the open spaghetti packet in an empty Pringles tube will stop this from happening and is a great way to recycle at least one or two old tubes.
3. Pringles Lids & GU Glass Ramekins
While we’re on the subject of Pringles, did you know a plastic Pringles lid fits perfectly over the top of a Gu ramekin? I always keep GU ramekins as they always just seem too pretty and too useful to throw away.
Having a lid that fits perfectly over the top of them makes them much more usable – perfect for storing food in the fridge, lunch boxes and picnics.
4. Resue All Your Takeaway Containers
This is one that I’m sure the majority of people already do but I think it’s worth mentioning anyway. We always keep the containers from takeaways, whether they are plastic or tin foil ones with lids. They get washed up and then we use them for storing leftovers in the freezer.
We are also big fans of batch cooking so reusing the containers come in super handy for that too. They can also be used for general storage – I have them in our medical draw filled with plasters and paracetamol and other bits and bobs.
Related Post – 7 Household Items You Can Reuse To Avoid Waste
5. You Can Use Glass Jars For The Freezer
While glass jars are popular for storing pasta and pulses on shelves and in cupboards, they can also be used in the freezer. Glass jars are great for freezing homemade sauces and soups. Just remember to leave an inch or two around the jar to allow for the liquid to expand as it freezes and to help prevent cracking.
You don’t even need to buy new glass jars for this – ones from sauces and vegetables will do just fine after a thorough wash.
6. Reuse Old Tin Cans As Home Decor
Okay, so Tin cans. Not used for food storage but plenty of ways they can be used so I thought they were worth mentioning. We use them so often that it can be really easy just to throw them in the recycling without another thought. But there are lots of ways they can be used around the home once they’ve had a good scrub.
- As a vase for fresh flower arrangements
- Punch holes to create candle holders
- Spray paint to make a cutler holder
- Mini BBQ (See here for details)
- Storage for nails, nuts, bolts and screws
7. Make Your Own Beeswax Wraps
Beeswax wraps are the perfect alternative to using disposable kitchen items. They can replace Clingfilm, tin foil and sandwich bags. The wraps are moldable and can be made to fit around sandwiches, rolls and other food items.
When the wax starts to wear thin, you can just re-wax them in a few simple steps so they’ll get loads of use over time.
Beeswax wraps usually cost around £3-£4 each to buy or you could try this YouTube Tutorial for full instructions on what to do if you’d like to give making beeswax wraps a go at home. All you need is beeswax (which you can buy from Amazon) Scissors and some patterned material.
I live to reuse or repurpose things. I keep to go boxes on hand so my guest and family don’t take my Tupperware. I clean pasta jars to freeze soups and give them to our neighbors and missionaries. I will even wash out Ziploc bags and let them air dry to reuse.