Finance Freeze and save

Stop wasting and watch the dollars roll on in!

The average Australian household throws out around $1036 worth of food every year. Jasmine Boothey, founder of Bargain Mums blog, tells how your freezer can help you avoid wasting your hard-earned cash.

MILK

It’s safe to freeze milk in the bottle, but pour a little out first if it’s full, as the milk will expand when frozen. Write the date on the side and use within two to three months. Otherwise, freeze it in an ice-cubeice tray and use it for cooking.

HERBS

Chop basil, thyme or oregano, mix with olive oil (or water for fragile mint and parsley), freeze in ice-cube trays and keep in a zip-lock bag. Use in soups. Many herbs frozen on the stem in water or oil lastla a year in airtight containers.

FRUIT

Australians throw out $2.67 billion of fresh food every year. Most fruits freeze well, berries in particular. I often freeze fruits to use in smoothies or baking. As soon as bananas start turning g black, ,p peel, , break in half then freeze in a zip-lock bag.

LEFTOVERS

If it’s an individual serving left, freeze for another day’s lunch. If it’s enough to feed the family, freeze for a night when you don’t have time to cook. If I’m cooking something that freezes well, I often double the batch and freeze half for another day.