Grandmother tackles food waste: When you throw away food, you throw away money!

Did you know that you can save a lot of money by not wasting food? Alongside Grandma, who always knows how to appreciate food, we're here to provide you with some great money-saving tips in a time when everything is becoming more expensive.

An average family can save over €930 a year by not wasting food. That covers the entire recent interest rate hike in Norway. The Norwegian Central Bank recently raised the policy rate by 0.50 percentage points, bringing the rate to 2.25 percent. If you have a €260 000 loan, that amounts to an extra €1300 a year. At the same time, we Norwegians literally throw money in the trash by throwing away over 1,000 tons of food every day. By cutting food waste, you're cutting your mortgage.

Together with NORSUS (the Norwegian Institute for Sustainability Research), we've calculated the savings potential for Norwegian households:

  • Singles can save €517a year by not wasting food
  • Couples can save €656 a year by not wasting food
  • Families can save €930 a year by not wasting food

This shows that a significant portion of the interest rate increase can be saved by reducing food waste, whether you live alone, with a partner, or in a family of four. These savings can cover increased costs for electricity, gasoline, and especially interest rates. Cutting food waste is important for the environment and also for your wallet.

GRANDMA'S TOP MONEY-SAVING TIPS

  • Plan your meals based on what you have in your fridge and freezer, and make a shopping list.
  • Use up what you have before buying new groceries.
  • Buy discounted items with a short shelf life and have a plan for them.
  • Freeze food if you have ingredients that will expire before you can use them.
  • Use your senses with "best before" labeled food that's past the date; it's often still good.

The older generation has experienced war, high food prices, inflation, and high interest rates before. According to our Grandma Isa, they had to learn to live in moderation, and food waste wasn't even a term.

″The date on the package doesn't really say much about whether the food is good or bad. What matters most is how well you take care of the food and that you store it properly. If you leave the milk out on the counter for a long time, it will go bad before the expiration date. My milk stays good for several weeks because I keep it cold all the time.″

Grandma Isa Belle from the film

In the video below, you can learn more about how Grandma takes care of food (In Norwegian). Her and our goal is to mobilize all of Norway to stop wasting food. To achieve that, we need to move away from the idea that a little food waste is okay.

So, we say like Grandma: Cut food waste, cut your expenses!