Not everyone eats leftovers! Ok for me this was an astounding fact. I thought that leftovers were just a natural given. Apparently in our society we like to waste food sometimes. Why I am not sure. But we do.
It was eye opening when I overheard another mother say “My husband would never eat leftovers”. ” I just throw out any food that is left after our meal”.
What! That was my response in my head. I can’t believe that people throw away money like that so easily.
We are not too good for leftovers. That is if they don’t want to eat it fine, but I am not throwing our money in the trash. Groceries have went up in the past months. I am already couponing and cutting what I can, planning meals etc.
We WILL eat leftovers. That is what I tell my kids.
Our children must be taught not to waste. There are kids in places (even America) who are lucky to get one meal a day. For that reason alone we will eat leftovers.
Our children need to realized the value of a dollar. People work hard for money. To throw it in the trash frivolously is ridiculous.
So many great meals can be planned from leftovers. Such as Roast Beef sandwiches after having roast for dinner. The roast that probably cost me close to $10.00.
If we continue to live this way and not teach our children to “waste not, want not” then if hard times hit they will have no clue how to survive on a tight budget.
It’s ok for our kids to see that we budget our money, buy the groceries, cook the meal and we don’t waste! They will learn to like leftovers. If not……then they will the next time we serve leftovers that it is a LONG time to breakfast. Our job as parents is to teach them to be responsible adults.
Do you eat leftovers?
Great post. I cannot imagine just throwing away leftovers. It is literally like throwing away money.
We do not always eat leftovers. My husband was not raised eating leftovers. His Dad didn’t want them so they threw them out. He has that same mindset. However, I have been ‘working on him’ for nearly 17 years now about that. There are many things he will now eat as leftovers. I feel slightly triumphant in that regard. That being said, there are some things none of us wish to eat again the very next day! I have a great blog post on how to get 3 Meals from One Pot of Beans. He ate those beans for 3 days :-)http://intelligentdomestications.com/2013/10/3-days-of-meals-from-one-pot-of-beans.html
We eat leftovers – not only because it saves money, but it also saves TIME for cooking a second meal! But, I have an extended family member who does not serve leftovers at her house. She simply plans each meal with EXACTLY enough food for those dining that day. If she throws out anything, it’s only a small spoonful or two. Each unto his own.
I used to not eat leftovers. I do sometimes, but I need to get better at it. It just doesn’t taste as good the next day. Some things especially!
My husband used to only eat certain things for leftovers. I personally can eat the same meal all week long. Since we got together 11 years ago I began replanning leftovers into different meals which has made all the difference with him. Yes, there are still some things that he will not eat as leftovers but they are getting to be fewer. What we do not eat gets put in small freezer containers for my mother who works midnights as a critical care nurse.
We usually eat leftovers but sometimes I forget we have them. We have taco meat in the fridge right now. I’m encouraged to do better at this.
I Love leftovers–sone things taste better a day old. We love eating them for lunch, and my girls would rather take some leftovers to school in a thermos or microwavable dish than to eat a sandwich. But my mom had to be more frugal than I have to be. I don’t understand the ones to that say they won’t eat soup or casseroles. That’s what I grew up on as that stretched the meat and usually was inexpensive!
1 in 5 American children don’t know where their next meal is. I agree with you. I don’t know how people throw away meals. These are also people who probably have high debt as they probably waste money in other ways as well.
Oh my, we love leftovers! Some meals are better the next day, like spaghetti and lasagna. My kids (15 of them) grew up eating them and enjoyed having the variety that looking in the fridge and picking out what sounds good gave them. Of course there is the good steward subject too. 🙂
I agree, it is astounding that anyone throws away leftover food!! In my family, we actually plan to make extra, either to reprise the same meal or to use the pre-cooked ingredient in another meal. I wrote more about this in my top 3 kitchen time-saving tips. It saves a lot of money, too, by preventing waste and slightly reducing the energy we use for cooking.