Teralyn Pilgrim is an author and mother who was inspired to write a new book about reducing household food waste. He was surprised when it was a book about helping families save money.
Pilgrim lives in Beavercreek, Oregon, with her husband and their three children. He started writing “No Piece Left Behind: My Life Without Food Waste” because he felt guilty about having so much while others had so little.
Soon, however, he realized that his efforts weren't just about reducing food waste – he was also saving money for his family.
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“I honestly didn't know how much money I was wasting on shopping when I started this,” Pilgrim told Fox News Digital.
“I think a lot of people care about how much money they spend at the store, but as soon as they take things out of their car, they completely forget about the price.”
Teralyn Pilgrim, left, said she stopped wasting household food and ended up saving her family $100 a month. Her quality of life has improved, she said, and her children have benefited. His daughter is shown on the right. (Teralyn Pilgrim)
In his book, Pilgrim reveals tips and tricks to help readers organize their grocery lists, prepare leftovers and preserve food for longer — strategies that have helped his family save $100 a month.
“After I stopped wasting money, I had more money,” Pilgrim said. “I had more time. I had to be more organized so I didn't waste food. That was very beneficial for my family. And to my surprise, it actually improved my health.”
“You have to start by not buying too much.”
Pilgrim created a food-free kitchen in his house.
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“We all have this kind of mentality of wanting to have enough to feel secure, especially with food,” she said. “But people end up buying too much, and it goes bad faster than they can eat. So, you have to start by not buying too much.”
That means planning ahead before going grocery shopping.
Pilgrim advises making a shopping list before going to the grocery store. (Stock)
“Bring a list of what you're going to eat that week,” Pilgrim said. “But think to yourself, 'How much am I really going to eat from this meal? How many leftovers will this make?' And you can see, when you look at your shopping cart, that this is more than I will eat in the time it will take before the food goes bad.”
'Art will shine'
A zero-waste kitchen can also encourage new food creations, he said.
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“It's really fun because that's the part where your creativity shines,” Pilgrim said.
“And it's always satisfying to come up with something that uses the resources you have and saves money by not throwing things away. [food] and make this great meal out of things you would otherwise lose.”
Teralyn Pilgrim's children are happy to eat in their zero-waste home. (Teralyn Pilgrim)
Food waste is often associated with large industries — but Pilgrim said it's “really in the hands of consumers.”
He said, “Our actions matter, and we can make a difference.”
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But if the cause is not enough, he hopes that the money that families can save will encourage others to dispose of waste.
“I read all these articles and books that gave me advice on saving money. And none of them said that little food should be wasted,” he said.
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“It's something that people don't put a lot of thought into and don't think of as a way to save money. But when I started doing this, it worked better than anything else I had tried,” he said. .
“And it was easier than anything else I had tried.”
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