14 Tips to Avoid Food Waste When Moving Home

Moving house can be stressful enough with so many plates to spin (and pack), so food shopping and planning might not be at the top of your to do list.

Knowing what to take and avoiding over-shopping can be one extra problem you don’t want to deal with. So here’s our quick tips to reducing food waste before your move.

Plan Pre-move Food Shopping

Once your removal company is booked, take a look in your cupboards, fridge and freezer so you know exactly what you have left and plan what needs eating. Although taking your cupboard essentials with you is a possibility, eating up what you have could save you some time with one or two less boxes to pack and un-pack at the other end.

Don’t Forget The Drinks Cabinet!

Ah yes, limoncello, Sorrento 2002, ouzo, Santorini 2014, that mulled wine you didn’t open in December 2019 and have forgotten every Christmas since. Well there’s no time like the present! Give your old home a proper send off by raising a glass or two. It’s also a nice way to say goodbye to the neighbours.

Get Creative With Leftover Food

Set your own Masterchef challenge with perishable food in advance of moving day. It’s a fun way to try new (experimental?) dishes of your own concoction. Get the children making pizzas with those tins of tomatoes or baking cakes to use up open packets. Moving can be stressful time for them too and having some fun activities in the lead up can really help!

Only Buy the Essentials

Cut down on the big food shops prior to moving day and stick to the essentials. If you’re uber organised you can create a meal planner and only buy things you need to create those meals that also use up existing food in the cupboards.

Buy Fresh Food Before Move Day

Avoid buying frozen food, tins, packets where possible and switch to only buying fresh foods. It’s not only good to help reduce food waste and avoid over stocking ahead of the move, it’s also healthy.

Start Making Packed Lunches

Be a legend in your own lunchtime. Stop “nipping out to Greggs”, switch to preparing a lunch to help empty the cupboards, use up overlooked food (“We have cous cous?!?”) and save some cash. Quick meals like pasta bakes and soups use up lots of ingredients and are easy to reheat at work.

Donate To A Food Bank

If you’re clearly going to have food left you won’t eat and don’t want to take it with you, donate it to a local food bank. Many small shops and supermarkets have areas to donate food. Make sure to check items you can’t donate. Remember to check the expiry dates.

Have Your Own Great Bake Off!

Eat your heart out Paul Hollywood!  Those packets of pink icing, flour, cake decorations, marzipan, hundreds and thousands of opened packets… Get baking and treat everyone in the office to a cake day. You’ll be the toast of the HR department. You could even charge for cakes and donate the proceeds to charity.

Make Moving Day Munchies

Moving home is hungry work, so you could convert some excess grub into moving day snacks to keep you going. Particularly if you have kids moving with you (especially teenagers!). Make sure that they have plenty of treats to keep them happy. It will not only offer a few minutes peace, it can prevent hangry youngsters adding to moving day stress levels. And don’t forget drinks.

Try A Little Tin-derness

Tin food can be bulky and heavy. It also keeps for ages, so check the dates, work out what you really need kept handy (pet food, family favourites and regular items) and get the rest boxed up and out the way. This will free up space for getting to grips with the rest of the food cupboards.

Have A Date Night

Take an evening to check the dates on all the food in your cupboards. Yep, when was the last time you did that?!? People are often surprised at just how long some food has been lurking, hidden behind the peppercorns (unopened) and dried lemongrass (ditto). The worst offenders are spices. That time you were going to start cooking curries from scratch? Those emergency tins of soup you bought when you were nearly snowed in 2014? Check dates and either bin it or send it to a museum!

Prudent Packing Preparations

Ah yes, the three Ps; Prudent Packing Preparation. The last thing you want to find as you’re unpacking is spilled food, opened jars, Marmite covered everything! While packing sauces, packets, jars and bottles, take an extra second to check the lids are secured properly. Make sure you reduce room for movement and wrap all breakable food containers. Shield glass containers with extra padding and look for anything that could go pop.

Moving Day Fish & Chips

Ah yes, the nation’s favourite, fish and chips. It’s a moving staple, a great way to say hello to your new home and have a quick, easy meal  after the removal team have gone (seriously, make sure they’ve left the premises, our crews can smell a battered saveloy from half a mile away).

Book A Food Shop Delivery

Ok, you’ve done the good bit, you’ve reduced the cupboards this end, donated to food banks, fattened colleagues with cakes, got all the neighbours tipsy (“Sarah from across the road was doing karaoke… With the microwave!”) but what are you going to eat week one in your new home?!?

Get organised in advance and book a food shop of essentials to arrive the first full day in your new home. It not only means you can feed everyone, but you can also get some of those other essentials delivered that you might not want to pack up and bring with you.

Armishaws have helped hundreds of families move across the UK, Europe and beyond and have a wealth of moving tips and handy hints. Check out our other blogs or contact feel free to email us any quick house move queries. We’re happy to help.

If you would like to chat to a member of our friendly team and discuss your move, then get in touch today. We understand that no two moves are the same and can help design a removal quote that is right for you.

Or we can just swap recipes!