As parents across Ireland launch into the back-to-school rush, food-saving app Too Good To Go has tips for families hoping to save food and money, with its Back to School Guide.
With Irish households wasting around €60 a month on unconsumed food, according to the EPA, the guide provides families with practical, budget-friendly meal-prepping strategies, freezer hacks, and smart grocery tips to save time, money, and food.
Back-to-school season often leads to frantic morning routines, forgotten lunchboxes, and last-minute shopping trips for lunchbox fillers; household food waste routinely spikes in late August and September, as families get back into routine.
Too Good To Go’s guide aims to demonstrate how strategic batch-cooking and good freezer management can drastically reduce daily stress while saving hundreds of euro per year on household food bills.
Top tips from the Back to School Guide
Label and date items in your freezer: The freezer can be your best friend for saving food near its expiry date, or for leftovers to be used on a busy day. If you struggle to eat bread before it goes mouldy, freeze half and pop it straight in the toaster when you need it.
Double-check your shopping list: Check what you have in your fridge and cupboards before writing your list. When shopping, stick to what is on your list and avoid buying things that will go off before you can use them. Also keep an eye out for the yellow stickers.
Storage hacks: Keep apples, bananas, and tomatoes on their own to stop them ripening other fruit and veg. If items like carrots, spinach, salad leaves or celery start to go soft, put them in a bowl of cold water for 15 minutes to bring back to life.
Set your fridge to below 5°C: This helps perishable foods like milk and yogurts stay fresh for longer. Use the "first in, first out" approach to ensure you use older items first.
The supermarket: Buy foods you know your family actually eats. For lunchbox prep, look for products that can be used across multiple days and meals, it saves food from going to waste and can help cut shopping bills.
"Back-to-school season is notoriously hectic and hard on family budgets," said Machaela O’Leary, key accounts lead with Too Good To Go. "Our goal with the Back to School Guide is to make avoiding food waste as effortless as possible. By unlocking the full potential of your freezer and making small, tweaks to your shopping routine, parents can stretch their food budgets further, cut down on shopping and food stress, and ensure good food doesn’t go to waste."
