I hate to waste food but usually can't avoid it--why such big jars and boxes?

Oh you are not alone friend with this problem.. I also live alone and sometimes I have to eat and eat just not to get the foods spoiled. Sometimes I give some of the foods to my relatives especially if I've had enough eating but still a lot are left. There are times I do want to buy stuffs with expiration but they're not in small amounts or small containers and I would just have to prevent myself from buying them just not to get spoiled, waste food and waste money. Been holding myself for a long time now not to buy foods that easily gets spoiled within days though it is a favorite of mine. Even bread I don't buy anymore cause I can't eat the whole loaf within a matter of 3 days. I think manufacturers seldom packs food in small servings cause it's much expensive and it's a part of market strategy, I guess.

I never thought of this when people live alone what food waste might happen. You are not the only one living alone in the world my brother lives alone too. I have to ask my brother about this. However, I have had jelly and jams in my fridge for a long time and it has never gone bad. I know if I was living alone my food bill would be alot less. I would make a list of what I wanted to eat. Lets say pasta and sauce. However making this for one person maybe to much so you have the leftovers for lunch or dinner the next day. This is how you prevent things from going bad. Another words you need to make a menu for the week. You be surprised how much money you would save by doing this.

Hello dragon, I do sympathize with your being single and alone. But I know that you know that there are other people in this planet who also live alone and are probably in very worst conditions. In my side of the planet though, manufacturers barely have BIG or JUMBO packages and in fact, do have what we call "MENUDO" meaning small. Liek for example, shampoos and conditioners and lotions in sachets, mini soaps like the ones in the hotels, toothpaste in sachets or mini tubes, cheddar cheese in very cute packs good for one snack time, etc. That's because people cannot afford to buy the big ones. People do buy the large ones only if a large mass is anticipated. Like in parties, or if you have a food business where you should need ample supply. I understand that in USA for example, a lot of foods are in BIG packs because people do groceries on a weekly or monthly basis. I do remember one instance though when we were flooded with supplies of marmalades and jams that we do not know what to do with them anymore. So my baked something and used them as filling, wrapped the pastries up in colorful transparent cellophanes and gave them to our neighbors. They loved it and we saved a lot of food from getting spoiled.

there are retail stores that sell them in smaller jars. You can also prepare foods and share them with your neighbors before they go bad, this way, you can socialize as well.

Yes, I have the exact same problem too. I guess its better to buy smarter. So I just buy the stuff I need. If I know I can't finish it, I will see if I can get it in a smaller size. There is a store close to me that sells my condiments in bulk containers so I just use a small plastic container and take as much as I want and weigh it on the scale. They charge per 100g of the item. So its easy for me and saves me from wasting food.

LOL well i'm not laughing at you but with you, because it used to happenned to me frequently. Then i realize that one of my friend undergo the same problem so we come up with a solution. first, it is true buying in jar or bigger container is way more cheaper than buying in the small one, but it has propensity to be wasted since you cannot eat them all, then what to do is... Buy and share it with your-have-same-trouble friend:) Maybe it seems so simple but it works to me and my friend. We bought a big jar of jam, cornflakes, cereal, etc. Then buy some small jar and share it with him:D Yeah maybe some hygiene people will consider it gross or something, but you know being single is a life hard times right :D Anything can do to keep survive:))

hahah im not so sure where you live, but here in the philippines, quite a number of products are sold in small amounts, small containers, etc.. :) it is not a problem and no big wastes really especially for people like you who lives alone.

I know there are somethings you can't help but waste but there are somethings you can do. There are five people that live in my house three kids and my husband and myself. I have food savers. I cook and then what ever is left I make extra plates (plastic ones) cover them and suck all the air out. You would be surprised at how much you save. When the kids want a snack they have a variety to choose from and when you are to tired to cook after a hard day they can pick something they want and pop it in the microwave. When you just have one thing left a vegtables or meat you can put it in bags and take the air out of them also and heat them later also. Hope this gave you some ideas.

I know what you mean on the feeling line the only single living alone person. I feel like that a lot, although I know it is not true, but society does seemed rather biased against single people. Believe me I could go on and on about discrimination against singles, but to stay on topic I will just give me opinion relating to food. I feel so bad when I have to throw stuff away. I also feel discriminated against and encouraged to be wasteful with the recent buy 10 get $5 off deals at Safeway and Fry's because it is not always on things I can use before they all expire. I do not use jelly or jam often, but what I usually keep around is the little individual serving ones I have swiped from restaurants and hotel breakfast buffets. My biggest problem is finishing a loaf of bread before it gets moldy.

I hear you I think the same thing about some items & we have a houseold of 5 here. Sometimes we go thru certain things like mad other times they sit there & sit there & I have to toss out too. Though I'd imagine you could freeze the applesauce if you wanted to only use a partial jar at a time. I dunno bout the jam, but Jam usually lasts quite a while in the fridge.... just not in my house if the kids know it's there. Could you make some oat bars with the excess? That's what I'd probably do, I have a great recipie with only a few ingredients. Only problem is it's VERY high in fiber & you need to watch how much you eat or atleast I do due to the fiber content

Have you thought about buying catering packs of individual pots of jams etc. The sort that you get when you stay at hotels. www.britsuperstore.com/acatalog/Hartleys_Jam.html sell them (scroll down) but I bet that you can get them in the US and cheaper.

to start with, i must let you know that your are not the only person living alone on this earth. it is true that when you live alone then there are many problems. specially the food gets wasted. i have stayed alone for some time i used to make it a point only to buy stuffs that were available on small and easily consumable packs. if i bought something which i could not consume alone then i would share it with friends. it feels really bad to waste food and we must not even waste food. we are fortunate enough that we get food there are so many people across the globe who do not get to eat proper food.

I think the best thing you could do is to get either smaller amounts, or less food in one go. In the end, it may end up helping you save money too, as you would be spending less on food that won't go bad, so no losses either. Maybe start looking for smaller amounts in other places too, it may save you a lot of money just for you to look at other shops, as you never know what you may find.