Save Food, Spend Less Challenge 2026

Hennepin County | Ramsey County | Washington County

October 1 - October 31, 2026

"Eat food. Not too much (waste). All plants."

Hannah's points

45 TODAY
45 THIS WEEK
385 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

0.9

pounds of CO2

have been saved
UP TO

0.7

pounds

food waste prevented

Hannah's actions

Planning

Track My Wasted Food

I will track the food that my household of 2 throws out so I can learn what we're wasting and why.

COMPLETED 1
DAILY ACTION

Planning

Create a Household Favorites List

I will create a cookbook or recipe collection of go-to meals for my household to make meal planning easier.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Shopping

Support Imperfection

I will intentionally buy ugly produce at the grocery store, farmers market, or sign up for an ugly produce CSA box.

COMPLETED 2
DAILY ACTIONS

Cooking

Use the Edible Portion

I will learn about what food is still safe to eat if portions have gone bad and make sure to utilize the edible portions if I can.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Community

Watch a Documentary About Food

I will watch 1 videos or documentaries to learn about the scope and scale of food waste in this country.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Send it Down the Grape Vine

I will talk to 5 family members or friends about my experience with this challenge, food waste, and what I have learned.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Shopping

Eat Before Shopping

I will resist impulse buys by eating a snack or meal before going grocery shopping. Those who grocery shop on an empty stomach spend 64% more than not-hungry shoppers.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Storage

Learn About Food Storage

I will learn about food storage and store food based on best practices to keep it from spoiling before it is used.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Storage

Organize My Refrigerator

I will organize my refrigerator to maximize shelf life based on the temperature and humidity of different spots.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Participant Feed

REFLECTION QUESTION
Planning

Was it hard or easy to create a list of recipes that everyone in your household will eat? How did it work best for you to organize them?
Hannah Keller 10/13/2026 12:55 PM

I created my household's favorites meal list and organized by type of meal - soup, grain bowl, salad, sandwich, noodles, etc because we usually like to switch it up a lot and eat different styles. But this also helped us get a little more planful in what we want to eat each week. Example: Mondays are always a busy night so now we plan for it to always be a pasta or quinoa salad I can prep in advance, so I don't need to cook. It helps us actually eat what we bought!

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Shopping

Would you be more willing to buy produce with a few imperfections at your grocery store? Why or why not?
Hannah Keller 10/05/2026 2:22 PM

For the most part, yes! As long as the imperfection is edible. I wouldn't buy it if I had to cut off a significant portion of the food. I might be less likely to buy ugly produce if I was serving it to others.

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Hannah Keller 10/01/2026 1:25 PM

Happy first day of the Challenge! What is the action you're most looking forward to trying?

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Planning

What did you find you are tossing the most? How can you change your habits to avoid wasting this food?
Hannah Keller 10/01/2026 1:24 PM

I ended up tossing a package of tofu - I left it out on the counter overnight to defrost from frozen and forgot about it :(. I'll set a timer next time!

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