Most of the items on my Eat First shelf are leftovers, which has given me more of a clue that I really need to get into the habit of making smaller portion sizes, since I live alone, lol. However, having this shelf/section of the fridge has also really helped me keep track of the sauces/dressings/jellies/etc. that I have open, and I've been able to mix and match a lot more things to keep my leftovers interesting and keep food out of the garbage can! :)

I make ingredient swaps pretty often. I often use yogurt that I make in my Instant Pot for sour cream. I have used brown sugar for cane sugar in baking recipes. And I’ve increased the amount of whole wheat flour than what’s suggested in a recipe.

I’m a flexible meal planner with some go to meals but always open to making new recipes if I have the time and ingredients. I need to check my fridge more often to see what I have plus move older items to the front.

Sometimes there is more to harvest than we can consume, so I have a free box next to our fence for the neighbors to help themselves.

Lettuce is definitely something we usually don't use up.

We didn't throw away a lot of food this week - trying to buy less.

I knew generally that food labels did not always mean expiration dates; but I did not quite know the extent to which this went... especially the differences between "sell by" and "best by" and "use by" dates. In terms of changing my habits, this one has been difficult, because I cannot rely on my senses as much as other people to tell if food is still safe to eat. My allergies and migraines do strange things to my sense of taste and smell (hard to do either when your nose is always blocked up and your head always hurts!), and obviously, some bacteria/mold isn't the most visible... but, to counter this, I've been paying special attention to changes in texture (which I almost always notice) and changes in color, which can tell a great deal. For example, I noticed that my grape juice was "off" when, after about 10 days of sipping on it and it tasting fine and being relatively sweet and mild, it sort of turned into this super-sour, ultra-dry juice with a grainy texture. While not necessarily a bad flavor (after all, I would assume that's how they make wine...) it definitely wasn't the sweet grape juice I once bought!

My kryptonite are those "limited edition" or seasonal items... like the new Oreo releases (which, to be fair, the banana pudding ones were a worthwhile purchase). Sometimes I have difficulty telling the difference between actually wanting something because I think I will enjoy it, versus wanting something just because it is Cool and Unique and Unusual (or, conversely, because I know I won't be able to get it again later). It took me realizing this was a marketing ploy to get people to purchase more for me to actively try to avoid it. Now, I will give myself about 5-10 minutes in the grocery aisle to review my purchases and deliberate: do I REALLY want this thing, or is it just cool to think it's new and unique? Sometimes I make mistakes and buy things I don't need, but taking that time has really helped me settle down and put some things back on the shelves.

Always take a snack with! My mom used to shop with a couple packs of fruit snacks in her purse, and I always wondered why... now I know!

I got an app for my phone called Pantry Checker, which is REALLY nice! I love it because it's simple and doesn't have excessive features that are neat but that I won't use; it helps me organize my inventory and from there I can do meal planning really easily. I guess the only real downside is they only allow free inventory of up to 200 items, after that you have to pay a subscription fee or get a free trial... sigh. But, as long as you keep your inventory limited (which I do by only putting the "most important" aka, most perishable, not-frozen and not-canned items) in, it works really well and the notifications are useful! I would like it even more if it added a space to store favorite recipes, but I don't mind keeping my paper versions of those :)