Food Waste Friday and Loot Bags arg!

Every Friday we are going to join the “Food Waste Friday” Blogger’s and post what food is inedible.  I feel frustrated when food goes bad.  We work really hard to pay for food; we have a combustion engine transportation system that gets it to our stores, and wonderful grocers who work hard on supplying the food.  It takes a lot of energy to get food from the ground to our plates, and it bothers me that at the last link on the chain of command that I have failed to get it to our family.  

The Frugal Girl  invites us to share our waste, so we will be motivated not to waste it.  Please share your gripes, so that you will be motivated to eat those leftovers, cook appropriate sized meals, and not let those veggies get ignored in the bottom drawer.

This weeks food waste consisted of some cookies that I over baked.  I tend to do this with sugar cookies...they never seem quite done and then when they cool they are burnt.  I do it every other time! The popcorn was overcooked and we ate what we could but didn't want to break a tooth:) That green slop was another soup catastrophe, red lentil soup that the vegetable broth had gone bad and I poured it in only to realize after.  Perhaps not rushing should be my new mantra in the kitchen?

The second part of this post is about loot bags from birthday parties...I didn't get it as a child and I really don't get it now.  I don't think any parent enjoys all the little trinkets all over their home, the extra unnecessary candy, the little plastic bags etc.  I am guilty as charged as well.  The only difference is that I send all of the junk back lately.  Last year when we were preparing for a move I collected all the trinkets from every room and threw them in a homemade pinata.  I purchased a couple bags of pokemon cards at the thrift store for the boys...so the whole thing cost $4.   We have always used brown or white paper bags for the kids to decorate as one of their crafts as well.  It never fails that one child at the end comes up to say they can't leave until they get their loot bag....so I point to the bag in their hand, grin and let them know that that's it.  This year we have collected enough of those little plastic bags to hand out and get them out of the house.

I have challenged Hannah and Adam to plan her Birthday Party this year on a $0 budget using ingredients to make treats and cake, regular homemade pizza dinner, a sleepover, perhaps geocaching again or some kind of outdoor running game like kick the can and board game tournament before bed.  We originally said only a couple friends, but now that she is at a new school and has been invited to many it's hard to not reciprocate. I hope the parent's at this school will be as welcoming as the last when we requested previously loved toys, games or something that they made.  It was awesome.  There was a lot more thought put into the gifts with scrapbooks, containers of homemade cookies, recycled box robots, gift cards to go to the movies or certificates for playdates and sleepovers.  It was so nice and I think the parent's appreciated it too.