Changes in the Kitchen

I have gone from feeding six people to feeding just myself in a relatively short period of time.  .  Through the recent years I've made adjustments.  The portions I cook have dwindled.  Not always dwindled enough, but I'm getting there.
I know enough to make small packs of bacon or breakfast sausage before freezing.  I also know oranges and apples and other fresh fruits need to be purchased in single servings - each time I go shopping.  A few years back I figured out there was waste in the refrigerator and brought down the amount of food I purchased.  Although the price of a single piece of fruit irritates me when there is a bag of the same fruit that is half the unit cost.  But, waste not want not.

All things on the road to frugal living.  The one thing that did not occur to me is not to freeze so much more than I could possibly eat in two years.

I didn't take a picture of the freezer before I cleaned it out this week.  I should have.  I couldn't believe what was in there.  Things I forgot about for two years.  All shoved into crevices that existed between other items.  What a mess.  Most of it was freezer burned and collected ice crystals along the way.  My only thought was that I would most likely spend a year in purgatory for the sin of waste. (Catholic joke)

I needed to rethink how I viewed what the frugal lifestyle means.  How could I avoid this ever happening again. I have formed a plan.  I will no longer purchase large quantities of  anything, divide it, and freeze it when it is on sale.  Now for the next step.

I went to the meat market and bought one large pork chop.  I will divide it in two, beat the heck out of it, and oven fry the breaded pieces.  I will eat this twice until it is gone.  No freezer to save it until a later date.  I will make half a recipe of a dessert and eat that for the week.  No more freezing that either.  I will purchase two types of fresh veggies a week and eat those until they are gone. No more freezing these either.  And, hopefully, no more waste.  Fingers crossed. 

I've been tossing around the idea of actual meal planning, as well.  I've never committed menus to paper.  It may help me to save on waste as well. 

Do you have any secrets to staying within your budget and keeping food waste down?  I'm open to suggestions.

I've semi organized the shelves.  One for meats and one for baking items such as chocolate chips and nuts.  It imperative that I keep popcycles on the shelf for the grandkids.  The popcycle holder was a Kohl's find with a sale and 20% coupon.  The cost was 4.40.  It's very sturdy and has a drip guard on it.