Frugal Friday: Throwing Food Away

Even though Frugal Fridays is taking a holiday for the Fourth of July, I wanted to share this frugal revelation I had today.

Somehow, I ended up with a lot of extra ground beef from last month. So much so that I haven't had to buy any yet this month. I was feeling really good about this; that 10 pounds of ground beef in my freezer has lasted this long from my shopping trip on June 2nd. Also, I was specifically feeling great today because I had a chili mac casserole in the fridge, ready and waiting for dinner, since 9:00 am this morning.

Yeah, I WAS feeling good about that until this happened. So, all that extra ground beef in my freezer is included in the recall, including the ground beef I used this morning to make the casserole.

I debated for about 5 minutes on the wisdom of just eating the casserole. Afterall, we have been eating that same meat for the past month. And it has all been cooked, then frozen, then reheated. Finally, I just decided it wasn't worth the risk.

There are some things I am willing to risk when it comes to frugality, but my family's health is not one of them. When you weigh in the "cost" of risking it: Eric missing time from work, my being out of my commission, the kids getting sick, I think my decision ends up being the most frugal option of all.

Yes, it was hard to throw away all that meat, but not nearly as hard as facing the possibilities of us eating e-coli tainted meat. And thankfully, I still have the reciept from when I purchased the meat. Even though the meat is no longer in the original packaging, I am not anticipating a problem. The customer service at our Kroger is phenomonal. Not to mention it helps that almost everyone at the store is familiar with our family.

I realized today that sometimes frugality means taking a step back and looking at the whole picture. I will always remember to weigh the consequences of any frugal decision I make. My family will always come before my frugality!