Saw a bakery owner toss 3 day old bread and it changed how I stock my fridge

I was picking up a cake order at a local shop in Phoenix and watched the owner dump a whole bin of day old croissants. It hit me that I keep food way past its prime because of the sunk cost in my head. Has anyone else stopped hanging onto leftovers just because you paid for them?

2 comments

2 Comments

miles_hall7d ago

Actually I kind of see it the other way. A bakery tossing old bread isn't the same as my fridge full of leftover pasta. They have to do that for food safety and their reputation, but at home I'm not running a business. I've saved a lot of money by not being scared of a few extra days. The sunk cost thing is real, but for me it goes the opposite direction if I already paid for it I'm getting every last bite out of it. I think there's a middle ground where you can be smart about what's actually going bad versus what's still perfectly fine, your mileage may vary though.

victor7797d ago

Yeah, the "still perfectly fine" part is where I always screw up. My fridge is basically a science experiment on the difference between "smells fine" and "probably fine" and "you're about to regret this." I've definitely saved money too, but only because I've also spent a lot of money on takeout after I opened a container of something I was sure was still good and it was not. I guess I'm just not brave enough to push it that extra few days like you do, but hey, more power to you if your stomach can handle the thrill.