Earlier this week, 24-year-old Olivia DiLauro made history when did something truly incredible: She made a full week’s worth of groceries last only one day.
After making a Trader Joe’s trip to pick up groceries, DiLauro felt confident the $120 worth of food she bought would last her throughout the week. So imagine her surprise when at the end of the same day none of it was left.
Wondering what kind of “hack” DiLauro used to make her groceries disappear so quickly? She ate them all.
“At first, I just wanted to eat the mixed veggies for lunch, but then I also wanted to taste the macaroni, and then I also wanted to try the fig and olive crisps because they looked good too,” DeLauro says. “After sampling a little bit of everything, I realized I had finished a week’s worth of food that could easily have fed a family of five. I ate a whole bag of shredded pizza cheese. I guess that’s impressive to some people.”
What an innovative way to reduce waste! By eating everything in a single day, DiLauro ensured nothing would spoil or lose freshness.
“I’ve never seen myself as an innovator, but I’ve stumbled onto a really effective way to guarantee food lasts as fleetingly as possible,” says DiLauro. “Turns out it’s called eating, and not stopping.”
Mind blown? If it’s not, you should also know this isn’t the first time DiLauro has accomplished such a feat.
“Now that I think about it, I basically do this all the time,” says DiLauro. “Whatever amount of groceries I buy – that’s a day’s worth. Even if it’s enough to feed a single person like myself three satisfying meals a day for a week, I will make it a day’s worth. Sometimes I meal prep and then I eat all the meals in one sitting.”
What an inspiration! If everyone followed DiLauro’s example and ate every grocery within hours of returning from the store, food waste could be completely eliminated.
