memes

I don't know what it's like where you live but I've never had that problem and I mainly just buy groceries for myself.

what? I have never had this problem for myself. it seems people just want an excuse to eat out

Freeze your food and eat more?

I cook at home a lot since 2020 and stuff does not really spoil. I have not seen cheese or yogurt or bread spoil. Veggies not really.

The only thing I am cautious with is meat

Are you under the impression that families are going to the grocery store every day and trying to eat everything within 48 hours of picking it up from the store? No, people are buying the week's worth of stuff and might not be getting to actually cooking it until 6 days later.

Buy a week's worth of food, with each perishable item in quantities small enough to go into a few meals per week, out of the 21 meals you'll be eating that week.

Fresh vegetables and fruit last a week or two. Fresh meat lasts a week. Eggs last a few weeks. Most dairy products last a week or two.

Make meals out of a combination of fresh ingredients, dry goods (pasta, rice, beans, breads), canned/preserved foods/sauces/condiments, frozen foods. With basically one perishable feature ingredient per dinner, it doesn't take that much planning to feed yourself for maybe 10-25% as much as it costs from takeout or restaurants. Even if your food waste is double as a single person, that's still 20-50% the cost.

Something funny I noticed at my last two jobs. The people who had their financial act together always brought their lunch. The broke people, like me, almost always ate out. Go figure.