Is there a grosser smell than freezer-burned bread?
OK, of course there is. But, still. How can something as inoffensive as bread smell so nasty after a long stretch in the freezer? What else in your freezer smells bad? Nothing.
I started thinking about freezer-burned bread after reading an online post about how to keep your bread fresher for longer. In other words, how to throw out less bread and thus waste less money. Fresh bread lasts about three or four days, store bought bread about a week. To keep bread fresh, minimize exposure to heat, moisture and air. Avoid the fridge because it dries bread out and sealed Ziploc bags because they lock in moisture and promote mold growth.
Here’s another thought: The bakeries of the nation start making half loaves and selling them in grocery stores. Full loaves for families, half loaves for couples, singles and others with occasional bread requirements.
Sure, you can freeze your unused bread. Been there, done that and cleaned up the mess. When my wife and I moved a couple of years ago, I took on the job of cleaning the freezer. Many raunchy bags of freezer-burned bread and buns had to be extracted and then composted.
We buy bread much more sparingly now and, unintentionally, we’ve made some smart buying decisions in going for sourdough. It turns out that enzymes in the bread help keep it fresher longer. Also, it makes unbelievably good toast.
By one estimate, Canadians waste 2.2 million tonnes of food annually. Almost two-thirds of the food thrown away could have been eaten. A lot of us need to be more efficient grocery shoppers, but the food industry could do a better job, too.
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Rob’s personal finance reading list
Why you should start xmas shopping now
Supply chain logjams may make some items scare. If you see it now, jump on it.
PC Travel – should you use it to book a trip?
A thorough rundown on the pros and cons of using PC Travel, a travel agency operated by the President’s Choice/Loblaw brand for use by people who have a PC Financial Mastercard or are a PC Insiders subscriber. You earn points by booking travel, but you can’t use PC Optimum points to pay for your trip.
“Capitalism is violent”
Heard about the mega-popular Netflix show Squid Game? It’s a capitalism allegory about indebted people who compete in games where they advance toward a big jackpot if they win and die if they lose. In the latest edition of the At the End of the Day newsletter, author Hannah Sung writes about how violent she found the show to be. “Capitalism is violent,” a friend replied. Ms. Sung was the ace producer of a couple of seasons of our Stress Test personal finance podcast. I have not watched Squid Game, but can see that I have to based on the debt theme. What I’m looking forward to in fall TV watching is Season Three of Succession, a show about the most contemptible family business dynasty ever.
Products for people who are cold all the time
Some Buzzfeed silliness, but let’s get real. We all know people are cold all the time in the winter. Plus, natural gas prices are rising, and so will your winter heating costs.
Today’s financial tool
All about employee stock purchase plans (ESPPs), which allow you to buy your company’s stock at a discounted price.
The money-free zone
People share pics of their booze shelf on Twitter, with a bourbon theme. The skyscraper bar cart definitely caught my eye.
Watch this
A financial planner and portfolio manager on how enhancements to the Canada Pension Plan will result in higher payouts to retirees in the future. Younger people will benefit more than people heading shortly into retirement.
Tweet of the week
A financial planner asks: Is there a worse product on the Canadian market than group registered education savings plans?
In case you missed these Globe and Mail personal finance-related stories
- Looking to travel? Get ready to pay more for things like insurance and COVID-19 tests
- How the global energy crunch came to Canada
- Is a drivers’ assistance package worth it on your next car purchase?
More Rob Carrick and money coverage
Subscribe to Stress Test on Apple podcasts or Spotify. For more money stories, follow me on Instagram and Twitter, and join the discussion on my Facebook page. Millennial readers, join our Gen Y Money Facebook group.
Even more coverage from Rob Carrick:
- 🎧 Catch up on Stress Test: Are your parents giving you money? • Why it’s time to stop shaming the renting lifestyle • Is now the right time to buy a house? • Why are young Canadians leaving the cities they love? • Eating in: How COVID-19 has shifted our food spending • Crisis-proof your finances? • Can you afford to live downtown? • The cost of kids
- ✔️ The housing file: The housing boom is ripping apart the financial fabric of Canada • Shut out: A well-qualified millennial home seeker throws up his hands after losing multiple bidding wars • Big city housing affordability is over – now what? • She sold her Toronto house to retire somewhere cheaper, but it didn’t work • How young adults and the whole country win with a tougher mortgage stress test for home buyers • Can’t afford your house? It’s likely not your fault
- 📈 Investing: Robo-advisers have grown out of the novelty stage. Here’s help in finding one right for you • The 2021 ETF Buyer’s Guide: Best Canadian equity funds • The 2021 Globe and Mail online brokerage ranking: Who’s best for investing … and answering the phone • Are these the stock market returns of a lifetime? • On the cusp of retirement and wondering about an ETF that pushes the limits on aggressiveness
- 💰 Your money: The five most important numbers for checking the health of your personal finances • Today’s freakishly low mortgage rates can’t last. What will pandemic home buyers do when they rise? • There’s a cost in money, isolation and family stress when seniors choose to remain in their own private homes • Taking CPP early can cost you $100,000 and limit your long term options • Fleeing the city for the suburbs? Watch out for higher property taxes, more cars and other costs
Are you reading this newsletter on the web or did someone forward the e-mail version to you? If so, you can sign up for Carrick on Money here.
Rob Carrick