I conducted the same expirement a few years ago and was appalled to notice how much I was throwing away. I remember reading an article that mentioned that many people throw away 15% or more of their grocery spend into the trash. It may not seem like much with a paltry grocery bill of $20, but consider what happens with a household that has an average grocery bill of $75/week. For this household, 15% * $75/week * 50 weeks/year is approximately over $500/year. Not sure about you, but I'd rather spend that money elsewhere. Over the years, I started to notice several reasons that I would routinely overspend at grocery stores. If you cook regularly, you'll want to pay special attention to the Chapter 3 in my book -- there are at least 10 reasons that people typically overspend and the good news is that they are all controllable! You might just be amazed at how much you could be saving. So the next time you throw away those rotten strawberries or that gallon of sour milk, ask yourself -- wouldn't you rather save all that and get a fancy DVD player with home theater system? I would.