One Reddit user has vented about a hot dog problem that was anything but hot.
"Every.Single.Time roommate wants a hotdog, they buy a new pack," they wrote in the subreddit r/mildlyinfuriating. "I even told roommate last night that there was like 5lbs of dang hotdogs in the freezer. Their reasoning was 'But they're frozen! I don't want to wait for it to defrost!'"
Their photo showed multiple open packages of frozen hot dogs, each with just one or two removed from the package. "Didn't bother taking out a pack last night so they could defrost overnight," they said. "Still went out and bought a new pack today. Still boiled the brand new hotdogs."
Commenters had a lot to say.
"All I hear is free hotdogs," one person joked.
Another pointed out: "Why are they in the freezer? Those things last forever in the fridge."
And even if the original poster's roommate wanted to keep them in the freezer, one person explained, they didn't need to worry about thawing them.
"If you're boiling them they don't need to be defrosted," they pointed out.
While the roommate seemed to think that buying new packages was easier, many people were quick to point out the irony of this argument.
🗣️ What's the most common reason you end up throwing away food?
🔘 Bought more than I could eat 🛒
🔘 Went bad sooner than I expected 👎
🔘 Forgot it was in the fridge 😞
🔘 Didn't want leftovers 🥡
🗳️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind
"Boiling them frozen takes less time than picking up a new package each time," one person said.
Another agreed, saying: "Doesn't want to put that effort in but ends up putting in [more] effort and wasting money."
Surprisingly, other people had run into similarly frustrating situations.
"My roommate does this too with sausages," one said. "At one point we had like 55 sausages."
These habits are frustrating when it comes to having space available in fridges and freezers — but overbuying food and letting it go to waste is part of a much bigger issue.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 30-40% of food in the U.S. goes to waste. Not only does this squander hundreds of billions of dollars, but it leads to a tremendous amount of pollution. This happens because when food breaks down in landfills, it releases toxic, planet-heating gases like methane.
Instead, if you need to toss food at home, take advantage of local composting networks or compost your own scraps. That said, the best way to avoid wasting food is to avoid buying too much of it in the first place.
Join our free newsletter for easy tips to save more and waste less, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
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