Key Takeaways

• Planning meals around what you already have and keeping a running inventory helps prevent unnecessary purchases and reduces the money most people lose to food waste.
• Smart storage—using clear containers, organizing weekly, and following first-in, first-out rules—keeps food visible and safe, so you use ingredients before they spoil.
• Planning meals around what you already have and keeping a running inventory helps prevent unnecessary purchases and reduces the money most people lose due to food waste.

You’re not alone. Grocery receipts have been making us wince, too. Food prices continue to climb, and what used to feel like a routine trip to the store now often comes with sticker shock. While we can’t do anything about the cost of food, we can help you save some money. Did you know that roughly a third of all food produced each year ends up in the trash? You might think that most of this waste occurs in restaurants or grocery stores, but a significant source is actually right in our own kitchens. The average American family of four loses approximately $1,500 annually to food that is thrown away.

From planning more consciously to storing food strategically, reducing waste is one of the simplest ways to spend less while eating well. With guidance from chefs, a registered dietitian, and a sustainability expert, we have compiled a list of practical ways to use more, waste less, and save money. We divided them into planning and food shopping, storing, understanding dates and freshness, freezing, preserving, and repurposing, composting, and building mindful habits.

• Regina Harmon, CEO of theFood Recovery Network
• Tatiana Rosana, executive chef of Para Maria andPeregrine in Boston
• Sean Blomgren, executive chef of The Lodge at Spruce Peak in Stowe, Vermont
• Dana Hunnes, PhD, MPH, RD, senior clinical dietitian at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, and author of Recipe for Survival

Plan and Shop Smarter

Saving money and not wasting food starts before you buy groceries.

Take Stock Before You Shop

Before heading to the store, take a few minutes to go through your fridge, freezer, and pantry.

"We’re all busy, and often we go straight from the office to the grocery store," says Regina Harmon, CEO of the Food Recovery Network. "But start your grocery shopping journey at home. Do an inventory and check what you already have. This practice can prevent you from purchasing items you don’t need, like an extra bottle of curry powder or a bag of lemons. Establishing a running inventory of what foods you have at home will always be worth the extra time."

Plan Meals Around What You Already Have

Look at the ingredients you already own and plan meals that use them first. For example, if you have a few aging vegetables, build a stir-fry or soup around them. Using older items first prevents waste, stretches your groceries further, and encourages creativity in the kitchen.

"I also recommend that people, once a month or once a quarter, do a deep dive into their pantry and freezer," says Harmon. "Take everything out and commit to making a meal with those items you forgot about, the items you have too much of. It’s a fun and interesting way to refresh your cooking and can be quite illuminating."

Think In "Meal Modules"

Instead of rigid recipes, plan a week of meals that share ingredients, and organize meals around interchangeable components: a grain, a vegetable, and a protein.

"I always start by choosing a few versatile ingredients that can move easily from one dish to the next," says Tatiana Rosana, executive chef at Para Maria and Peregrine in Boston, Massachusetts. "For example, if I roast a big tray of vegetables or cook a batch of grains at the beginning of the week, I can turn them into salads, bowls, stir-fries, or quick lunches for my son. I also love making a protein that’s neutral in flavor, like simple roasted chicken, and then reinventing it with different sauces or toppings throughout the week. Planning this way keeps meals interesting, reduces waste, and makes weeknight cooking feel a lot more manageable."

Change Up How Often You Shop

Rather than buying everything for the week in one trip, consider shorter, more frequent shopping trips or delay grocery shopping by a day or two. "It forces you to use forgotten things in the freezer or pantry before buying more," says chef Sean Blomgren, executive chef of The Lodge at Spruce Peak in Stowe, Vermont.

Store Food Strategically

If you don’t store food properly, it will go off quicker.

Know Your Fridge Zones

Different areas of the fridge have different temperatures. Keep dairy and leftovers on the coldest shelves, produce in high- or low-humidity crisper drawers as appropriate, and condiments in the door. Don’t forget to pay attention to what should and shouldn’t be stored near each other. "Keep dairy together, raw proteins separate, produce in its own section," Blomgren says.

Normalize Leftovers

Use your leftovers—for lunch the next day, in a sandwich, as a savory pie filling. In fact, make leftovers the celebration, says Harmon. "I’ve hosted leftovers potlucks. A member of our team just threw a leftovers charcuterie party where she required everyone bring their leftovers to add to the theme of the night. Her friends had a blast expanding their meals by incorporating the food from their friends’ homes."

Use Clear Containers

Invest in clear storage containers for leftovers and prepped ingredients. "A common mistake is not storing ingredients in clear, labeled containers—visibility is everything," says Rosana. Seeing what you have at a glance reduces the chance of food being forgotten, makes meal preparation easier, and helps you use ingredients before they spoil.

Understand Dates and Freshness

It’s easy to get confused and throw out items that are still good to eat or overlook food until it is past its best.

Organize Weekly

Take a few minutes each week to tidy the fridge, freezer, and pantry. Regular organization makes it easier to see what you have, use up ingredients, and reduce waste.

Adopt "First In, First Out"

Whenever you restock your pantry or fridge, move older items to the front so they get used first. This simple rotation system ensures that nothing gets buried and forgotten, helping to prevent wasted money on unused ingredients and keeping your kitchen running efficiently. Also, "create a ‘use-first’ bin in your fridge for items nearing expiration," says Blomgren.

Don’t Confuse "Best By" With "Unsafe"

Many date labels indicate peak quality, not food safety. "Best-by dates do not mean the food has expired or is dangerous to eat anymore," says Dana Hunnes, senior clinical dietitian at UCLA Health and author of *Recipe for Survival. *A best-by date is more related to the freshness/taste of the product. So, you can still eat a food after its best-by date; it may just have lost some of its flavor.

Trust Your Senses

Sight, smell, and texture are often better indicators of freshness than printed dates. "If food has any off-coloring, fuzz, or growths, it should be tossed. If it smells sour (and it’s not a sour food) or smells not right, it should be thrown out," says Hunnes.

Keep A "Toss Vs. Keep" Checklist

Create a simple mental or written guide for which foods can last beyond their dates and which should be eaten first, so you can refer to it. "I think a lot of people toss out vegetables and fruits when they could freeze them (if they don’t feel they can use them quickly enough), or cook them and then either refrigerate or freeze them," Hunnes adds.

Freeze, Preserve, and Repurpose

Time-honored techniques for using up every bit.

Save Trimmings For Homemade Stock

"I can’t stress this enough: save your kitchen scraps," Rosana says. "Keep a reusable container in your freezer and toss in things like onion ends, chicken bones, tired zucchini, garlic nubs, and anything else that still has flavor. Once the container is full, simmer everything into a homemade stock. It’s one of the easiest ways to reduce waste, save money, and end up with a deeply flavorful base for soups, sauces, and plenty of other dishes."

Freeze Foods Before They Go Bad

Get into the habit of freezing proactively to protect your grocery investment. "If you get that container of raspberries, sometimes those raspberries will mold in two days," says Harmon. Freeze half of them right away for your smoothies later on if you are not going to finish them quickly. Berries are too expensive to waste, especially in the winter.

Try Simple Fridge Preservation Techniques

You don’t need canning equipment to extend the life of perishables. Quick-pickling vegetables, simmering fruit into a fast jam, or lightly salting herbs can buy you extra days (or weeks) of use. Blomgren blends odds and ends of fruit into smoothie bases and freezes them for quick breakfasts.

Repurpose Foods That Are "Tired," Not Spoiled

A stale loaf can become croutons or bread crumbs; use limp vegetables in frittatas, soups, or fried rice; yogurt near its date makes an excellent marinade.

"I love using pizza as a way to turn odds and ends into a meal," says Rosana. "Leftover vegetables, herbs, small bits of cheese, or cooked proteins all make perfect toppings. I’ll spread a simple sauce or even just olive oil on the crust, layer on whatever I have, and bake it until bubbly. It’s a fun, flexible way to use up scraps while creating something everyone will actually be excited to eat."

Store Frozen Foods Smartly

Label everything with the name and date so items don’t get lost in the depths of the freezer. "Keep a running list of what’s in your freezer so nothing gets lost," says Blomgren.

Compost What’s Left

Even the most efficient kitchens generate some scraps. Composting keeps them out of landfills and returns nutrients to the soil. You can compost produce scraps, coffee grounds, tea bags, and eggshells; however, you’ll want to avoid composting meat, dairy, and oily foods in most home systems.

You don’t need a backyard to compost; many communities have drop-off sites, some municipal programs offer curbside collection, and countertop bin options are available.

Bonus: Build Mindful Habits

Take your waste-not strategies beyond the kitchen.

Keep To-go Containers on Hand for Parties

Harmon suggests having to-go containers on hand for guests. "No one wants to run out of food for a party, so of course, we are going to over-prepare food. Putting some foresight into what is going to happen to those leftovers is a delightful habit—sending your guests home with an extra delicious morsel of the food you lovingly prepared is a gift."

Build Meals Around the Healthy Foods You Already Have

Planning meals with what’s already in your fridge or pantry isn’t just budget-smart—it supports healthier eating, too, says Hunnes. “By planning meals around healthy foods you already have, you’re getting nutritious ingredients into your body—fiber-rich fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and seeds—while also reducing food waste. Rather than throwing away perfectly good food, you’re nourishing yourself with ingredients that might otherwise end up in a landfill, where they release methane, a far more potent greenhouse gas than CO₂.”

Shift Your Mindset

A huge part of reducing waste starts with how you think about what’s already in your kitchen. “I’d say the biggest game-changer in the kitchen is planning and mindset. Treat your leftovers and scraps as ingredients, not trash, and get creative with how you use them. A little organization, a few versatile staples, and a willingness to experiment can save money, reduce waste, and make cooking more enjoyable for everyone,” says Rosana.

Ask Questions When Dining Out

Small conversations can make a big difference. When you’re at a restaurant or event, simply asking about their food recovery or donation practices can open the door to change. Harmon suggests asking:“‘Does your restaurant have a food recovery plan in place? No? Do you know why? Oh, maybe your manager might want to talk to me about it.’ Just beginning these wonderful, curious questions can begin to change the issue. You do not need to be an expert; you just need to be curious."