14 Practical Tips to Prevent Food Waste & Save Money

Every week, I find myself throwing out food I never got around to eating before it went bad. And every week, I feel disgusted with myself for literally throwing away money. In this economy, especially, nobody can afford to throw away food.

So in an effort to stop wasting food and money, I’ve spent a lot of time researching how to actually reduce food waste. And I’ve learned a lot. Like, a lot. And I’m actually really excited to take on this challenge.

How to Prevent Food Waste

As with anything in life, preventing food waste comes down to a little planning, a little forward thinking, and a little bit of effort. But the end result is worth it.

Think of all the money you can save by simply learning to prevent food waste!!

1. Meal plan intentionally.

Meal planning is great, but if you’re not doing it intentionally, you’re still going to end up with food waste.

Ask me how I know.

After throwing away one too many bunches of scallions, I have finally learned to plan my meals around similar ingredients if said ingredients come in copious amounts that are impossible to use in a single dish.

So if I need scallions for ramen, I’ll find 1-2 other dishes with different flavors that also call for scallions and add those to my meal plan for the week.

If you’re the type of person to just wing it when you go to the grocery store, you should consider meal planning, and doing it intentionally. Instead of thinking of meals while you’re shopping, spend a little bit of time beforehand thinking of meals to make. It probably doesn’t take anymore time and you’ll know exactly what you need.

2. Stick to your shopping list.

Create a grocery list and buy only what you need.

As you’re scanning the aisles, you may see things you didn’t think of and be tempted to buy them, but in doing so, you’ll most likely end up with more food than you need. Too much food means something will probably go to waste.

I find this happens a lot when I plan to eat extra fruit and veggies as snacks, but then I see chips or snack bars on sale and grab those which I end up eating instead of the fruit and veggies which eventually end up going bad.

So make a list, check it twice, and stick to it.

3. Use ethylene absorbers.

Tired of your produce spoiling so quickly? Girl, me too.

Not to be dramatic, but using ethylene absorbers has literally cut my food waste in half, if not more.

Some fruits and vegetables release ethylene, which is a gas that causes produce to ripen faster. Some are more sensitive to it than others, which is part of why some of your produce lasts longer than others.

This is why it’s recommended to put peaches and pears in paper bags to speed up the ripening process, because it traps the ethylene in. Who knew!

I have one in my fridge as well as my produce bowl on the counter and they’ve saved SO much of my produce from going to waste. Couldn’t recommend them more.

4. Eat seasonally.

Seasonal foods are harvested when they are at their peak freshness and flavor. 

They taste better, contain more nutrients, tend to be cheaper than out-of-season produce, and last longer since they haven’t travelled as far to get to you.

Eating with the seasons is definitely worth considering when meal planning to cut down on food waste.

5. Store your produce properly.

Produce lasts significantly longer when stored properly, especially when combined with ethylene absorbers.

Right when you get home from the store, follow these tips on how to properly store produce to maintain freshness.

6. Freeze it!

Pretty much everything can be frozen as long as it’s not already rotting, so take advantage of your freezer. This goes for single ingredients, like produce, as well as whole meals.

If you know you aren’t going to use all of something, cut it up (if necessary) and throw it in the freezer. This prevents waste while also serving as partial meal prep for a future meal.

I’ve found it extremely helpful to have already chopped onions, peppers, and carrots ready to go when I need them. All I have to do is take them out of the freezer and heat them up, no prep needed.

You can even freeze your produce scraps (think: celery and carrot ends, onion peels and ends, garlic skins, potato peels, etc.) to make vegetable broth with. Instead of tossing them in the trash or compost, add them to a container in the freezer until you have enough to make some broth.

Fruit also freezes well. I used to feel forced to make banana bread every time I had slightly brown bananas or wait until they were moldy and throw them in the compost bin, but now I just peel them and throw them in a reusable silicone bag in the freezer to use for smoothies.

Breads also freeze well and don’t dry out like they do in the fridge, so before they have a chance to mold, throw them in the freezer for safe keeping.

Just pop a date on things so you know how old it is and check your freezer stash regularly to use things up.

7. Dry extra herbs.

That fresh parsley sitting in the back of your fridge slowly waiting for death to put it out of its misery? Don’t be so cruel. Dry it instead.

If you know you only need fresh parsley for meatballs and aren’t going to use it all, hang the rest out to dry, then store it in an herb jar to use later.

Some herbs, like cilantro, don’t dehydrate well, but can be frozen and later used in soups. Just because one preservation method doesn’t work doesn’t mean another won’t, so do a little Googling if needed before letting it go to waste.

8. Cook a weekly pantry meal.

Once a week, go through your fridge, freezer, and pantry and make a meal using ingredients you already have.

Focus on perishable items, especially those that are nearing their expiration. You’d be surprised how much food you actually have and what you can make with it. It may require a little creativity, but that’s part of the fun, right?

9. Understand date labels.

Manufacturers provide date labels on food to indicate when food is of best quality, not when it is unsafe to consume. They are not required by Federal law (except for infant formula).

The way to tell when food is unsafe to consume is when it starts to smell off and/or there are visible signs of mold or decay. You should always use your best judgement, but simply going off the date label is not enough to indicate if a food is actually bad.

Understanding date labels can help prevent unnecessary food waste – here’s what they mean:

Sell-by date: Not a safety date. It’s used by the store for inventory management, noting how long to display the product for sale.

Use-by date: Not a safety date except for infant formula. This is the last date recommended for use of the product at peak quality.

Best if used by/before date: This is not a purchase or safety date. It indicates when a product will be of best flavor or quality.

Freeze-by date: Not a purchase or safety date. It indicates when a product should be frozen to maintain peak quality.

Now ya know!

10. Don’t buy things (especially in bulk) if you aren’t 100% certain you’ll like them.

I have finally learned this lesson after buying one too many things in bulk from Costco and disliking them, only to be left with a year’s worth of something I really don’t want to eat.

Which, let’s be real here, usually means it ends up in the trash.

So if you’re anything like me, don’t buy things, especially in bulk, if you have any doubts on if you’ll like them or not. Because you probably won’t.

11. Create an “eat now” area.

Create a VIP space in your fridge designated to food that’s likely to spoil soon. Make sure it’s front and center and easy to view every time you open the fridge. Whenever you need something, check this spot first.

12. Check your fridge and freezer temperature.

Your refrigerator temperature should be set to 40 degrees F or below to keep food safe. Your freezer should be set to 0 degrees F. Anything else and your food is not going to keep properly.

13. Donate it.

If you have food you know you aren’t going to eat, like that large supply of lentil soup from Costco you ended up hating, donate it instead. Give it to a friend, family member, coworker, or local food bank instead of leaving it in the back of your pantry for 3 years until it goes bad.

14. Compost it.

When all else fails, compost it, especially if you have a garden. This doesn’t really prevent waste, but it allows you to at least make something useful with it.