1. Plan Your Meals for the Week

Check your fridge and pantry to see what you already have on hand. Then create a menu for the entire week and make your shopping list accordingly. Glue to the list and buy only what’s on it. This habit reduces both food waste and overspending.

2. Buy Only What You Really Need

Don’t guess-shop. When you shop without a list, you might forget essentials like salt, sugar, or toothpaste. Or overbuy perishable items, fruits, vegetables, dairy, or meat. These don’t come cheap and spoil quickly.

Grocery stores are open every day, so only buy perishables as needed.

3. Understand Expiration Dates

Food labels can be confusing, so it’s important to understand what they really mean:

• Best Before / Use By: The product will be at peak quality before this date.

• Sell By: A guide for stores—not necessarily when food goes bad.

Use your senses, look, smell, and taste before throwing anything away. Don’t rely only on printed dates.

4. Store Food Properly

Proper storage alone can greatly extend the shelf life of the groceries. I highly recommend using vacuum sealers, clean airtight containers, and plastic wrap to keep perishables like meat, poultry, and dairy fresher for longer.

5. Use Leftovers Creatively

Letting leftovers sit at the back of the fridge is a fast track to food waste. Instead, repurpose them:

let say you have…..

• Leftover veggies? Don’t throw them, add them to soups or stuff them into burritos.
• Extra rice? Make stir-fried rice.

If you can’t eat it right away, freeze it!

6. Keep Your Fridge Organized

A messy fridge makes it easy to forget what you have, which leads to spoilage.

Follow the “first in, first out” and “first expiry, first out” rule. Move older or soon-to-expire items to the front so they get used first. Label containers with dates to help you keep track.

7. Freeze for Later

Your freezer is your best friend when it comes to cutting down waste. You can freeze almost anything, breads, fruits, soups, even herbs in olive oil, for future use.

It’s a simple way to make food last longer and save money. You’ll be surprised how much less you throw away!

8. Serve Smaller Portions

Are you someone who hosts a backyard party and ends up with lots of food leftover? If yes…..Don’t worry, it will never happen again if you follow these tips:

• Use buffet-style service with small plates: This will force your guests to take smaller portions at first, and they can always come for seconds.

• Offer popular and most loved dishes: Trying new dishes will not guarantee that your guests will like it and you might end up with lots of leftovers and wastage.

This small tip will make a big difference in your pocket.

9. Preserve with a Dehydrator

The food dehydration preservation technique is around 12,000 years old. This technique removes about 95% of water through evaporation at very low temperatures.

Back in the days, sunlight was used to evaporate the moisture, but don’t worry, you don’t need to dry your stuff in the sunlight if you don’t want to.

You can use a dehydrator or your oven on low heat to dry out fruits, vegetables, or herbs before they wilt. Store them in airtight containers and use them as needed. Great way to preserve and reduce waste!

10. Bonus Tip: Keep a Food Waste Log

Try measuring or weighing your food waste, the number will shock you…..Keeping a log of what you throw away can highlight the money-draining habits.

Let’s take my example: I used to buy fresh spinach and always ended up tossing it in a pan bin.

Since I started logging my grocery waste, I realized the real problem was poor meal planning. I fixed it and—boom—no more waste!

“I buy frozen spinach now…”

All the tips I’ve shared are the ones I personally follow, and I now save around 18% to 20% on my grocery budget.

The money saved on groceries is transferred to my fun budget, allowing me to have more fun without feeling guilty.