Reducing food waste doesn't just mean eating things before they expire or go bad. You can also use food that you would consider trash and "re purpose" it. For example, when I chop up things like carrots, celery, or onions, I keep the parts you would normally throw away (i.e. celery tops) and put them into a freezer bag. Then when I make chicken broth, I have them on hand. Since you discard the veggies once the stock is made, you aren't wasting produce you could eat, just the stuff you would have thrown out anyway. When you make a chicken
(or even buy a rotisserie chicken from the store), don't throw the bones
and skin out. Use them to make chicken broth. It may seem intimating, but it is really very easy.
Here is a good recipe. (Tip: Once the broth has cooled, pour it into small containers in 1/2 cup increments and freeze. Once frozen, take the broth out of the cups and put them in a freezer safe plastic bag. Then when a recipe calls for chicken broth, you are ready to go.)
My kids will not eat the "butt" of the bread. So, I throw those into a plastic baggie and store them in the freezer. When you collect enough, you can make your own breadcrumbs. You can also do this if you find that your bread is starting to go stale. (Although, if you find that you don't eat enough bread to use up the loaf before it stales or gets moldy, store your bread in the freezer. It will last much longer and the only drawback is you have to wait a few minutes before it completely defrosts before eating it. This works great for grilled cheese, because the frozen bread is hard enough that it doesn't destroy it when you put the butter on).
Not only are you saving money, but you are also making food with ingredients you can pronounce and none of the additives that the premade stuff has in order to make them shelf stable.
Note: Although I am sure it is obvious, please do not try to save food that has rotted, molded, or expired. The doctor bills will far outweigh the savings!
