Get hunting through the freezer, and dust off your blender – because I’m talking to you today about how you can save money by reducing food waste.

Making progress in the money-saving department tends to come down to being more aware of what your actual incomings and outgoings are.

It’s easy to figure out if you’re spending too much money on utility bills but once you’ve switched to a cheaper supplier, it’s time to be a little more creative.

One of the best ways to save money is to look at your food shopping and figure out where you’re overspending.

Most of us are guilty of falling for the ‘three for the price of two’ offers when we only intended to buy one.

However, perhaps the biggest issue with food shopping is that so much of what we buy goes to waste. Whether we forget to use a product before it expires or simply buy too much, we’re throwing loads of cash in the bin when we waste food. 

With that in mind, let’s look at a few great ways to save money by reducing food waste.

Three Clingfilm Alternatives

When we’re trying to reduce food waste, we’ll often look to store it for later by wrapping it in clingfilm. T

his does the job to a certain extent but it’s not great for the environment when we discard it after we’re done.

Wax food wraps, reusable silicone bags, and CoverMate food covers are all great alternatives to clingfilm that will keep your food fresher for longer but also be kinder to the environment. It’s a win-win situation.

Check out my blog post on clingfilm alternatives (I spent a full 6 months reviewing these!).

Homemade Oat Milk

For those of us with intolerances or a taste for something different, products like oat milk can be a burden on the shopping budget. To make things worse, huge cartons of this stuff will often go to waste because it expires before we can use it all.

A great alternative to buying oat milk that will save you loads of money but also reduce waste is to make it at home. It’s as easy as combining some low-cost oats and water and bashing them about before straining. 

Super Easy Scone Recipe

Freshly baked scones with strawberry jam and clotted cream – it’s the dream combination. But it’s also another opportunity to use some products you’ve already bought before they go out of date.

Plus, it’s cheaper than buying them outright at the supermarket and they taste loads better.

With this scone recipe, you’ll be able to create six decent-sized scones from flour, salt, butter, caster sugar, milk, and eggs. 

Saving money while putting a smile on your face. Perfect. These are probably too good to share, though.

Pecan and Maple Cake

The best thing about making a cake is that you get to eat cake. 

However, it’s also an opportunity to use some food products that might be expiring soon or are taking up space in the cupboard or fridge.

Items such as flour, milk, eggs, butter, and nuts will combine to create something spectacular here.

This pecan and maple cake is decadent – a sponge that contains maple syrup is sure to interest those with a sweet tooth. If that wasn’t enough, it has a rich butter icing that puts some store-bought alternatives to shame.

Chicken Tikka Masala Recipe

Reducing food waste isn’t only about baking cakes. Of course, it’s important that we do because we always need cake.

However, there are also ways to use up products for savoury dishes as well as save money on takeaways.

This chicken tikka masala recipe tastes like an actual restaurant version would. All you’ll need are some basic ingredients such as chicken, herbs and spices, onions and so on, and you’ll be fine dining at home for a fraction of the cost.

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