Saving money on groceries by clipping coupons and shopping sales is all well and good, but nothing will transform your food budget quite like avoiding waste. Focus on using up every cup of buttermilk, crust of bread, leftover egg white, or cooked roast. It will stretch you creatively, teach you recipes, and absolutely, unconditionally, change your relationship with buying food more so than any surface-level shopping strategy. Try it. You’ll see.
Vanilla Ice Cream
Leftover egg yolks from a meringue or angel food cake? Turn them into rich, creamy homemade ice cream.
Uses up: egg yolks
Ham and Hash Brown Casserole
Cheesy, hearty, and perfect for feeding a crowd at breakfast or brunch.
Uses up: leftover cooked ham
Use-What-You-Have Skillet Fried Rice
A budget-friendly dinner that comes together fast with whatever you’ve got on hand.
Uses up: cooked rice, leftover meat, veggies
Apple Syrup
A sweet, amber syrup perfect for drizzling on pancakes, waffles, or ice cream.
Uses up: apple peels
Buttermilk Waffles
Crispy edges, tender centers, and blueberries in every bite. A weekend breakfast favorite.
Uses up: that last bit of buttermilk
Banana Muffins
Soft, sweet muffins with a three-minute stovetop caramel icing that hardens into the perfect shell.
Uses up: over-ripe bananas
Pecan Pie Croissants
Flaky layers stuffed with almond cream and pecan pie filling. Bakery-level, homemade easy.
Uses up: day-old croissants
Buttery Herbed Stuffing
Fresh herbs, plenty of butter, and that golden crispy top everyone fights over.
Uses up: stale crusty bread
Vanilla Pudding
Simple, from-scratch comfort food that’s ready in minutes.
Uses up: milk before it turns
Pickled Watermelon Rind
Sweet, tangy, and surprisingly addictive. A old-fashioned recipe worth reviving.
Uses up: watermelon rind, of course
Pickle Juice Chicken Marinade
The secret to impossibly tender, flavorful chicken. You’ll never skip this step again.
Uses up: picking brine after you’ve finished the pickles
Bread Pudding
Crispy golden edges, creamy custard center, plump raisins throughout. Old-fashioned comfort.
Uses up: stale bread
Vegetable Stock
Homemade stock that tastes better than anything from a box, and costs almost nothing.
Uses up: vegetable scraps
Sourdough Discard Recipes
Over 40 tested recipes: crackers, pancakes, pizza dough, brownies, and so much more.
Uses up: discarded sourdough starter
Sourdough Croutons
Crunchy, garlicky, and so much better than store-bought. Perfect on soups and salads.
Uses up: stale sourdough bread
Apple Cider Vinegar
A simple fermentation project that turns scraps into a useful pantry staple.
Uses up: apple peels and cores
Tomato Powder
A versatile seasoning for sauces, dressings, soups, and more.
Uses up: tomato peels from canning
Pick one thing you’d normally toss this week and make something with it. That’s all it takes to start.
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