Those that throw very little food out what are your top tips?

[Chestnutx3]

I hate throwing food out but it happens. Feel slightly better when it goes on the compost but I can't afford to waste money.

I once did an experiment and our family lived on M&S meals for a week, and prepared salads/veg and I spent less and had very little wastage. I don't want to eat processed foods and we rarely do.

I use my freezer to freeze leftovers but I'm now trying to empty out the freezer of all those leftovers that aren't really a meal and never get used.

The other way I can see of doing it is eating a really limited diet of sausages, mince and pasta bakes etc... which I would hate.

Top tips please.

I make a lot of pasta sauce to freeze and it's amazing what rancid old veg can go in there and come out tasting nice (manky bagged salad, shrivelled peppers, soft wilting carrots). Just really slow cook the onions, let the whole thing simmer with red wine, garlic and chilli for an hour, blitz with the whizzer and freeze. It's really good, healthy, cheap and much nicer than jars.

I too like the innovation that comes from a veggie box, but you don't know the quantities and so sometimes it makes meal planning difficult. Grow alot of my own veggies so the veg box will probably go on hold over the summer. The veg box tastes so much better so thats why I have gone back to it, as I grow my own food supermarket veg tastes dreadful in comparison. I try and have half my plate as veg so it makes sense for us.

Everything does freeze but then I find it doesn't make it back into the kitchen. I've purged the freezer, nothing will go in unless I plan to use it. It ends up being a black hole - I think I am being frugal but just end up filling the freezer.

I do use Ocado but I find it difficult to spend less than £100 a go, often much more. Fruit is much cheaper and nicer at Sainsburys although alot come from the organic box too.

We won't be eating more pudding!

Menu plan and shopping list.

I used to find all the planning tedious but have got used to it now (also the extra money in our bank account is nice)