"Food Waste Not Want Not" Checklist

Whatever the reasons for food waste, I believe we're long overdue to change our thinking and behavior in this regard.

People in the U.S. discard more than 200 pounds (90 kg.) of edible food per person per year.

This number includes edible vegetable parts or parts of plants that the food industry tosses out, deeming them unfit or unappetizing for the dinner table. 

Post updated 10/29/23

Perhaps this year to honor a holiday like Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Years, you'll consider cutting back on serving 3 kinds of potatoes or 5 types of desserts. 

Why not save money, energy, and help the planet and less fortunate people, by donating that money and/or natural resource (food) to a food pantry or other charity. 

Another idea is to go vegan for a day or more to see how you feel. Research shows that shifting diets from meat and other animal products to plant-based diets has a high potential for reducing carbon footprints and offsetting climate change. 

A vegan lifestyle also improves human health, according to Climate Change 2022: Mitigation of Climate Change, a report from the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

More than enough food is produced on the planet to feed the global population, but as many as 829 million people still go hungry.

The food crisis is worsening, and the number of undernourished people in the world has grown by as many as

150 million from 2019-2022.

Let's look at our part. Some scraps we discard are ones we've been conditioned to think are inedible, and/or we overbuy and food spoils, before we've had a chance to eat it.

It's time to regroup and analyze ways to reduce overconsumption. Read on to find eco-friendly ways to save money, have less spoiled food, and learn to eat or recycle parts of fruits and veggies that we haven't used for sustenance in the past.

Food Waste Not Want Not Checklist Ideas and Tips

1. Only take what you need. When we buy less food, we’ll use every drop. This means simply reducing waste by not creating it in the first place.

2. Purchase food mindfully. Let's plan ahead and go to the market with a menu plan and shopping list. Select fresh things that can be consumed in a day or two. Refrain from buying impulse items, as this tends to make us buy more than we can use.  

Fill in with frozen and canned items. When there is leftover food from a meal or takeout, it's best to eat it at the next meal. If we can't do that, freeze and reheat food before it spoils. 

3. Select produce by the piece rather than prepackaged. Some markets display and sell loose carrots, celery, beets, onions, potatoes and the like. If a market doesn't have this policy, ask them to create one so you only have to buy what you need.  

4. Choose quality over quantity. The best quality foods (organic, fair trade, fresh, local and unprocessed etc.) may cost more, but buying items this way does reduce waste.

5. Recognize positives of sustainable living. Shopping wisely leaves more food for others, improves personal and environmental health outcomes, and saves money in the long run.

Note: When we waste food, we also waste the energy and water it takes to grow, harvest, transport, and package it. If food goes to the landfill and rots, it produces methane—a greenhouse gas even more potent than carbon dioxide.

6. Practice making at least one new plant-based recipe each month. This is an easy way to use produce in tasty new ways and be a "savvy food-saver." See my suggestion below.

To use up overripe or blemished tomatoes, red pepper, and cucumbers to make a delicious bowl of The Best Tomato Gazpacho Soup.

7. Make a few short trips to the grocery store rather than one longer trip each week. Buying a little at a time reduces the chance of fresh food spoiling, before it can be eaten. 

8. Toast day old bread to prolong shelf life. Flavor pieces of toast with herbs and spices, and cut them up for croutons for salad. 

If you prefer, use day old bread for stuffing, bread pudding, or Rosemary Roasted Root Vegetable Panzanella. The recipe and photo are from Dana Schultz at Minimalist Baker. 

9. Handle and store fruit and veggies properly to prolong lifetime and prevent food borne illness. See The Best Way to Store Fruits and Veggies for tips.

Save leftover seeds, pits, and cuttings from veggies and fruit and plant in your garden to regrow more.

 

10. Repurpose lemon, orange, and grapefruit peels. Use them to infuse with vinegar to create a great smelling all purpose cleaner. 

Put a strip of a citrus peel down the garbage disposal to remove the stink.

Read Tips to Make Deep Kitchen Cleaning green and healthy. Check out tip#13 to discover additional ways to use lemon.

11. Eat all parts of a beet. Why Beets are Tops illustrates ways to use all parts of beets and why eating this veggie is so healthy.

 

12. Eat banana peels. Banana peels are safe to eat, and phenolic compounds found in banana peels are rich in antioxidant and antimicrobial compounds. See The Absolute Best Uses for Banana Peels for prep ideas.

13. Save veggie skins, peels, and stalks to make a flavorful vegetable stock. Yellow onion skins lend a wonderful color and taste to homemade vegetable stock. 

Instead of throwing this part of the veggie away, put it in a freezer safe glass container with a lid. Mix onion peel with additional stock-friendly vegetable trimmings including pea pods, broccoli stem peelings, carrot ends and tops, celery leaves and end, asparagus tips, potato skins, and mushroom stems.

When the bag is full, transfer the scraps to a pot, cover with water, and simmer for an hour before straining and storing in the refrigerator or freezer for future use in soups, stews, and as a tasty, cholesterol free sauté liquid.

14. Cook realistic sized portions. If we cook the whole box of pasta it seems easier, but we're likely to overeat or throw some out, rather than store pasta in an air tight container to eat another night.

15. Compost. Compost. Compost. Instead of buying commercial fertilizer for the garden, use organic material from the compost pile to add to soil to help plants grow. 

Food scraps and yard waste together currently make up more than 30 percent of what we throw away, and could be composted instead. 

Composting keeps these materials out of landfills where they take up space and release methane, a potent greenhouse gas.

If you don't have a compost pile, take unused clippings and food scraps to a community composting site. This extra effort is worth it. 🌱

Do you see why it's important to think twice before throwing food away?

Do you understand if you gather only enough food as you need, none will be wasted?

Please update your knowledge about how to store food correctly, and eat, freeze, or share your bounty with others. 

Remember if we waste not we all will want not.

Although I research and fact-check posts, they are provided for entertainment purposes only. When you need medical advice, consult with a health professional.

What is your tip for conserving food? Which of my tips resonates with you? Please explain in the comments section below.

Did you learn anything new or interesting by reading this post? Does it help motivate you to eat any parts of veggies or fruit you may not have eaten before?

I read and appreciate every comment, but will not be able to publish those with links.

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How to Save Money this Summer by Conserving Energy at Home

For several years I've explored sustainable ways to save money and conserve home energy usage. The predictions are in for an extremely hot, dry southwestern U.S. summer, and I'm striving to save and conserve wherever I can. 

Post updated 6/13/2025

To start, I examined my current home energy conservation/usage plan. With a few simple adjustments, I am saving money and greening the planet as well. Keep on reading to find out what I did.

Many people are finding a need to tighten their budgets, and are searching for new ways to economize this summer and onwards. 

I encourage you to look below for tips that show you frugal, eco-friendly energy saving techniques to use to save natural resources and help you live more sustainably.

Use green home cooling methods 

before resorting to air 

conditioning

Employ passive ventilation methods in the early morning or later in the evening by opening doors, windows, skylights, vents, and louvres. 

Let fresh air flow into and through your home for cooling, to remove moisture, and get rid of airborne pollutants.

Close windows and draw room darkening shades, curtains, or blinds, especially during peak hours of sunshine.

Opaque or insulated window coverings help block out the sun’s heat, makes it easier to keep your room cool, and reduces the need for fossil fuel used with air conditioning (therefore reducing utility bills).

When you turn on a ceiling fan, it creates a “wind-chill effect” that helps you feel more comfortable indoors.

Make sure to turn the fan off, before you leave the room.

For tips about how to select and install an energy efficient ceiling fan read this post.


When AC is on, for every degree you raise (make it warmer) the temperature, your energy consumption will decrease by about six percent. So, it’s important to find a balance between comfort and power usage.

Keep thermostat AC temperature as high as comfortable (approximately 78 degrees Fahrenheit), and use a fan to circulate the cool air. A slight reduction in energy use can maintain comfort as well as save money.

Program your thermostat to turn off, when you’re not home. There’s no need to keep your home cooler than necessary when nobody is there to enjoy it!

Keep a pitcher of drinking water in the refrigerator. This beats running tap water to cool it for drinking. This measure saves 200 to 300 gallons of water a month. 

Set your ceiling fan to run counterclockwise on a fast setting in the summer to push the cold air down. 

Set air conditioning thermostat as 

high as 

comfortable

According to results from the 2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey, 88% of U.S. households use air conditioning (AC) to cool their homes.

This makes AC the biggest summer electric energy drain in most households. 

Keep your air conditioning system working in tip top shape. Schedule an AC unit tune-up each year, change filter often, and make necessary repairs as soon as they are needed. 

Conserve water, a finite natural 

resource

The water that comes out of faucets in your home or apartment accounts for more than

15 % of your total indoor water use or 1 trillion gallons of water across America each year. That's why it's so important to fix all leaking faucets ASAP.  

The aerator tip of the faucet determines the maximum flow rate of the faucet. If you have an older kitchen faucet, consider getting an inexpensive new, water-effective one. Do the same for your bathroom faucets and shower heads too.

When preparing fruits and veggies, refrain from using running water to clean them. Instead, fill the sink or a large bowl with water and immerse produce to clean. 

Afterward, water can go to watering plants in your garden and cuttings can be dumped on your compost pile. This can save 150 to 250 gallons of water per month. See Water Conservation Tips to Save Money and Green Daily Living for additional ideas.

Update lighting to save money and energy 

Use daylight to naturally light your home whenever possible. 

Traditional incandescent light bulbs use the most electricity, and must be replaced more often than their energy efficient alternatives. 

Halogen incandescent bulbs, compact fluorescent lights (CFLs), and light-emitting diode bulbs (LEDs) use anywhere from 25-80 percent less electricity and last 3 to 25 times longer than traditional bulbs.

Make the switch to energy-efficient lighting, and get the same amount of light for less money. 

Lighting accounts for 15% of an average home's electricity use. When that household uses LED lighting, it saves approximately $225 in energy costs per year.

Although energy efficient bulbs are more expensive off the shelf, efficient energy use and longer lifetimes means that the cost is less in the long run.

While you're at it, install solar-powered outdoor lights instead of electric. They are inexpensive and a greener source of energy.

Be mindful about your energy

 usage choices

Run the dishwasher only when it's full. Use the eco-setting, if your dishwasher has one.

Operate your washing machine at times when you have a full load of clothes. 

Except for the dirtiest of loads, wash clothes in cold water.

Set your refrigerator temperature between 37-40 degrees Fahrenheit and your freezer between 0 and 5. 

Refrigerators and freezers operate most efficiently when full. Keep refrigerator and freezer full, even if you have to use water bottles to take up empty space. 

Just be careful about overfilling these appliances, as this will restrict airflow and cause the motors to work harder.

Check refrigerator and freezer doors and note whether doors are sealed tightly. One rule of thumb is if a dollar bill shut in the door is easy to pull out, it’s time to replace the gasket.

Your clothes dryer is one of the largest energy guzzlers in the home, often consuming as much power as a new refrigerator, dishwasher, and clothes washer combined. 

Summertime is a good time to air-dry clothing when possible. If you have to use your dryer, be sure to clean the lint filter after each use, use the auto-dry or moisture-sensor setting, and don't add wet items to a load that's already partially dry.

note: This post does not discuss major home renovations including converting from electric or gas to whole house solar power, upgrading all appliances to energy star equipment, replacing conventional windows with triple pane windows, new roofing, etc. Its purpose is to show inexpensive ways to save big.

Find new ways to be thrifty and live in harmony with the planet. One way I've found to do that is to check with my utility company, and get a discount for using energy only in off-peak hours. 

I run my washing machine, dishwasher, and dryer only during off peak hours and reap monetary and eco-rewards (the grid is not taxed at its most vulnerable times). I encourage you to see whether your utility company offers a plan that reduces the price you pay for home energy too.

Adopt those energy conservation methods that resonate with you to save money and help reduce your carbon footprint this summer and beyond. 

What are you doing to conserve natural resources, save money, and simplify living? 

Please explain in the comments section below.

Have you used any of the methods outlined above? 

What other things are you doing to green living?

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