Waste Not Want Not Ideas

[many houseapes]

when you were growing up did your mother ever quote the "waste not, want not" phrase? With prices climbing, I thought that I would share some of the things that I do(have done) to prevent wasting food, etc.
Give younger children a very small portion of everything-especially if they are finicky eaters. If they want more of something, then serve seconds.If they leave the food UNTOUCHED-put it back in the pot. If they can't finish something, put that in the fridge in a small container w/their name on it so they can finish it later.
If you have animals - we have 2 big dogs & a bunch of rabbits out back- I keep 2 plastic ice cream buckets on the counter. One is for rabbits, the other is for the dogs. All vegetable scraps/peelings even onions-go to the rabbits.( if you have chickens, you can do the same thing,but you can also give them crushed egg shells)All scrapings off of the plates after meals go to the dogs(I know I'll get blasted for feeding the dogs tablescraps)
Have to add about the vegetable scraps- I have read that you can also save them up & make a pot of stew out of them.
When it becomes difficult to get condiments out of their bottles,we add just a small amount of water & slosh it around in the bottle to get the very last bit out of it.Also, rubber scrapers are my best friends in the kitchen b/c they help to also get that last amount of batter, etc.
Leftovers are an excuse to use your imagination for other meals- I have come up with some family favorites this way. Leftovers can also be used for lunches.
I can remember when the older 5 kids were going to school- If they didn't finish their breakfast, I would put all of the pancake scraps into one container & then that would be my lunch that day when they were in school(that was during a very rough time). Some people might say "EEEWWW"-but it really didn't bother me b/c 'we all had the same germs".
Anyone else have any ideas to cut down on wastefulness?

[perSue]

this is a great message!

i grew up hearing "waste not, want not" & learned that it's a very important lesson to learn... (the "starving children in timbuktu" didn't seem to work as well).

I use the leftover scraps for soups/stews. The "add a little water" to jars/bottles... works every time!

Not just foods, but clothing... many old clothes i keep - if still in decent repair - to make new/other clothing or fabric-related things.
Some things I do donate to Goodwill or other places, if I can't think of a use, or find it would be more useful in tact.

good post!

[watchingpennies]

This is an area I really need to improve on. I do the usual things (upside down bottles - shampoo, ketchup, etc...), roll the toothpaste tube - even cut it when I get right down to it, I use the "heels" of the bread for sandwiches when desperate, or for breadcrumbs on other occassions. I reuse bread bags, produce bags etc....

I think one thing I could do is watch my pop consumption and my dds juice consumption - we really should drink more water and not waste our money on sugar drinks. I always say it, but don't always do it.

Sure am interested in what other people do.

[monkeywrangler71]

When it becomes difficult to get condiments out of their bottles,we add just a small amount of water & slosh it around in the bottle to get the very last bit out of it.

For ketchup, we always used a bit of vinegar rather than water - I guess because ketchup is a large percentage vinegar anyway, it doesn't make it taste watered down.

When my youngest wasn't eating bread crusts, I would cut the crusts off her toast before I gave it to her and throw them in with my bread crumbs. I keep a container for cubes of dried bread and a container for dried crumbs - the crumbs are used for coatings, meatloaf, etc. the cubes are buttered and put on top of casseroles, used instead of toast on French onion soup, and used for stuffing.

[faw42077]

Thanks for sharing your great tips ladies

[Daisygirl]

This is such a great thread. Lets see, we have a few of those here too:

Adding water to the end of the bottle is also useful in the bathroom and laundry room. We use that with all soaps, conditioners and shampoos.

When making a sandwich out of the heels if you put the crusty sides together and goop on some peanutbutter, no one will even notice.

I cook once a week and we do NOT go to the store to get more until evey single bit of that food is gone.

Immediately after supper, as I am cleaning the kitchen, I package the leftovers. Some goes into a divided container for my lunch the next day. Some goes into individual containers for the girls if i am not going to be home in time for supper the next evening. That way my oldest doesn't give the little one too much food. Anything else goes into containers for my lunch in right into the freezer for "tv dinners" on days that I have no time or no leftovers.

I use bread tags (those little plastic ones) for scrapers in the kitchen - they work wonders on stuck on grease and won't scratch teflon if you are careful.

We reuse our water bottles for as long as we can. We have actually used a couple until they started leaking.

I wash out baggies adn tin foil and use them over again.

[ilovechocolate]

I've learned that cutting open tubes of toothpaste, Blistex, etc. when you think they're just about empty yields A LOT more of the product.

I use old stained towels for rags---cut them into a manageable size. Also old t-shirts and socks.

[Daisygirl]

Oh, also, I mend things. A lot of people don't. I don't have great sewing skills, but I can darn the heck out of socks and sew on buttons, also able to fix little rips and patch jeans.

Strangely, mending seems to be a lost art!

[foxxyroxie]

A few things I do:

*Rinse the last little bit out of shampoo, laundry detergent, dish soap, etc.

*I'm the 'mending queen' here.... I'm forever sewing on buttons, mending blow-outs in pants bottoms and hemming/rehemming pants.

*I save bread bags and reuse for whatever??

*I save plastic grocery bags and take back to the store to reuse or they are used for bathroom trash can liners -- at the least it's saved me $$ on buying trash can liners.

*I wash, rinse and reuse plastic zipper bags -- regardless of what was in it.

*I wash, rinse and reuse glass/plastic jars that had mayo, spag. sauce, jelly jars, etc. If nothing else, they make good containers to send 'doggie bags' home with guests. We even have a spag. sauce jar making its rounds around the house as an iced tea glass...lol. What the heck...it works!! We've even used one for a make-shift thermos when we went on a picnic.

*I wash, rinse and reuse all plastic margarine, whipped topping, etc. bowls and lids.

*I tear up old, stained clothes for rags. One thing I've found out is kids love to help with this. I guess it's as much of a stress release for them as it is for me. I just start the tear with a snip of the scissors and let them go at it. They might not be as consistent with size, etc. but, hey, it occupies their time.

[acidcookie]

I too mend my socks, and underwear!

Any t-shirts I have that are stained or too dingy to donate become rags, napkins, handkerchiefs, etc.

I somehow never manage to finish the last bit of tea in my cup. If there's enough left, I microwave it. If not, I pour the last bit in my plants.

I save all paper that only one side has been printed on to print things I'm not giving anyone else. The top sheet loader of my printer always has these discard papers in it.

This may sound gross, but if there's a patch of mold on a block of otherwise fine-looking cheese, I just cut off that moldy bit.

I re-use the plastic bags I get from stores (because I usually only take my shopping bags to Wegmans) as garbage bags. In fact, I don't have to buy any garbage bags this way.

I reuse all the packaging from items I get in the mail to package things I may have to ship. Same goes for used wrapping paper, gift bags, ribbons, and tissue paper.

[nuisance26]

~I don't remember my mother ever using that expression but she knew how to stretch food like nobody I've ever seen. I've definately learned alot about meal stretching from her. Soups are my friend! Many of the things I do have been mentioned. After I've scraped all the spagetti sauce I can out of the jar I put a little water in the jar and shake it up. I pour the tomato broth into a cool whip container for a soup starter. I also get tomato broth by putting water in the pan I used to warm the sauce and whisking it around. I save my bacon grease for pan frying and sauteing. I wipe the flour off the counter after rolling something out and throw it back in the canister. I wash baggies, and foil, and cereal bags. I reuse packing materials and gift wrapping supplies. I iron tissue paper. I reuse cards by turning them into gift tags. I also mend and fix. If it's too far gone I turn it into something else. I salvage zippers and buttons from ruined garments. I use the bare minimum of soaps and cleaners to get the job done. 1 tsp of auto dish detergent in the dishwasher, 1-2 Tablespoons of detergent in the washer. I water down my liquid fabric softener 2Tbs softener/1 cup water in a jar. I use my old homemade baby wipe flannel squares to soak up some of the liquid. I toss one or two in a dryer load. Works great, smells great. I try to wear my clothes 2 or 3 times before washing. My kids wear their outfits 2 days as well. I write my shopping lists and notes and sketches on the backs of envelopes and junk mail letters. That's a long enogh post for now I guess!~

[McD]

My mom and I keep a soup jar of any leftovers that would work in soup. Leftover veggies, meat, noodles are all thrown in the jar in the freezer until we are ready to cook soup!

[Jill B.]

I use a splash of milk to rinse out and use the rest of the ranch dressing.
My biggest reuse item is reusing the coffee grounds and filter in the second pot of coffee. You can use about a quarter less coffee (we like it strong) and you don't need a new filter.
Lately chinese restaurants around here package stuff up in reusable plastic containers for take out. The 3 or 4 times a year we do take out, I reuse it all.

I think I do all the other reusables that most everyone already mentioned.

[Marie78]

It sounds like we all use many of the same ideas to waste not want not. I do remember this phrase as a child growing up. I stretch the soaps, shampoo, and detergent by adding water. I use less to make what I have last longer. I also mend what I can: I sew on buttons, I sew holes at the seams of shirts. I have sewn holes in socks before too. I iron on patches to extend the life of my sheets and pillowcases. I also like to donate clothes if they are in good condition. I use the plastic store bags for trash bags. I use less and less of these and take the rest back to the store for recycle. I cut up old torn towels to make rags for cleaning. Socks beyond repair are used as rags too. I am always thinking of ways to reuse and recycle to waste less.

[inneedofhope]

For rags I use washcloths that have gotten old. They last just about forever, and work really well as dish cloths.
I do alot the the same things you all said.