The cost of living is set to increase massively from April, meaning many households will be looking for ways to cut costs.
One of the priciest essentials for any family can be the food and drink bill.
Whether you shop at Aldi, Tesco or any other supermarket, your food shop bill can soon add up.
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Many houses also find themselves throwing out food which is essentially throwing away money.
This wastage may leave you wondering how you can safely get the most out of your food.
The Food Standards Agency said: "Food with a 'best before' date – which concerns food quality and not food safety – should be safe to eat after the stated date, although it may not be at its best quality.
"Consumers can use sensory cues to determine whether the food is suitable to eat, be that looking for visible mould on bread, tasting to see if biscuits or crisps are stale, or smelling some dairy products (with 'best before' dates) to see if they have soured."
The Money Saving Expert website, which was founded by Martin Lewis, has put together a list of 12 ways to make your food go further, ultimately saving you money.
1. Check you're keeping the RIGHT food in the fridge
What SHOULD go in the fridge
- Eggs – kept in their box
- Oranges
- 'Most' other fruit and vegetables – though see important exceptions below
What SHOULDN'T go in the fridge
- Potatoes – store in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight, in original packaging
- Bananas – store in a cool, dry place, in their original packaging if sold in a bag
- Onions – store in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight, in their original packaging if sold in a bag
- Pineapples – store in a cool, dry place
- Bread – store in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight and once opened, reseal bag to keep it fresher for longer
2. Use a leftover food recipe finder to empty out your fridge
The Supercook site lets you search recipes from various cooking websites by selecting ingredients you need to use up. There are similar tools on BBC Good Food and Love Food Hate Waste, though these only let you search by one ingredient at a time.
You can even find recipes that make use of items you'd normally throw away or compost – such as potato peel.
3. Have an 'eat it first' section
Sounds obvious, but a little organisation in your fridge can go a long way. Sort through it and prioritise foods that are closest to going off.
This should make sure you don't leave anything forgotten at the back that will end up in the bin.
4. Make a meal plan (and stick to it)
You can avoid a lot of food waste simply by buying only the ingredients you need for your meals each week. To help, thrifty MoneySaving Old-Stylers on our forum have put together menu planners of various thrift levels to copy and download. See an index of free MoneySaving menu planners.
5. Turn stale bread into French toast, croutons, bread pudding and more
If you end up with stale bread, there are a whole host of recipes you can use to make it into something tasty. Try turning it into:
- French toast
- Croutons
- Bread sauce
- Bread pudding
- Bread and butter pudding
- Summer pudding
6. Turn old bananas into milkshakes, banana bread, banana pops and more
If your bananas have turned to the dark side, try adding them to these recipes to make them more appetising:
- Banana bread
- Banana bread-and-butter pudding
- Frozen chocolate bananas
- Banana milkshake
- Instant banana ice cream
7. Store bread in the freezer to keep it fresh longer
To stop bread going stale in the first place, put it in the freezer the day you buy it. Then take it out a couple of slices at a time for toast or sandwiches. (If you buy unsliced loaves, slice them before freezing.)
8. Freeze lemon and lime slices and use them in drinks
If you only use part of a lemon or lime for a recipe, DON'T leave the rest in the fridge to slowly shrivel up. Slice it or cut it into wedges, and put it in the freezer to use as a fruity alternative to ice cubes.
To make sure they don't stick together, separate slices by laying them on ice cube trays and then move them to a freezer bag once they've frozen.
9. Don't throw away broccoli stems – they can taste just as good
Did you know you can eat the stem of broccoli? A surprising number of people throw it away, but if you trim off the tough outer layer and cook the stem with the rest of the broccoli 'florets', the stem can taste just as good (if not better).
10. Freeze herbs, stock, yogurt and even TEA in ice cube trays for drinks, soups and sauces
Lots of food and drinks can be saved from being wasted by freezing them in ice cube trays. They're then in convenient portions for you to add to your cooking (or use in another drink).
- Stock, wine or herbs – add to soups, stews, sauces or gravy
- Fruit or fruit juice – add to smoothies or use as flavoured ice cubes in drinks
- Yogurt – add to smoothies or curries
- Coconut milk/cream – add to curries or sauces
- Tea and coffee – add to iced tea or coffee instead of ice cubes
11. Make ice lollies or smoothies with leftover fruit, yogurt, fruit juice
If you own a smoothie maker (or blender), you'll know they're a great way to use up all sorts of things – including fruit, yogurt, milk, ice cream, fruit juice and lemonade.
But another option is to make homemade ice lollies to use up these leftovers. You'll just need some ice lolly moulds and a freezer, and you can create loads of different combinations, from fruity ice lollies to yogurt pops.
12. Make the perfect amount of pasta and rice every time
Use these measuring tricks to avoid wasting rice and pasta every time you cook them. You may need to adjust the amount slightly depending on your/your family's appetite, but they should give you a good starting point.
- Rice – measure a quarter of a mug of uncooked rice per person (it might not look enough, but that's the portion suggested by Love Food Hate Waste – don't forget it will swell up during cooking)
- Pasta – use your plate or bowl to measure out each portion of uncooked pasta – make sure it's not quite full, as the pasta will expand during cooking
- Spaghetti – if you don't own an actual spaghetti measurer, take a bundle of dry spaghetti about the same diameter as a 10p coin – it should be enough for two servings
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