Waste not, want not: Save money by saving food It doesn't make sense to have a savings strategy for before you go to the store but none for when you've come home. It's estimated that most American families waste at least 10 percent of their food and consumable items.How much would you pay for a product you're just going to throw away? Would you buy it at 90 percent off? Don't forget the manufacturing, transportation and disposal costs associated with these products even if you get them free of charge.How can you cut back on this type of waste? Here are a few tips:

• Buy only what you need or will use. This seems obvious, but make an effort to pay attention to what you aren't using by the expiration dates or what you throw away for other reasons.
• Bulk shopping at price clubs can save you money, but make sure you can use what you buy. If you buy too much and end up throwing away products, you've spent too much.
• Clean your fridge on a regular basis. Even once per week will remind you what you've got on hand and what you need to use quickly before it goes bad.
• Take a tip from the grocery stores and stock your refrigerator with items that will expire first toward the front - you'll be more likely to use them quickly - and items you have longer to use toward the back.
• If you have leftovers or food that is about to go bad, pack for lunch rather than buying new food. Not only won't you waste the food, but you'll also save money you would have spent eating out.
• If you have fruit that's about to go bad, chop it up and freeze it in a single container. When you have enough, use the pieces to make a mixed fruit pie or cobbler.
• Leftover meat and veggies can also be used as pizza toppings later in the week.
• Don't let food go bad because you don't have time to prepare it. Plan ahead and make dishes that use some common ingredients for the week. Also, you might only need half a green pepper for tomorrow's salad, but if you make a larger salad and split it up over a few days, you'll be more likely to use the whole pepper and have lunch throughout the week!
• Food isn't the only thing people waste. Be careful to only use as many consumables as you need. Instead of ripping off four paper towels, see if one will do the job. Measure out laundry products instead of guessing - most people use too much. If you're only doing a small load of laundry, be sure not to pour in as much detergent as if you were doing a full load.
• Use cups and plastic containers for your beverages instead of soda cans and juice boxes. You can pour a smaller amount and add more if you need it, whereas if you don't finish a can right away you're more likely to pitch it.
• If you do find that you have food or other items you aren't going to use, think about whether a neighbor, food bank or someone else could use what you aren't before heading to the trash can. You can also start a simple compost heap with biodegradable items, cutting back on the amount of waste that goes to landfills.

Junk Food

• One expert places the average amount of food wasted at $1,200 per year per family.
• In a study of food waste, the Department of Agriculture estimated that 96.4 billion pounds of 356 billion pounds of edible food in the United States is never eaten, with much of the wasted food including fresh produce, milk and grain products.
• The Environmental Protection Agency estimates Americans generate 30 million tons of food waste each year, about 12 percent of total waste - all but 2 percent of that food waste goes to landfills.

With these few tips, you can be sure your hard work to save money doesn't go to waste.