How to Reduce Food Waste at Home (10 Simple, Practical Ways)

Dec 15, 2025
4 min read

Updated: 4 days ago

With grocery prices rising across Calgary and Alberta, many of us are looking for practical ways to save money and reduce food waste—without spending hours in the kitchen.

Whether you’re feeding a family or cooking for one, learning how to reduce food waste at home can significantly lower your grocery bill and make meal planning feel less stressful.

Below are 10 realistic, easy ways to reduce food waste that actually work in real life.

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👉 You may also enjoy: 13 Ways to Save Money on Groceries if you’re looking to stretch your food budget even further.

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1. Use Vegetable Scraps to Reduce Food Waste

Instead of tossing vegetable scraps, save them to make a simple homemade vegetable broth.

I keep a freezer bag filled with:

Onion peels and ends
Garlic skins
Carrot peels
Celery ends
Zucchini and sweet pepper scraps
Green onion ends

When it’s full, I simmer everything with salt, pepper, bay leaves, and herbs.

Once strained, you can:

Use the broth immediately for soups or rice
Drink it as-is
Freeze it in jars, silicone molds, or freezer bags for later
Can it

Sheet pans with meaty deer bones laid out

You can do the same with bones! Keep your bone scraps (chicken carcasses, turkey carcasses, meaty beef bones, etc) and you can make bone broth with it.

2. Store Food in Single Portions

Packaging food in single-meal portions makes it far more likely you’ll actually eat it.

When food looks organized and appealing in your fridge, it’s easier to grab—especially on busy weeknights. I like creating grab-and-go containers for snacks and meals.

This is especially important for freezing food. For example, freezing a whole value pack of chicken breasts in one bag doesn’t work well if you’re only cooking for one or two people.

Containers I Use

I prefer glass containers (Rubbermaid Brilliance, in particular) because they last longer and don’t absorb smells.

3.2-cup containers – perfect for one meal
8-cup containers – great for marinating meat, thawing, or storing leftovers

3. Don’t Plan Meals Too Far Ahead

Instead of planning an entire week in advance, use a flexible “rolling meal plan.”

This approach works well for busy families and changing schedules. Pulling too much meat from the freezer at once often leads to forgotten food sitting in the fridge—and eventually going bad.

4. Freeze Leftovers in Individual Portions

Freezing leftovers in portions is one of the easiest ways to reduce food waste.

Portion meals so your future self has quick, ready-to-heat options.

The dollar store has foil containers that can hold a large portion or 2 portions, depending on the person. I like to freeze things that will reheat well in the oven in those containers - sheperd's pie, lasagna, etc.

I usually freeze leftovers in silicone molds , then remove them once frozen.

Depending on how long they’ll be stored, I may vacuum seal them for extra protection.

5. Prep Produce Properly So It Lasts Longer

Proper produce prep can make a huge difference in how long fruits and vegetables stay fresh.

Here’s what works well in our household:

Leafy greens: Rinse, dry, and store between paper towels
Celery: Chop and store in cold water (change every few days)
Carrots: Prep and store in cold water for snacking
Strawberries: Soak in water and white vinegar, dry well, remove stems, store with paper towel
Grapes: Wash with salt or baking soda, rinse, dry, store with paper towel
Green onions: Store upright in a glass with 1–2 inches of water