Counting Pennies ~ Waste Not.

Back with another rule for money saving in 2012. We've all heard the old saying "Waste not. Want not." Even though I'm pretty sure that there will always be something else that I want, I do believe in getting your money's worth and not wasting what you already have. I have been one of those "scrape the bottom of the jar" kind of people my whole life. Want proof? Just take a look at my current lotion situation.

One of the main reasons that I buy lotion in a tube is so I can cut it in half when it gets low and slip the top half over the bottom, like a lid. The plastic container on the right was the leftovers from a pump bottle. Instead of losing all that lotion, I cut the bottle open and scraped out the portion that was left in there to die. Silly? Not exactly. Just look at how much product I saved!

Money Rule #2 for 2012: Be aware of waste. Pinpoint which items in your home go to waste most often and figure out a way to use them instead of lose them.

I'm pretty good at using up bath products. But in the kitchen? I could stand to be more thrifty. More food goes to waste in our house than I even want to discuss. I have been trying to get better at cooking only enough for the Hub and I to eat, so we have no leftovers. When making a large batch of something, like soup, it's a good idea to split the remaining portions up and freeze them for quick meals when you don't feel like cooking. Use those extra tidbits of ingredients in the fridge to make a frittata or a stir-fry.

Pay attention all over the house. Be aware of everything you put in the garbage. Is there a way to get more use out of it? Have you gotten your money's worth out of it? Are you only throwing it out because you have replaced it already?

Let's waste less and save more.