Food waste is literally money down the drain (see my previous post on saving money and reducing waste at the grocery store). But it’s easy to do some good for the environment and keep more money in your wallet. Reducing food waste can easily start at home. Here ate 3 tips for economizing and saving money in your own kitchen.

1. Do a fridge audit

My family calls me “The Tornado” because within hours of visiting my parents’ house, I’m raiding their fridge—cleaning, assessing what can be salvaged or tossed and making mental notes for upcoming meals.

Doing a regular “fridge audit” can trim your shopping list and help you to use up forgotten items buried in your fridge’s depths.

2. Store for more

It sounds simple yet proper storage can prevent spoilage affording you the option to use up your fresh foods and helping you avoid any premature shopping and more overspending  (you see the cycle). Here’s a tried and true storage tip: leave a splash of water in the bottom of a salad spinner to store veggies with stalks, such as celery, parsley, chard and lettuces. And if they look a little limp, resuscitate them by chopping off the root-end tip and soaking them in cool water for half an hour or more.

More tips on how to store your food properly can be found on these online resources from Farm Folk City Folk, a B.C. non-profit organization, and the Canadian Produce Marketing Association.

3. Get creative with leftovers

Out of fresh ideas? With the help of handy apps like BigOven and LFHW (Love Food Hate Waste), get tips to easily turn day-old broccoli or green beans into something new, like vegetable curry or stir fry. Punch ingredients into their meal finder and get a list of recipes.

Better yet, plan how much you’ll need to cook in the first place using Love Food Hate Waste’s perfect portion tool. Whether you’re having a party or dinner for two, the calculator will prevent you from over purchasing and will cut down the amount of leftovers.