For many people, the freezer is the place where food goes to fester. The food is out of sight, so therefore out of mind - but it doesn't have to be that way.
One thrifty mum reckons she saves over £1,000 a year by freezing ingredients individually, saying the realisation was a "lightbulb moment" for her.
Kate Hall, 37, had previously been freezing entire meals which, when reheated, could only be used once, and the leftovers needed to be binned.
But Kate, from Orpington, Kent, now has a constant "stash" of ingredients in her freezer, which means that she can always use the correct amount to reduce waste.
This has also allowed her to limit her trips to the supermarket and save money, as her frozen produce can be used time and time again.
And her fantastic freezer trick has enabled her to start her own business where she shares her top tips with others looking to do similar.
Kate said: "When you add it all together it's easily north of £1,000 saved a year - as things just aren't going in the bin.
"The way that I have freezer set up is to have a stash of ingredients. This reduces the temptation to buy things when you're in the shop.
"I always buy the multipack of vegetables or a big pack of chicken so I can freeze those leftover bits.
"The beauty of what I've developed is that you don't actually need to defrost everything as all of the veg I can cook straight from frozen."
She said that one of the best things is "being able to stretch things out", and rather than having to use whole packs of meat, she can "separate and freeze."
"I've had students on my course thinking they have to use that up and make a bigger portion but we teach them to be able organise and save food for future meals", she shared.
"It helps you to be able to pull a meal together based on various ingredients that you've got. You can be much more flexible about the things you use."
Kate says her method has also reduced prep time as she can add things to the freezer whilst she cooks, and she began sharing her food waste tips during the pandemic as a way to show people how to get the best out of food.
She said: "When the pandemic hit, I was put on furlough and I worked with one of my colleagues to put together an e-book about how to self-isolate with food.
"I was then made redundant from the day job and I thought I'd make a go of it and found that what I was sharing was really helpful for people.
"More and more people were having these little moments that they could relate to and I made the decision to try and make it into a business.
"In the last year or so I think people have looked at food in a very different way."
She said that she initially had "no idea how bad food waste was for the planet", but when she learned more about the "environmental impact" she wanted to help others - plus she likes helping people "save money."
"It's about using your freezer in a safe way and it's about how you look after food before and after that makes the difference", she said.
Do you have a hack to save cash? Email yourmirror@reachplc.com
