What was once an eco-friendly act is now becoming an urgent necessity to make ends meet. With inflation on the rise, the fight against food waste is taking on a new dimension, and it’s likely to lead to new habits as households look for ways to save money.

Here are three easy things you can try right away.

1. Preserving food in jars

Preserving food in jars is likely one of the oldest anti-waste tips in the world, yet it remains as relevant as ever. To try your hand at this trick, there are a few basic principles to follow, as outlined by the leading French preserving-jar brand, Le Parfait.

First, always clean your jars with soapy water. Rinse them with hot water and let them air dry.

Always prepare fresh vegetables or fruit, never use frozen food. Whatever you use, it should be rinsed beforehand.

Do not use a wooden spoon with your jars or cans, as this could potentially contain germs or bacteria. Add the food, then fill the jars all the way up with boiling water, salt, oil or vinegar. Always scald the rubber rings that seal the lid to the jar before closing.

Finally, homemade jars of preserves should be stored in a cool, dry place and always away from light.

2. Keep bread for longer and use up leftovers

With inflation notably affecting flour- and cereal-based products, it’s a case of “waste not, want not” when it comes to bread.

For starters, don’t buy sliced bread, as whole loaves stay fresher for longer. The association France Nature Environnement shares another tip: place an apple in the bread basket, before wrapping the bread in a cloth dish towel. That way, your bread won’t end up with a crust as hard as concrete straight away!

Finally, don’t forget you can turn stale bread into French toast by rehydrating it in a mixture of egg, milk, and vanilla sugar. You can also make croutons to add to homemade soups, or grind it into breadcrumbs.

Old bread can even be transformed into a pudding and served for dessert. This involves putting any kind of bread in a preparation of milk, flour, eggs, dried fruit and sugar, before baking it in the oven.

3. Get a food-waste app

While these may be less applicable in Malaysia, apps such as Too Good To Go, Karma, or Olio basically give users access to unsold or uneaten goods at very low prices. Whether it’s from supermarkets, local shops, restaurants or bakers – or even your neighbours – they recover whatever’s left over to help avoid it ending up in the trash.

Available to download for free from Google Play or the App Store, such platforms help you locate leftover food near an address you enter. You can check the list of each app’s partner businesses on their respective websites.

The Too Good To Go app is a real hit, with more than 10 million downloads!