Tight budgets and rising food prices don’t make the most appetising combination. But there are ways of keeping costs down without compromising on quality. Here are a few practical ways of making the most of what you buy and keeping food waste down.

One of the reasons we’re throwing out food is that it’s not being kept cold enough. According to the Waste and Resources Action Programme (Wrap), fridges kept between 0–5ºC (32–41ºF) will preserve food for longer.

People often confuse “best before” and “use by” dates, and can end up throwing away food unnecessarily. Apart from eggs, you can eat most foods after their “best before” date, although the quality might not be quite as high. “Use by” dates, however, mean exactly that. “Display until” dates are purely for supermarket stock control, so ignore them.

Some people swear by their weekly shop – particularly when they're too busy to go more than once a week. But it’s worth making the time to shop for fresh fruit and vegetables if you find that you can’t keep up with the quantities before they go off.

Plastic storage boxes are your best friends in the kitchen – not to mention the freezer. Use them to keep food fresh for longer and avoid the sad sight of vegetables that have wilted before their time. They're also great for leftovers; store snugly in your freezer for future meals.

Bread bins look attractive but not many are airtight. Keep bread fresh for longer by keeping it in large Ziploc bags. And don’t hesitate to slice an unused part of a loaf and stick it in the freezer; you can toast it without defristing. Just don’t store bread in the fridge, as that makes it go stale even faster.

If you do happen to have stale bread to hand, there’s still hope. Whizz it in a food processor to make breadcrumbs, or use it to thicken homemade soups. If you have a sweet tooth, try Gary Rhodes’ sumptuous bread and butter pudding.

Pitta bread seemingly manages to go stale within seconds. Be inspired by Lebanese cuisine and make fattoush, one of the most popular salads in the Middle East. Toasted or baked stale pitta bread – or any flatbread – is a key ingredient of this fresh-tasting salad of tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes, lots of herbs and a tangy dressing. Try this delicious version here.

Don’t even think of binning that chicken carcass once you’ve roasted it. Boil it with celery, onion, carrots, bay leaves and peppercorns. You’ll have several litres of lovely stock at the end of it. Pick up some stock-making tips here.

If you have leftover roast chicken, pork or beef, flake it into pieces and store it in a box in the freezer. The next time you’re making a risotto, simply stir it in – just add mushrooms, onion and garlic.

Made too much risotto and don’t know what to do with it? Follow the Sicilian lead and make a batch of moreish arancini. These little fried rice balls coated in breadcrumbs usually contain a nugget of melted mozzarella or ragù sauce. Or you can make this version with tomato sauce.

As you’ve gone to the trouble of lighting the coals, make the most of them. A few extra bits of meat will make an excellent lunch of leftovers. And while the coals are hot, use them to chargrill red peppers and aubergines. You’ll get a much better blackened skin than under the grill.

If you’ve bought a bunch of herbs and used only a fraction of them, don’t throw them away. Many herbs freeze beautifully, including basil, mint and parsley. Either freeze the leaves flat on a tray before storing them in boxes, or chop them and freeze them in ice cubes.

Never quite get round to finishing that bunch of grapes? Take them off the stems and give them a quick wash before freezing them. Same thing with bananas: just peel and slice before freezing. Then you’ll have the base for a smoothie, and you won’t even have to defrost the fruit. Add blueberries for extra zing.

Anyone who grows their own vegetables will know too well the benefits of making soup – and it's just as useful if you've over-shopped. Have a glut of courgettes? Boil them with potatoes, garlic and stock, whizz it up and you’ve got a nutritious, fabulous soup. Better still, make a vat of the stuff and freeze it in individual portions.

All those bits you don’t need from vegetables – skins, tops, roots – can be used in your own vegetable stock. Collect them in an airtight container or Ziploc bag – they’ll last about a week in the fridge or you can freeze them before boiling with bay leaves and peppercorns.

It’s not unusual to see wilted salad leaves in a bag even on the shelf. Buy heads of lettuce and wash the leaves before drying them and storing them in a plastic box lined with kitchen paper. They can last up to a week, even longer.

Frozen vegetables are an excellent way of using just what you need without worrying about the rest going off. Thoes frozen as soon as they’re picked are just as healthy as the fresh version.

Tempted by those two-for-one offers and worried about not getting round to eating them? Just double up the ingredients when you’re making a stew and freeze the leftovers. It’s the best kind of ready meal. Have a go with this rich beef stew.

You’ve decided to follow a recipe that calls for half a cabbage, two celery stalks and half a bag of green beans. What to do with the leftovers? You could add them to your vegetable stock, or you could devise dishes that make use of them. Making homemade coleslaw, as shown here, is one of the best ways to use up cabbage and carrots.

A thick rind of parmesan doesn’t look edible, but don’t put it in the bin. Add it to soups to give them an extra flavour, or you can even make your own parmesan stock to add to risottos. Other common leftovers you shouldn't bin include pineapple cores (use in smoothies), carrot tops (turn into pesto) and sour milk (great for scone mix).

Your lovely bananas have turned black in the fruit bowl and you’re about to throw them out. Resist the urge to bin them, and instead make this delicious banana and chocolate loaf.

When a recipe calls for egg yolks, it’s all to easy to ditch unwanted egg whites. Store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two days, or keep them in the freezer for up to three months. Then you’ll have egg whites to hand when you’re making this blackberry Eton mess. Or use them to glaze buns and bagels before baking.

Too many potatoes, peppers or eggs? Put them to delectable use in a Spanish tortilla – another dish that’s great for leftovers, and you can eat it hot or cold. Try this version with leeks, chorizo and goat’s cheese.

Spare salmon, mushrooms or aubergine? They'll work perfectly as an alternative to a classic burger patty. You could even stick bubble and squeak (fried mashed potato and cabbage) in a bun for this decadent bacon, bubble and cheese butty.

Is your drinks cupboard full of bottles of exotic liqueurs and fortified wines you used once and never again? Don’t let them gather dust – put them to good use in these recipes for leftover vermouth, sherry, spirits and port.

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