Spending money on food and drink is unavoidable, but a lot of us are spending much more than we need to on our monthly grocery shop.

The problem with this is not only that food is needlessly wasted (just think about how much ‘off’ food you throw out every week), but your hard-earned cash ends up down the drain too. And if you already have debt problems, this is money you can’t afford to be wasting.

So, how can you cut food waste and save money on feeding your family? The answer is in your very kitchen – it’s your freezer!

Your freezer is a wonderful tool, allowing you to keep food fresh for months and plan ahead with weeks’ worth of meals. You can make meals in big batches and eat them throughout the week, saving money on ingredients. You can even get better deals on food by buying things in bulk, safe in the knowledge that they won’t go off before you get a chance to eat them.

The following are a few tips on how you can make the most of your money-saving freezer:

• Check which types of food can be frozen, as some items may become spoiled (and your cash wasted) when freezing or defrosting them.
• Make sure food is cool before putting it in the freezer, as cooling down warm food means the freezer has to work harder. This is not very energy-efficient, as your increased energy bills will tell you.
• The best way to defrost food is gradually, leaving it in the fridge overnight
• Buy discounted food products nearing their ‚Äòuse by‚Äô date and freeze them