Save Money by Keeping Track of Your Leftovers + Free Printable

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leftover dinner meal in glass containers

Are you a leftover food person? I’ve learned that most people either are or they stay far away from them.

As for me, I love leftovers! And not because they taste amazing. I mean, let’s face it, unless they’re something like the chili or clear onion soup I made recently that actually got better after they sat for a day or two, most leftovers aren’t usually as good the following day.

(Side note – if you choose to make the linked clear onion soup, know that I altered it a bit by using only 2 cups of beef broth and adding 2 cups of vegetable broth.)

And of course there are some foods that just aren’t good leftover at any time. I always laugh when the server asks me if I want a to-go box for my soggy, syrup-y pancakes. No thank you!

The reason I really love leftovers is because it means I get more than one meal out of something, which really means: cha-ching!

I hate to waste food because it’s wasted money. When I have food leftover, it stretches my dollars out. Thankfully for me I eat slow and kind of like a bird so I often have leftovers 🙂

The problem, however, is that too often I find a container in the back of the fridge with some old, not-so-good-smelling leftovers that I completely forgot about. Ugh! Wasted money right there.

When organizing my fridge I do like to keep leftovers in a specific spot so it’s obvious they are in there. But, unfortunately, my fridge doesn’t usually stay as organized as I’d like for very long. Not to mention it’s always trickier when there are also other people living in the same household.

But nonetheless, I decided I want NO MORE WASTED LEFTOVERS!

I have created a very simple Leftovers Tracker free printable. This tracker is meant for the front of the fridge (or can go inside a cabinet or pantry door if you’d like to have it out of sight).

You simply write down the leftover food item, the date it was cooked, and the date it should be either eaten or thrown away.

Once the item is either eaten or removed from the fridge, just check off the appropriate circle or cross the line out altogether.

This tracker is so helpful to not only to keep track of your leftovers so you don’t waste any food, but also to help with meal ideas. For example, if you don’t have time to cook dinner one night or you forgot to make a lunch for work, just look on the tracker and see what leftovers are available to chow down on.

So simple!

Here is the free printable tracker available to you, either in color or black and white.

The following are some general guidelines for proper leftover storage from the FDA:

Leftover Soups Stews – Vegetable and/or with Added Meat
Refrigerator 2-3 days
Freezer 2-3 months

Leftover Meats
Cooked Meat
Refrigerator 3-4 days
Freezer 2-3 months
Leftover Gravy and Meat Broth
Refrigerator 1-2 days
Freezer 2-3 months

Leftover Poultry
Fried Chicken
Refrigerator 3-4 days
Freezer 4 months
Cooked Poultry Dishes
Refrigerator 3-4 days
Freezer 4-6 months
Pieces, Plain
Refrigerator 3-4 days
Freezer 4 months
Pieces Covered with Broth, Gravy
Refrigerator 3-4 days
Freezer 6 months
Chicken Nuggets, Patties
Refrigerator 3-4 Days
Freezer 1-3 months

Cooked Fish
Refrigerator 3-4 days
Freezer 4-6 months

Hard cooked Eggs
Refrigerator 1 Week
Don’t freeze

Also remember to wrap leftover food well in airtight packaging or sealed containers. And be careful with food brought home from a restaurant in those typical Styrofoam containers. I like to transfer the food to a container when I get home for extra protection.

Do you have any tips and tricks you use to be sure you never waste a leftover? Please share in the comments!

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