Plan leftovers nights on purpose (and stop throwing food away)

Leftovers get wasted for one reason: nobody plans to eat them. They sit in the fridge as a vague possibility until they become a science experiment. The fix isn't cooking less — it's giving leftovers a slot in the week like any other dinner.

Make it a named night, not a maybe

• When you plan a big-batch dinner (chili, roast, lasagne), immediately book the next night as “Leftovers” — one decision, two dinners.
• Plan 4–5 cooked dinners plus 1–2 leftovers nights instead of 7 fresh meals; the week gets cheaper and calmer.
• Put the leftovers night on the shared plan so whoever cooks (or doesn't) sees it — it only works if everyone knows the fridge is the menu.

Let the plan do the remembering

A meal planner that adds a “Leftovers” entry for the next day in one click removes the friction entirely: cook once, tap once, and tomorrow's dinner is already decided and visible to the whole household. No guilt, no fridge archaeology, and a grocery list that's one dinner shorter.