waste not, want not
If one is not wasteful then one will not be in need.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“My grandmother always says, waste not, want not.”
“She saves every scrap of food for later because she believes that if you waste not, you want not.”
“By repairing his old tools instead of buying new ones, he lived by the principle that if you waste not, you want not.”
first recorded 18th c.
Attested from 1772; a tightened form of the older proverb 'wilful waste makes woeful want'.
- 01
not want to do that
To be in a state of doing or being about to do something that one is likely to regret; usually unknowingly or forgetfully.
- 02
want for nothing
To have everything one needs.
- 03
want someone's nachos
To covet another; to envy one's accomplishments or qualities.
- 04
want to know
To ask (used as a dialogue marker or introductory statement).
- 05
waste away
To lose energy or become weak and feeble.
- 06
waste breath
To speak in a manner which is needless or futile; in discussion or argument to make points which are not appreciated or heeded.
- 07
waste of breath
Needless or unnecessary speech.
- 08
waste of space
An utterly worthless person; one who, as it were, is unworthy of the space which they occupy.
Last updated August 10, 2026