# waste not, want not

idiom · CEFR B1

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/waste-not-want-not
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

If one is not wasteful then one will not be in need.

## Examples

- 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.

## Origin

Attested from 1772; a tightened form of the older proverb 'wilful waste makes woeful want'.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.