While I pride myself on stretching a buck, I must admit that I do not live a perfectly frugal life. I was much better at it when squeezing every drop out of every dollar was necessary for survival. But in the ensuing years, our financial situation has improved, and that makes it easy to stop being quite so resolute.

My goal in 2008 is to cut out as much waste as possible — to sharply hone my frugal edge. Take bread, for example. One day during the holidays, I tossed out the last of a loaf of dried-out bread and dashed off to the market to buy none other than breadcrumbs. Then it hit me like a ton of bricks. What am I doing? Even I know that the first ingredient in breadcrumbs is dried bread!

I now have a container in the freezer where I will store stale bread for future use: bread pudding, stuffing and French toast, for starters.

To make breadcrumbs, start with bread that is dry and hard. If it's not dry enough, place the slices in a single layer on a sheet pan in an oven that is heated to 200 F until it is dry. Allow to cool. Place dried bread in the bowl of a food processor, and pulse until crumbs appear.

SEASONED BREADCRUMBS: 4 cups plain breadcrumbs (12 slices of bread make 4 cups of crumbs), 1 teaspoon parsley flakes, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon granulated sugar, 1/2 teaspoon crushed oregano or Italian seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon salt. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Store in the freezer in a zip-lock bag or airtight container.

You also can use stale bread to make this delicious tomato soup:

TOMATO AND BREAD SOUP: 4 tablespoons olive oil, 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes, 4 cups stale white bread (cut into cubes), 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 cloves minced garlic, 1 chopped onion, 2 12-ounce cans diced tomatoes, 6 cups chicken broth, 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil.

Heat 4 tablespoons olive oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Stir in pepper flakes, and add bread cubes.

Cook the bread cubes until lightly brown. Drain bread cubes on paper towels, reserving the oil in the stockpot. Pour in another 2 tablespoons olive oil, and cook the garlic and onion in the oil until the onion has softened — about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, basil and drained bread cubes; cook 10 minutes. Add the broth, parsley and Parmesan cheese to the tomato mixture; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer 20 to 30 minutes. Garnish with basil before serving. Servings: 8.

And remember, if the bread has become too stale for human consumption, there are always birds!

Mary Hunt is the founder of www.DebtProofLiving.com and author of 17 books, including "Debt-Proof Living." You can e-mail her at [email protected], or write to Everyday Cheapskate, P.O. Box 2135, Paramount, CA 90723. To find out more about Mary Hunt and read her past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.