A hack I learned from a more seasoned urban homesteader: saving the juices from canned/packaged food

A hack I learned from a more seasoned urban homesteader: saving the juices from canned/packaged foods for later use in soups and other recipes. This container has my meat juices in it (it’s frozen which is why there are layers). I have one for vegetable juices as well, haven’t started one for fruits. As you can see, I’ve just added the broth from these chicken Vienna sausages. I know they’re terrible processed garbage, but they’re also cheap protein that never goes bad, and I’m on a very tight budget.

Anyway, the homesteader in question makes a point to buy vegetables canned in water and fruits canned in juice rather than syrup (she lives alone and no longer has the energy or physical ability to garden). She’s a vegetarian, but buys canned veggie meats and uses the juices from those to make surprisingly delicious vegetarian gravies. Canned veggie water gets used as soup stock, and canned fruit juices get made into interesting variations of fruit punch. Personally I think it’s way better than dumping it down the drain.