It is something we are often told not to do . Whether it is food , time , energy or breath -- waste is a loss of something valuable . Waste happens because we use too much of a resource or because we do not use it well . We often use “waste ” in arguments . If we are unhappy with someone , we can say : “Don't waste my time .” If we are really unhappy with someone , we can say to them , “You are a waste of space !” And if you are not happy with the result of something you have done , you can say , “Well , that was a complete waste of time .” There are other ways we use the word “waste .” If someone is very sick or is losing a lot of weight , we can say they are “wasting away .” And if someone has too much alcohol and cannot control their words and actions , we can say they are “wasted .” So , those are some ways we use the word “waste .” We also find it in some useful expressions . Here's the first one : “Haste makes waste .” The online dictionary Merriam-Webster says this expression was first recorded in 1678 . The full saying was : "Haste makes waste , and waste makes want , and want makes strife between the good-man and his wife ." “Haste ” means doing something very quickly . “Haste makes waste ” means if you hurry and rush while doing something , you could make mistakes . And it takes more time and effort to fix mistakes . So , if someone says , “Hurry up ! It's taking you forever to cut that wood for the house project .” You can simply say : “Haste makes waste . I want to do it right the first time !” The other common expression is : “Waste not , want not .” This means that if a person never wastes things , he or she will have what is needed . We often say this as a response to being very frugal . Frugal people are careful about spending money or using things . They are not wasteful . Here is one way to use it . Let's say I am carefully putting paper into a pile . Some of the papers have writing on them , but most do not . And I think I can still use it for something . If someone sees me and says , “Why don't you just throw that paper away ? We have lots of paper .” I can say to them , “Waste not , want not .” It is a simple way to say , “I don't want to waste this paper . If I need it for something later , I'll have it .”