The growing demand for cloud computing resources has led to significant waste in terms of unnecessary or unused cloud expenditures. This is often due to the "lift and shift" approach, where large, legacy applications are moved directly to the cloud without a strategic re-think, resulting in costly inefficiencies. To reduce cloud waste, three steps can be taken: first, rethink apps from CapEx to OpEx, which involves modernizing legacy workloads and taking advantage of the rental model of the cloud; second, put guardrails in place to automate and optimize cloud resource management using infrastructure as code; and third, tightly couple cloud spending with business results by incorporating technology, finance, and business together to drive operational processes based on financial impact. By implementing these steps, organizations can achieve leaner spending that is more tightly integrated with the business.