People 'cooking for one' share their 13 practical tips for saving money and reducing waste
"I batch-cook more, freeze more, and I’m way less anxious about stuff going bad."

People who 'cook for one' share their best money-saving tips that minimize food waste.
Cooking for one is a culinary challenge. Not only can cooking for one be difficult financially, but it can lead to food waste.
Thankfully, mastering how to cook for one is something a lot of single people and solo at-home chefs have nailed. They offered their best tips for how to cook for one person while still saving money and minimizing food waste.
These are 13 of the most useful tips to help people who live alone grocery shop, prep, and store food when cooking for one.
- YouTube www.youtube.com
"Make your freezer your best friend. Cook larger portions (soup, chili, curry, lasagna, etc.) and freeze in single-meal containers. Portion things right away like meat, bread, even pasta sauce cubes in ice trays. Future-you will thank you. A vacuum sealer or silicone freezer molds ('Soupercubes') make it easier." - illeatmyletter
"For freezing 'leftovers'...instead of containers, I use zip lock bags. I freeze them flat(ish) and then once frozen, they can stand up, almost like a filing system. Saves heaps of room in the freezer and you can write what they are above the zippy bits for the full filing system effect." - P2X-555
"Plan meals around one ingredient. If you buy cabbage (or any big veg), plan 2–3 different meals with it that week e.g. gyoza, slaw, stir-fry, soup. Herbs and sauces? Try to use them in multiple recipes so they don’t die in the fridge." - illeatmyletter
@simplysarahhart Cooking for one certainly takes some getting used to but when you utilize your freezer and batch cooking, it gets easier. Freezer meals aren’t just for large families. You can make them as a single person.
"Another tip is to buy whole if possible - whole heads of lettuce, cabbage, peppers, etc. Lots of fresh veggies last much longer when whole than sliced. You can peel off leaves as you need them or buy when on sale and eat later." - mopasali
"Have a 'use it or lose it' shelf. Keep soon-to-expire food in one visible spot in the fridge so you don’t forget it." - illeatmyletter
@simplysarahhart Cooking for one certainly takes some getting used to but when you utilize your freezer and batch cooking, it gets easier. Freezer meals aren’t just for large families. You can make them as a single person.
"Shop with purpose. Make the meal plan first, then shop for just those items. Buy smaller quantities when possible (butchers can weigh exact portions, some stores sell single carrots, etc.). Shop more often in smaller amounts rather than giant stock-ups." - illeatmyletter
"Think with framework by Ethan Chloebowski is actually decent, of thinking about ingredient(s) in a framework does saving food and leftover. Personally I'm following this, as it's pretty flexible, can with with eastern/asia and western recipes." - mell1suga
- YouTube www.youtube.com
"Flexible recipes are gold. Stir-fries, soups, casseroles, fried rice, stews, all are perfect for tossing in whatever you need to use up." - illeatmyletter
"Don't go grocery shopping or ordering groceries while hungry. You will select far more than planned and appropriate. The same applies to filling your plate and portioning your batch-cooked stuff, do this after you've eaten. Half the plate is reserved for the veggies. And of course every meal starts with a salad (with self-made dressing, usually a vinaigrette variation)." - MaxTheCatigator
"Accept some waste. Several people said: you won’t get it perfect, and that’s fine. Even a little less waste makes a big difference." - illeatmyletter
@fitgreenmind SINGLE HOUSEHOLD RECIPES 👩🍳 Cooking for only one person can be harrrrd, so stay tuned for the next 6 recipes… delicious stuff is coming.😌 - REZEPTE FÜR EINE/N 👩🍳 Für nur eine Person zu kochen kann schwer sein, also freu dich auf die nächsten 6 Rezepte … es kommen sehr schmackofatze Sachen.😌 #easyveganmeals #easyrecipes#easyveganrecipes #quickrecipes #vegancooking
"Experiment & preserve. Try homemade kimchi, sauerkraut, or pickling if you’ve got too much cabbage/veg. Blanch and freeze produce for later. Don’t be afraid to freestyle, curry paste + shredded cabbage = surprisingly good meal." - illeatmyletter
"Make sure your fridge is actually cold. Most vegetables can last over a week in a fridge without losing quality. Idk how long we have had the now nub of cabbage in the fridge but it's still fine. Meat will usually last 5-7 days too if it's kept cold enough (ours has a 4th door). You just don't want it so cold it freezes foods. Also there's hot spots and cold spots that can be leveraged. Also how to store food, just about anything that off gasses (potatoes, apples, onions, etc) can most of the time be stored on the counter for a while. Keeping them in the fridge will cause other produce to spoil faster. What you do keep in the fridge, keep the slider vent to closed. Wash lettuce and wrap it in a kitchen towel and it keeps a while." - permalink_save
Keeping food fresh means more flexibility to use it up."Use helpful tools. A few folks mentioned that apps like Oh, a potato! or Cooklist can make it easier to spot recipes that use up what you’ve already got.. Even just keeping a notes app list of what’s in your fridge can help a lot." - illeatmyletter
Communications expert shares the 7-word phrase to shoot down anyone being disrespectful