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Frugal cooking is a skill…and it’s not one that necessarily comes naturally. It certainly wasn’t for me when I first started cooking to save money. Through trial and error, however, I became more competent in how to eat frugally – while still enjoying my food!

If you are learning how to cook on a budget, my frugal cooking budget tips can help get you started.

What is Frugal Cooking

Like all things frugal, frugal cooking is simple and low cost. A frugal cook can make delicious meals from ordinary and inexpensive ingredients.

Why I’m Sharing Cooking on a Budget Tips

My first experience with frugal cooking was in college. I didn’t know how to cook cheap. Like most barely-20-year-olds, in an attempt to save money our go-to cheap meals were heavily processed foods that came from boxes. I shudder when I think about the copious number of MSG-laden ramen packets I have consumed.

As a young adult, I ditched the boxed foods and started making more things from scratch. I enjoyed trying new recipes and expanding my tastes. However, I was operating without a budget – and once I started tracking my expenses, it became painfully clear that I was spending too much at the grocery store.

Learning how to be frugal with food as a grown up was a completely different experience than my college cooking debut. I can proudly say that it is much better – both in terms of health and taste!

To help other burgeoning frugal cooks (and those who are already cooking frugally but just want a few new tricks), I’m sharing my top budget cooking tips for delicious frugal homemade meals!

5 Frugal Cooking Tips

As a frugal adult, I have become skilled at cooking budget meals in my kitchen – and with my top frugal cooking tips, you can elevate your frugal cook skill set, too!

#1 Cook Frugal Recipes with Everyday Ingredients

One of the best ways to make healthy, budget friendly meals is to use common, everyday ingredients. Before I started honing my skills as a frugal cook, I would buy crazy expensive ingredients required for obscure recipes – and I would only use a tablespoon of said ingredient and then let it expire in the back of the fridge or pantry.

I can guarantee you, this is not how to succeed at eating frugally.

Additionally, now that I operate on a frugal food budget, I only buy ingredients that I know I will use up completely. And, if a recipe calls for an outrageously expensive item, I either find a substitute…or I find a different recipe. In fact, most of my frugal cooking recipes have been adapted to fit my budget. I view recipes as more of a guideline than actual instructions.

Furthermore, I save a bundle of money by only making easy frugal recipes that call for cheap in-season ingredients. In the wintertime, I stick to hearty root vegetables and save the recipes that call for fresh berries for the summer, when they are plentiful and on sale.

Pro Tip: Spices are one of the best ways to jazz up frugal foods! Find inexpensive ingredients that fit your tastes – and use them in the majority of your recipes.

#2 Make Meals You Can Prepare Ahead

Frugal cooking is much easier when you are organized and have a plan – and frugal eating is much, much easier when meals are already prepared and ready to go. If you have frugal foods prepped in your fridge, you will be able to better resist the temptation of ordering take out. (And we all know how eating out can bust your budget!)

Make Ahead Frugal Food Tips

Most of my favorite healthy meals on a tight budget can be made in advance. I like to cook a big casserole or tasty salad that can be devoured for days – rather than a one-off meal. To be honest, sometimes the leftovers taste even better after they have had a day or two to really soak in the flavors.

Food Prep Tips for Cooking on a Budget

Similar to my cooking style, my sister likes to frugally cook for her family of four in one fell swoop. On Sundays, she spends about four hours food prepping and cooking so that weekdays are filled with easy grab-and-go pre-made frugal meals.

Whether you are creating frugal family meals or cooking for two on a budget, plan ahead and make food that will last for more than just one meal. At the very least, do some meal prep (slicing, dicing, cutting, cubing) in advance so that when it’s time to make the meal, everything is ready to go.

Pro Tip: When it comes to leftovers, eat them! Seriously, if you want to be frugal with your food, stop throwing it away. Eliminating food waste will help save you money, a lot of money. Get creative (eat a leftover salad for breakfast), repurpose (crumble the last piece of meatloaf into spaghetti sauce) and eat what you buy (even if you have to freeze it).

#3 Always Have Favorite Ingredients On Hand

A sign of a good frugal kitchen is one that is stocked with your favorite cheap meals. If you don’t have a few already, identify your best easy, cheap cooking recipes and make sure you keep the ingredients for those meals stocked in your pantry.

This is especially helpful when frugal cooking for large families, but it is just as important when frugal cooking for one on a budget.

Why Stocking Your Pantry is One of the Best Frugal Cooking Tips

When you have your favorite frugal foods on hand, there is no reason to bail on your food budget in favor of dining out – the food that you love is already in the cupboard!

For example, one of my favorite frugal food recipes is a basic beans and rice dish – and I always make sure to have the core ingredients on hand. As a full-time traveler, keeping a stocked pantry can get a little challenging, but I make stocking my pantry a priority on our first shopping run in every new destination.

Part of meal planning is coming up with your frugal snack ideas, too. Vending machine snacks and convenience store grabs are like a punch in the gut to your money goals. Keep healthy, cheap snacks in your pantry, too!

Pro Tip: One of the best frugal pantry tips is to buy in bulk – as long as you will use it! Grains, nuts and spices are almost always cheapest when bought in the bulk section…but it is also a good idea to stock up on your favorite frugal eats when they are on sale, too.

#4 Get Accustomed to Using Less Meat

There is no doubt about it, meat is expensive. When I was adapting my spending to align with my frugal eating habits, it became painfully clear that meat was eating up the biggest bulk of my budget. That said, our bodies need protein, so when you cut back on meat, you need to replace it with another protein source.

Protein Substitutions

As I dabbled with frugal food ideas, I slowly began substituting other proteins – like beans, lentils and protein-heavy grains – for pricey meat. What I discovered was that these foods actually taste good and it was a huge bonus that they offered astounding health benefits as well!

I’m not suggesting you become a full-on frugal vegan (not that there is anything wrong with that!), but if you are searching for a balance in ways to cook cheaply, then making at least a few meatless meals is a must. Some of my favorite budget cooking recipes are sans meat – and I’m sure you can find a few meatless frugal meal ideas that are to your liking as well.

Buy Meat on Sale

Some of the best ways to save on meat costs is to buy meat only when it is on sale and then freeze it in individual portions (so you don’t waste any food!). Manager’s Sales just a few days before expiration are often the best deals. (This is one of many tips I include in my Groceries on a Budget article!)

Eat Smaller Portions

Another way to save on the cost of meat is to stretch a single piece of meat into several portions. According to Heart.org, a serving of meat or poultry should be about 3 ounces, which in size is equal to a deck of cards…which is much smaller than what many of us have become accustomed to consuming in one meal.

For frugal cooking, try to stretch a single chicken breast to two meals (or if you are cooking on a budget for two, only use one chicken breast for both of your meals). When making frugal dinners, use half the meat and twice the veggies for stew or use grains or beans as additional protein sources for casseroles.

Pro Tip: When I first starting using less meat, I investigated mock meat products as an alternate source. What I found was that faux meat is rarely frugal – and often contains unhealthy additives. Therefore, I skip the meat alternatives and stick to unprocessed protein sources…and when I’m craving meat, I splurge and buy it.

#5 Create Filling, Tasty, Frugal, Healthy Meals

I talk a lot about making budget meals that are both nutritious and delicious – but it is equally important to make frugal meals that leave you full and satisfied.

There is no point in taking a frugal lunch to work if it leaves you hungry (and running for the vending machine by mid-afternoon). Likewise, you won’t stick to your frugal eating meal plan if your cheap dinners don’t bring satisfaction to your stomach. If your frugal food recipes are not tasty and filling, it will ultimately lead to late-night snacking.

As you bravely take on the world of frugal cooking (with my help, of course!), make sure that the foods you choose and very frugal meals that you make will fill you up and leave you satisfied.

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Cooking On A Budget Recipes

You can check out my Frugal Meals post for inspiration on what to cook on a budget. Although in my household we are frugal cooking for 2, my tips can easily be adapted to making meals for one or large groups.

For more detailed budget cooking ideas check out my favorite frugal healthy meals.

• Ideas for Inexpensive Breakfasts
• What to Eat for Cheap Lunches
• How to Make Frugal Appetizers
• Best Frugal Dinner Ideas

However, if you are looking for a wealth of detailed recipes, then I recommend getting a frugal cookbook.

The Frugal Gourmet Cookbook (check it out here) has long been a popular book containing frugal cooking from scratch recipes.

However, if you really want a modern cooking on a budget cookbook, then I recommend, Good and Cheap: Eat Well on $4 a Day, by Leanne Brown. And, guess what? You can get the PDF of this book for free right here!

More Money Saving Food Tips

I have shared my top tips on how to budget cook, but I have a few more bits of advice for saving money in the kitchen.

Grow Your Own Food

Gardening might add up to substantial savings…but do your research first, because this is one of the frugal living tips that doesn’t always pay off.

With our nomadic lifestyle, having a garden is not possible. That said, when we stay in one place for a longer time period, I do buy living herbs – like rosemary, basil and cilantro – that will keep producing for the duration of our stay. It’s much cheaper than buying fresh cut herbs, for sure! For shorter stays, however, my go-to spice is an Italian herb blend and I use it on almost everything.

Helpful Kitchen Accessories

Even though I am a big believer in being a frugal minimalist, there are some kitchen tools that are huge time savers (and time is money!). Furthermore, when you invest in tools for your kitchen that make cooking easier, you are more likely to keep producing fabulous frugal cooking recipes.

A few items you might want to invest in are an instant pot or slow cooker, an air fryer and a garlic press. Find more tips in my Guide to a Minimalist Kitchen.

Budgeting Your Food

The easiest way to excel at frugal cooking is to plan your food budget. And, if you really want to be frugal, then you need to budget for all of your expenditures – from housing to food to entertainment.

I will help you get started by giving you my FREE printable budget worksheet – which you can grab here.

Additionally, I offer affordable bundled budget templates – like a Meal Planning Kit that includes a Weekly Meal Planning Calendar, Grocery List and Blank Recipe Cards – on my Shop Page. How about holiday meals on a budget, you ask? I’ve got you covered with my Best Budget Christmas Dinners!

Accept a Challenge

If you need to kickstart your food budget, then taking on a food challenge might be just what you need. My $5 Frugal Food Challenge will test how low you can go with your food budget. Are you ready to accept the challenge?

Interested in more of my Frugal Food Tips? I round them all up (including my favorite Frugal Snacks) on my Frugal Food page!

We Want To Know: What are your best frugal food tips? Do you have any recommendations for frugal cookbooks, meals for less than a dollar or cheap date nights? How to you feel about Store Brand vs Name Brand? Give us your best advice for frugal cooking that meet your financial goals in the comments below!

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