5 ways to save money cooking at home when the budget is tight

Advice by
Staff writer
January 19, 2024 at 3:52 p.m. EST
Frozen vegetables can be a major money-saving ingredient when you're cooking on a tighter budget. (Scott Suchman for The Washington Post/food styling by Lisa Cherkasky for The Washington Post)
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5 min

Food is one of the biggest line items in many of our budgets. Whether you’re a small household of one or two or have a large family to feed, the challenge is real. Cooking on a budget and eating well may sound mutually exclusive, but they don’t have to be.

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Here we’ve compiled some of our best advice for saving money at the store — and at home — without sacrificing the satisfaction of a delicious meal.

Have a favorite money-saving tip or meal? Share in the comments below.

1

Shop your pantry

The best way to save money is to not spend money. If your pantry is anything like mine, it’s full of potential meals waiting to be made. Look for canned or dried beans and dried pasta as starting points. Then begin building out recipes with other staples, including canned tomatoes (even jarred marinara!), coconut milk, curry paste, evaporated milk and, yes, even those canned mushrooms you’ve been giving side-eye for way too long.

We challenged our favorite chefs to cook out of the pantry — ours, not theirs

Swapping out different herbs and spices will lend variety in flavor and cuisine. Dig out the panko to create a golden breadcrumb topping that can turn an okay dish into an event. A flourish of chili crisp or a shower of toasted nuts or seeds can be pantry MVPs as well.

2

Stretch affordable ingredients over multiple meals

Big-batch cooking is a way of life for those of us with busy schedules and families, but it’s also ideal for keeping spending in check. Here are a few examples that take advantage of this mentality.

Beans. Serve in tacos. Turn into a cheesy dip. Mash into crispy cakes. Fold into a salad.

Tomato sauce (with canned tomatoes). Serve over pasta. Crack eggs into it and bake for shakshuka. Make quick enchiladas with leftover meat, vegetables or beans. Use as a dip for grilled cheese (or thin out to make soup).

Rice. Serve with curry. Make fried rice. Bake into a casserole. Add to frittata.

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