Here are a few of my top tips for frugal cooking:

1. Use inexpensive cuts of meat.

If you’re trying to cook frugally, steak should not be on your menu regularly! (We all have “special” meals occasionally.) Stick with recipes which use more basic cuts of meat (unless you find the better cuts on a really good sale or something.)

You can also substitute less expensive meats, in some cases. If you need cooked, shredded chicken, don’t buy boneless, skinless chicken breasts. If your family will eat the dark meat, buy a whole chicken. If they won’t, buy split chicken breasts. It’s a little more trouble to work around the skin and bones when you’re shredding the chicken, but it saves you money and it gives you homemade chicken broth when you simmer it.

(Store the broth in 1-cup portions in the freezer and you can make a quick soup later.) If your family likes it, and it’s cheaper in your area, you can substitute ground turkey for ground beef. (If they aren’t crazy about it, try half-and-half and see if that goes.)

2. Cut back on meat.

There are a number of ways to do this. If you’re cooking with boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut them in half so you have two thinner pieces. They look just as large, but stretch twice as far and cook faster.  (A “serving” of meat is small enough that the whole breast really isn’t necessary.)

You can stretch meat even farther if you cook soups, casseroles, and other meals which use chopped or ground meat. In this case, use a bit less than what’s called for. If a recipe calls for a pound of ground beef, use 3/4 lb. If it calls for one chicken breast, use one cup. (Note that this doesn’t work for meatloaves and burgers!)

3. Go meatless.

You don’t have to be a complete vegetarian to eat meatless once in a while. Beans and whole grains, in particular, are good sources of protein at a lower cost than meat. Even one meatless meal a week will help the budget.

4. Focus on starches.

Starches are some of the most filling foods we eat.  For frugal meals, fill up on starches for calories, with lesser amounts of other foods (like the meat), for the sake of the nutrients they provide.

Starches are healthy if you’re eating the right ones! Whole grains, in particular, are high in protein and provide a lot of vitamins and minerals. Potatoes are okay, too.  Whole-grain breads/biscuits, brown rice, potatoes, and whole-grain pastas are all good foods with which to “fill up.”

(Don’t fill up on empty “white” starches, though. They have practically no nutritional value, clog up your system, and will cause you to overeat because your body knows you still need to eat to get nutrients.)

Unfortunately, this one doesn’t work as well if you’re gluten-free, because gluten-free pasta is pricey!  But you can still use rice, potatoes, cauliflower, etc. as “fillers” and go lighter on the meat and dairy.

5. Cook from scratch.

Prepackaged foods are some of the most expensive items at the grocery store. The more prepared the food is for you, the higher the price (as a general rule). Plain ingredients are cheaper and usually healthier.  The food police are not going to come after you if you have an occasional box of mac-and-cheese, but it is wise not to eat this sort of meal every night.

6. Make your own.

This is one step beyond preparing meals from scratch.  Make as many of your ingredients yourself as you practically can. Now, I’m not talking about making your own salt or slaughtering your own cow! I’m just referring to making your own chicken broth rather than buying canned, mixing up your own biscuit mix, etc. Homemade mixes can save money and time.

7. Buy bulk seasonings.

You might be amazed at how much difference there is between the cost of the little jars of spices at the supermarket and the prices of bulk spices. There are places you can order spices by the pound.

If you don’t want quite that much of something, try your local health food store. Some of them buy spices in bulk and break them up into smaller containers.

Just as an example, I bought a container of rosemary at the health food store at the rate of $4.99/lb. To buy a pound of rosemary at supermarket prices would cost $58.83!  (At these rates, making your own spice blends — like taco seasoning — becomes more cost effective, too.)

8. Plan.

If you plan most or all of your meals, you can buy what you need and you’ll use what you buy. If you don’t plan, you’re likely to end up with a pantry and/or freezer full of food that isn’t being used. Take some time and find some ways to use that food that’s been sitting in there for months.

9. Get creative with breakfast.

Cold cereal, toaster pastries, and individual packets of instant oatmeal are expensive.

Try “real” oatmeal, homemade granola, pancakes, waffles (homemade; not the pricey pre-frozen ones!), French toast, German pancakes, muffins, coffee cake, or eggs.