7 Ways to Save Money Cooking & Have Fun
Plus the advice, cheap and free food, and food bank help we'd add today
I don't know who doesn't want to save money cooking and have a great time! I certainly do. Check out these 7 tips, which include apps to download, ways to save money on groceries, tools to pair drinks with meals, and ways to learn how to cook without breaking the bank. Again, though, you should still be able to eat like a foodie and enjoy yourself, while living on a frugal budget. Stay tuned - we'll show you how!
Budget cooking advice that works
Plan the week from the sale flyer
Look at what's on sale first, then decide what to cook. A week of meals built around two or three discounted proteins and whatever produce is cheap costs a lot less than shopping a recipe list. Flipp puts the weekly ads from about 2,000 stores in one app.
Shop with a list and check the unit price
The shelf tag's price per ounce or per pound is the only fair comparison: the big box isn't always cheaper, and the store brand usually is, often made in the same factory as the name brand.
Keep a cheap pantry
Rice, dried or canned beans, lentils, oats, pasta, eggs, frozen vegetables, canned tomatoes, onions, garlic and a few spices cover dozens of meals for very little. Buy those in bulk when they go on sale and build the week around them.
Cook once, eat twice
A big pot of soup, chili, curry or beans costs little more than a small one. Cook grains and proteins in bulk one night, then turn the leftovers into lunches, wraps, fried rice or soup later in the week.
Use the freezer
Freeze bread, bananas, cooked rice, sauces and portions of big batches before they go bad. Frozen fruit and vegetables cost less than fresh, keep for months and are picked ripe.
Waste less
The average household throws away a lot of the food it buys. Shop your fridge before the store, keep a "use first" shelf, and turn wilting vegetables into soup, stir-fry or frittata. Food you don't throw out is money you don't spend twice.
Cook from scratch, but keep it simple
Pre-cut, pre-marinated and single-serve versions cost several times the plain ingredient. A sheet-pan dinner or a pot of pasta takes 20 minutes and beats takeout on price every time.
Cheap and free food: Too Good To Go, food banks and more
Too Good To Go →
Restaurants, bakeries, grocery stores and coffee shops sell their end-of-day surplus as "Surprise Bags" through the app, usually $3 to $8 for food worth about three times that (Whole Foods bags run about $6). You reserve in the app and pick up in a set window; you don't choose exactly what's inside, which is the catch and half the fun.
Flashfood →
Grocery stores list food near its best-by date at up to half off, from produce boxes to meat and bakery. About 2,000 stores in 28 states take part; you pay in the app (there is a service fee of roughly 8%) and pick up at the store.
Food banks and food pantries →
If money is tight, food banks and pantries give groceries free, no shame and usually no paperwork beyond an address. Feeding America's locator finds the food bank for your area, and the food bank lists the pantries, mobile pantries and free meal sites near you. You can also call or text 211, or search findhelp.org, for food pantries, community fridges and free meals by ZIP code.
SNAP and WIC →
SNAP (food stamps) and WIC (for pregnant women, new moms and kids under 5) put money on a card for groceries every month. Many farmers markets double SNAP dollars on fruit and vegetables. Check eligibility on the USDA site or through your state.
Free food from restaurants and brands →
Birthday rewards, app signups, national food days and kids-eat-free nights add up. Freemania lists the current ones with what each takes.
The 7 tips
From the original post, July 2016. Notes in purple are 2026 updates.
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1. Duh… Coupons!
There are a million places to get coupons these days. There are printable ones, virtual and electronic coupons, cash back options, rewards programs. Ack… who has time for all of that?! We do. Why? Because it's fun and challenging to see how much money we can save. Use coupons.com to print valuable coupons that can land you free grocery items and pair that with Ibotta, Target printables, the free weekly item at Kroger, and SavingStar. Also, I know you guys visit the mommy blogs that tell you where to get freebies with Smart Source or Red Plum inserts that come in the Sunday paper - well, pick these coupons up for super cheap online and get them overnight, buy individual coupons if you know exactly what you want (I recommend this), or find 25 ways to get them free so that you can get 10 free items instead of just one!
2026 update: SavingStar closed in 2021. Target's printables became digital offers in Target Circle, and most grocery chains now load coupons in their apps. Freebies you get with a coupon right now: Free With a Coupon.
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2. Ready Set Eat
Choose your main ingredient from types of meats all the way to vegetarian. These recipes are super to make, fast, and full of colorful pictures - many recipes you probably haven't seen before. And the other fun part is that you can click the "find ingredients on sale" by zip code option and see where you can find everything for the best price! It doesn't always work, but it's a great way to spot where you can get stuff. Ready Set Eat →
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3. Grocery Pal & Grocery King Apps
Grocery Pal (available on iPhone) will allow you to easily make grocery lists, check sales in all local stores, and print coupons right from the app, including the ability to add the items to your digital list. I wish the app would tell you where to buy what you have on your list, but it doesn't seem to make that wish come true for me! Grocery King on the other hand (available on both iPhone & Android), has a visual item catalog, which helps you see everything you need visually and if you pay them roughly a dollar a month for a subscription, they'll even tell you where to buy your groceries for the best deal. Plus, plus, plus… with a free account, you can easily add recipes which will sync to your lists as you see fit. So far, Grocery King wins by a LONG SHOT! If you're going to download one, definitely make it this one.
2026 update: Grocery Pal is still on the App Store (now "Grocery Pal: List & Savings"). Grocery King is gone. For comparing stores, Flipp collects the weekly ads from about 2,000 stores.
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4. Side Chef
Don't know how to cook?! No problem. Side Chef, the app (available on iPhone and Android) to the rescue. Explore a new recipe each day on the homepage of the app and check out over 2,500 step-by-step recipes, curated and original. This app appears to be geared toward people who like lots of meat and need instructions (there are audio instructions and timers built into the app, for example). What's great too is that there are photos of every step of the way, so you really can't go wrong.
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5. Easy Potluck Recipes
45 of them, in fact! I looked for this list because potlucks are fun and all, but you really have to have an idea of what to make without breaking the bank. These are genuinely easy to make, inexpensive, fun, and will make you the popular one. 😉 Personally, I love the homemade cheese dips and such - they are always so tasty and who doesn't like cheese?
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6. Use Wine to Match Tool or App
This is an older website, but it still works brilliantly, especially on a laptop or desktop (might be a bit difficult to navigate on a mobile device, but there's also a mobile app for iPhone!). Choose the best wine for your meal, based on cuisine, main ingredients, flavor profile, etc. It gives you a tag cloud of the best wine choices and then links you to places you can buy them. I don't know how much smarter you can get than this - and you just might learn about some new varietals or local blends along the way. Wine to Match →
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7. Find Your Cocktail Flow
I'm not the greatest at making drinks or even knowing what to make! But, with this tool / website / mixology at Cocktail Flow, you're in good hands. The website is optimized for mobile and they have an app too. You'll never need another website, tool, or cookbook for making drinks. Why not mix a drink while you're cooking or entertaining?
⚡ Free food right now
- Free Coffee or Tea at IKEA for IKEA Family MembersGet it →
- Free Cat Food Sample from Love, NalaGet it →
- Free Brewed Coffee at Starbucks for Veterans, Nov. 11Get it →
- Free Combo Meal Card for Veterans at Freddy's, Nov. 11Get it →
- Free Veterans Day Meal at Bob Evans on Nov. 11Get it →
Questions
What is the cheapest way to save money cooking?
Plan meals around what's on sale in the weekly ad, build them on cheap pantry staples (rice, beans, oats, eggs, frozen vegetables), cook in batches and waste less. None of that costs anything.
Is Too Good To Go worth it?
For flexible eaters, yes: Surprise Bags usually cost $3 to $8 for about three times that in food. You pick up in a set window and don't choose exactly what you get.
How do I find a free food pantry near me?
Use Feeding America's food bank locator (feedingamerica.org), call or text 211, or search findhelp.org by ZIP code. Food banks list their pantries, mobile pantries and free meal sites.
