45 Money-Saving Tips for Cooking, Groceries & Restaurants (Save Money Like a PRO!)

[@MelanieBerhtold]

When eating out be sure to take all the sides even if someone does not want them. They make great sides for another day.

[@DavidKnicks]

Eating what you already have for a week is a good one. I'm doing that this month

[@maryjanegibson7743]

Freezing leftovers can be often more appealing. Rather than having what seems like one too many meals of the same thing, but if one or more meals are frozen then it's like having "insurance" for a night when you're too busy to cook, so you only have to thaw and reheat the meal.

[@somethingaboutsamantha]

Walmart pickup is an absolute game changer ❤ saves me time and hard earned money

[@jodieupton4000]

I have started using a calculator too to avoid overspending. Great video as always,.thank you.

[@THEJENNIFERCOOK]

Jodie, thank you! 😊

[@cathyphillips679]

Years ago, as a single Mom of 2 young boys, I didn't have the option of shopping alone. I told the boys that if they were well behaved in the store, they could each choose one item that I would buy with no argument and no questions asked. Didn't always work...lol. But it usually did. My older son always chose a box of Froot Loops while the younger one always wanted some kind of cookie. Once home (and after the first day) they naturally began to share their item.

[@THEJENNIFERCOOK]

Cathy, thank you for sharing this! ❤️

[@susanclark4932]

So sweet❤

[@theresaraddatz-melancon9334]

Thank you for the tips!!!!!

[@StephFuses]

My wife and I have worked on a lot of things to keep through. For us, Costco is a lifesaver. We have a large house so we have a lot of space to store things. Bulk goods that don't spoil fast, paper goods, those sorts of things all get purchased at Costco. We also take advantage of their prepared meals, like the chicken alfredo, the street tacos, stuffed peppers, etc. They are good for about six servings, or about three meals with the two of us. The best part is the cost about 20 bucks, and the oven stuff heats in about 90 minutes in our 20-year-old oven. Add a little homemade bread to most things, and we have a meal.

[@rebacarmack8335]

My bottom shelf is my designated shelf for leftovers. Keep a shopping list ( and go by it), and an inventory for your pantry items, freezer (s) and fridge, then you know what you already have and what you need. I one time picked up creamers ( box of individual) that were a year old, they did refund me but as we checked - all of the other same items were also extremely expired. Shredded cheese because of that coating doesn’t melt as quickly.

[@maryjanegibson7743]

We space out our restaurant and take-out meals, and have them as part of the plan rather than as impulse, last minute purchases. Take-out is often cheaper than dine-in for the same food, so that's what we do. And when possible we try to choose things that will allow us to make more than one meal from the same items. Rotisserie chickens are often cheaper than the whole raw chicken would be, and we can make one do for three meals, with sandwiches as the second meal, and soup made from the bones and scraps as the third with the leftover chicken in the soup.

[@beths8998]

Hi Jennifer! I tend to buy frozen vegetables in bulk when they go on sale. What I have noticed is that a majority of them are now "steamable" vegetable bags and they just do not protect against the freezer elements as well as the more conventional bags did. I am going to do an experiment and purchase one of those giant "ziploc" clothing storage bags from the Dollar Tree's closet section to store them in. Just to see if I can keep the quality better, longer. I swear they switched everything over to those steamable bags because they all have little holes in them which makes them degrade faster.

[@THEJENNIFERCOOK]

Beth, I agree about the steamable bags. I also don't prefer microwaved vegetables.

[@beths8998]

@@THEJENNIFERCOOK absolutely. I purchase them and then cook them on the stovetop. I get skeeved out cooking things inside of plastic. 😆

[@dora9368]

Your a gem 💎 thanks for always giving us good content 😊

[@THEJENNIFERCOOK]

Dora, thank you so much! Have a great weekend 🤗

[@DawnRK3204]

When I get home from a store, I check my receipt and then check the website to make sure I haven’t neglected to clip a digital coupon. I forgot three digital coupons during two shopping trips at BJs Wholesale. They refunded me the coupon costs ($5.50) the next time I visited because it was still within the coupon time frame. Kroger will do this too.

[@maryjanegibson7743]

We make a list and stick to it at the store. And sometimes "a treat" is on the list, so that's when you can get something a little extra.

[@Alohalife221]

I finished all the ads in this video as a thank you for the tips 😊

[@THEJENNIFERCOOK]

Ellie, thank you so much! It is almost the weekend. Have a great one!

[@KathyJacksonSanDiegoRealEstate]

love your ideas!! Splitting meals while out save a lot. for example, at a mexican restaurant you can split a fajita meal three ways. they’re huge portions!

[@THEJENNIFERCOOK]

Kathy, that is one of our favorite meals to split! They are huge! 🤗

[@MrsUnderwriter]

Eating out with young kids I ordered just a coffee for me. We always ended up with kids not able to eat what they ordered

[@kerryjames6312]

Coffee and cake or morning tea is cheaper when dinning out with friends

[@nancycerreta5629]

Thanks Jennifer. Great tips and wonderful comments!

[@THEJENNIFERCOOK]

Nancy, thank you!

[@Savannah-ed4rv]

Two things I do to preserve food and not waste is to wrap produce that's been cut in paper towel and put it into a plastic bag. I also use a product called Fresh paper that goes inside the drawer and it does keep the fruits and vegetables fresh for quite a bit longer. Another thing I do is to keep my refrigerator quite cold. I have a thermometer in there and it's usually a hovering around 20° which you would think would be freezing but it doesn't freeze. However it's quite cold and even dairy products will still be fresh up to 10 days after the expiration date.

[@margal3120]

Meal planning for me when our kids were younger was always a struggle as I just never knew what family members would want on a given day! I used their school lunch menu to help them let me know what they liked to eat (and how it’s prepared as they liked baked spaghetti vs. regular spaghetti, for instance). Although considered “basic” meals, it was easier to make them on the alternative weeks when they didn’t eat those meals during their school day lunch. Also, I grew up eating “breakfast for dinner” (pancakes or waffles, bacon, eggs, orange juice) and my kids loved this weird idea 😂

[@KathyJacksonSanDiegoRealEstate]

another idea is using rewards points for a restaurant certificate to eat out.

[@mar-linaustell7505]

Great tips. Thanks

[@edgypelliper9879]

Hey Jennifer! Thank you so much for your video! I also like too be more efficient with doing my groceries. Thank you for your content ❤

[@THEJENNIFERCOOK]

You are so welcome! ❤️

[@shirleylangton7967]

Your tips are great as usual, Jennifer. Talking about soggy meals from the microwave? Mine just broke down and I'm using my toaster oven to warm meals. Tastes so much better. I do cook in my toaster oven most of the time too, to save electric. Thanks for all your helpful videos.

[@THEJENNIFERCOOK]

Shirley, you are right about the toaster oven! We use ours a lot.

[@annetteflynn8453]

I live alone and I use grocery delivery

[@maryjanegibson7743]

Always check the "unit price". Sale items are often not true bargains. Sometimes a smaller or larger package than you usually buy can be a better price, but you're not in the habit of reaching for them.

[@annaahmed2564]

That is very helpful tips thanks for sharing Jennifer keep up good work.

[@THEJENNIFERCOOK]

Anna, thank you! Have a great week 🤗

[@beatricealcaraz5799]

Hey Jennifer great tips thanks for sharing .

[@THEJENNIFERCOOK]

Beatrice, thank you so much! Hugs 🤗

[@maryjanegibson7743]

Have a "leftovers" meal regularly, then serve a variety of things that you have only one or two servings left. So perhaps one will have meatloaf, another will have chicken, and another will have a casserole.

[@anadajboc]

The best decision I made was getting 90% of my groceries delivered. It helps me stick to my list and avoid impulse buys while freeing up time for meal prepping, batch cooking, and cleaning-all of which save me even more time and money in the long run! In winter, I love freezing grapefruit juice into cubes for a refreshing treat and making bone broth with veggies for quick, comforting meal.

[@THEJENNIFERCOOK]

Thanks for sharing this! 🤗

[@meetaroy9536]

Love ur advice

[@donnarakitzis2719]

Thanks for the fantastic tips!

[@tressalewis7004]

I love green grapes, but here in Canada, they can be pricey. The last time I bought green grapes, my husband through the bunch in a container, sealed it up and threw it into the freezer. I have been enjoying two groups at a time that seems to satisfy.

[@yangelthomas]

You're right....Right now I have 3 containers of garlic powder...🤦🏾‍♀️

[@THEJENNIFERCOOK]

It definitely can happen easily with spice containers 🤗

[@annaahmed2564]

I love traders Joe's but its very expensive that reson i don't shop.

[@gladyschandler6724]

When I make soup for several days, then freeze rest for another week.

[@beckywhinery4652]

Awesome 🎉❤

[@bex438]

I love all these ideas Jennifer, I do quite a few already but there's always room for improvement 🤗

[@THEJENNIFERCOOK]

Bex, thank you so much! Enjoy your weekend 🤗

[@CelineRoets]

We do Sunday night leftover / empty that fridge night. So all leftovers come out Sunday night, if we have enough great! Too little? Then I add a sandwich or a frozen pizza to split, too much - plan to eat the oldest leftovers first and use the newer ones for lunch for the week or sometimes Monday becomes leftover leftovers

[@THEJENNIFERCOOK]

Great idea!

[@tressalewis7004]

That was supposed to say I am enjoying two frozen grapes at a time

[@THEJENNIFERCOOK]

🤗

[@kerryjames6312]

I have nine dinners in freezer portion sized so just making breakfast and lunch money I would of spent on dinners goes into savings

[@sheilaschnell8963]

Heating leftovers in the air fryer is a great tip!

[@maryjanegibson7743]

Leave children at home when you grocery shop. The cereal and snack aisles can be the low point of the day if you have kids asking for things that aren't on the list. And learn how to say "no " and making it stick. My kids were good about not pestering for things, but I remember one occasion when I said to one of them "I have said no twice. Do you really want to ask me a third time?" And of course they didn't. A very young cashier then audibly told and older one that I was a terrible mother and her coworker told her "gorw up", much to her surprise.

[@BridgettesJoyAtHome]

I save money using the grocery app. It keeps me getting only what I need and not tempted to buy extras. I did not know leftovers taste better in air fryer. I will have to try this! Thanks for sharing these tips. I love these reminders!

[@maria_w311]

Hi Jennifer 👋🏻

[@THEJENNIFERCOOK]

Hi Maria! Enjoy your weekend 🤗

[@meredithkaliszbaldwin1505]

I got these multiple purpose dissolvable labels from amazon for leftover containers - they dissolve right off when it hits the sink and water!

[@jeanholdstock3695]

If you shop weekly, budget for 8 days. This way, every 7 weeks you have no shopping to do and can use the shopping budget for stocking the pantry, paying towards your debt, boosting your savings, paying your bills etc.,

[@maryjanegibson7743]

Avoid the trap of getting treats all the time. When you have something all the time, it's no longer special. Reserve some things as treats and get them only on special occasions. That's why I keep some dessert and sweet recipes for my Christmas baking only, and we look forward to having them and they stay really special.

[@kerryjames6312]

I use aain ingredient for multiple meals

[@gladyschandler6724]

I shop once a month at Trader Joe's. Weekly at HEB for misc. Bananas or veggies.