Some of the best tips for frugal cooking include buying produce in season and purchasing weekly supermarket specials. For frugal healthy cooking, it's best to avoid processed and packaged foods as much as possible; these are typically expensive for their weight and contain excess sugar, fat and/or salt. Preparing cheap meals and stocking a pantry are other ways to achieve frugal cooking on a regular basis.
When coming up with cheap meal solutions, it's a good idea to first make a list of the household's favorite foods in each group such as proteins, dairy, fruit, vegetables and grains. It then makes it easier to plan meals by choosing items from different groups to create them. The most money saving way is to coordinate this with what is on sale at your local supermarkets. When your household's favorite items go on sale, stock as much as storage and "best before" dates will allow; having to throw food away negates the whole idea of frugal cooking. To avoid wasting food you buy, make weekly menus and be sure you'll be able to store, freeze or can any excess ingredients.
Buying fruits and vegetables in season for canning or freezing means that you'll be able to enjoy them year round. There won't be a need to buy expensive commercially frozen versions, or at least as much of them. Buying items such as meat and cheese on sale at discount warehouses or stores with good weekly sales can also aid the goal of frugal cooking. By dividing the large packages into smaller containers or freezer bags, and labeling everything with the date and what it is, you can always have a variety of foods on hand to thaw, cook and serve.
Stocking up on staples such as flour, sugar, rice and pasta when these items are on sale means that if you always try to have them on hand, it will allow you to prepare many frugally cooked dishes. For instance, if you keep the ingredients for the household's favorite baked goods on hand, there won't be as much temptation to buy commercially packaged treats. Home baking and frugal cooking are typically much healthier since the cook can control the amount of fat, sugar and salt in his or her dishes.