Anyone living alone: What do you do to save $?

Question

Any tips on meals for one person?

I live alone & I want to save money. I find that sometimes I buy things and they go bad before I get to eat them. It's a waste of cash and good food. I love to cook but it's not always worth it for one person.

Any tips on living alone, managing money and planning meals?

Answer 1

Please remember that the refrigerator is your friend when it comes to certain foods.

Biggest tip and most important - look at super market circulars prior to food shopping and make a list of items that are ONLY on SALE... I never buy stuff that is NOT on sale.

I love to cook and bake as well but I find this helps me save time, which in return to me saves money too. Cook for a week in advance, usually on Sunday night, then freeze or store it in food storage containers and warm up food when you want to eat it.

Lots of Mac and cheese (store brand), cereal (also store brand on some of them are pretty good), PBJ (store bread in fridge) soups, crackers.

**Store brand items - quality all depends on the store you shop in. I have Wegmans here in NJ and all there stuff is awesome. Ex: cereals, peanut butter, bread, frzn veggies, juice, soda, crackers.

Answer 2

for the most part, we have to know what you've aleady tried, otherwise we could write a book here.

If you're wasting money on your food purchases, then I'm thinking either you're buying by using coupons (getting food you don't really like just to save some money), or that you are used to fixing meals for someone else and are still thinking they are living with you so you are making full size meals with lots of ingredients. If you're living alone and on a tight budget or trying to save (which then you "should be" on a tight budget) then you can't or shouldn't buy anything that you have to "make". Tossing something right into the microwave, or buying prepared foods or something you warm up in a saucepan is your best bet. If you have to use the oven then your electric bill will go up twofold (because the oven is on a long time, and because then you have to cool down the house afterwards). If you want to save money then don't wash clothes weekly, you'll only need to wash clothes (one or two loads) every six weeks or more and do it at a laundromat on your way to the grocery store. Use your car only 4-5 times a month and only for short trips (10 miles or less), i.e. putting less than 10,000 miles on your car per year (which will then lower your insurance as well as lowering your gas usage).

maccaroni and cheese, spaghetti, ravioli, salads, fruits, vegetables are all inexpensive if your meal (1 decent meal per day) is proportionate. Remember too that as you get older you don't need all the calories but you need the nutrition so you can substitute some of the eating with vitamins. Feed yourself on less than $3 a day, and no restaurant eating unless you are patting yourself on the back for a job well done. Find yourself an inexpensive home hobby.

Answer 3

What are you changing in your life to prevent this from happening again? If you are at a dead end job with no education, then nothing is going to change. This year it's moving in with mom to save up $10k. 3 years from now, will it be the same story? If you are just preventing the inevitable, then it's time to make a change in your life. I might move back with mom for a little while while looking for a good roommate situation, looking for a house to buy, finishing my education (or getting better educated so I can get a better job), etc. If you can afford it, save up a down payment for a home and buy one near a college or university hospital. Rent out your spare rooms to students and residents.

Answer 4

The vaccuum sealer did wonders for me when I lived alone. Food would stay fresh for close to a week longer, months if i froze it. It was 100 investment, but paid off dividends in the long run.

Answer 5

What is the necessary of saving little dollars. If you earn more means you can enjoy more for your life. Anyway enjoy your life as much as possible with good earnings. if you want good earnings means do work from home jobs for doing work from home jobs just visit my profile. I think you can earn some handsome amount of money and you can enjoy as much as you want you can save in your bank account also.

Answer 6

I cut back on fod an am loasing weight. Now make things that will freeze and last.