16 Thrifty Cooking Tips That'll Save You Some Serious Cash

"I save everything I don't use (veggie scraps, extra tomato paste, etc.) in freezer bags all month."

—drunkandconfused

Learn how to turn those scraps into a simple vegetable stock here.

"I like to freeze my homemade stock in a silicone ice cube tray — then just pop them out and store them in a Ziploc bag. They're the perfect size for when you need a little stock to make gravy, sauce, or cook rice in."

—brianneb45d56a859

Check out six other food-saving ice cube hacks here.

"If you know you won't get to eating all your veggies before they go bad, just pickle them!"

—Staceycakes Leonard, Facebook

"Learn how to can! I know it's really old-fashioned and can take a long time to do, but you save money in the long run — plus, you can control how much sugar is added (which you can't do with stuff bought from the store)."

—abbif2

Learn how to quick-pickle vegetables here and transform fruits into jams here.

"Budget Bytes is THE BEST site for saving money!"

—joyceb43a64ebf0

Check out Budget Bytes, Good Cheap Eats, and Frugal Hausfrau for some delicious (and inexpensive) recipes.

"Even the cheapest cuts of meat will become incredibly tender after several hours of slow cooking."

—Mini Nunu, Facebook

Check out 18 slow-cooker recipes that won't break the bank here.

"We grow our own green onions and they grow back every time we cut them."

—Olivia Burrell-Jackson, Facebook

Check out 16 other vegetables you can regrow from scraps here.

"I always buy spices from the bulk section. This is perfect for new recipes where you don't want to be stuck with an entire jar of a new spice you may not even like. There's usually a set of teaspoons so you can even measure out the exact amount you need."

—jennyc4befd6f32

"I save chicken and turkey bones to make stock with. If you want to get fancy, a much larger (and heartier) batch can be made from the bones of several birds instead of just one."

—staceypatonk

Learn how to make leftover roast chicken stock here.

"Meal planning is so important! You don't have to plan to the dot, but a general idea helps in controlling grocery costs."

—pallavic2

Check out 13 simple tips for meal prepping here.

"Buy food when you see a good deal and freeze it until you need it. Meat, fruit, veggies, bread, cheese — it all keeps in the freezer. A well-stocked freezer makes meal planning so easy."

—Sb80

"Hit up the farmers market right before it closes — they usually start to slash prices because they want to get rid of extra produce."

—gracem4de377c0d

"A lot of food cost is due to food waste. Getting a vacuum sealer means that you can buy items you use a lot in bulk, vacuum seal them, and freeze them for months to come."

—c4tluvr4000

Get it on Amazon for $59.