10 Sneaky Hacks for Cooking Less and Saving More Money
I used to be that mom who spent hours in the kitchen crafting and perfecting recipes and you know what? I loved it. It was great. But, then I started homeschooling and running my own online business and time in the kitchen (plus the dishes) was not on my to-do list anymore. In the last few years I have tried to perfect ways to be lazier…without upping our budget too much. I’m gonna break down for you my sneaky hacks for how I started cooking less while also saving more money. Because, mama, I got your back.
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Go out for half-price
One of the greatest things I ever learned about was Restaurant.com. I honestly don’t know why more people don’t take advantage of this. You can literally get gift cards for $25 but only pay $10!
We have done this so many times…usually for date night. Sure, it might be a local burger joint with a few beers on the side, but at the end of a long week, that’s really all I’m asking for.
Try Gobble
If you are not someone who wants to be in the kitchen but love the idea of putting a beautiful meal on the table for your family at least once a week, you will love Gobble! They can make anyone look and feel like a gourmet chef in 15 minutes.
All you do is choose the meals you want
Buy insta /healthy foods
One way I was able to take my healthy (and time-consuming) cooking down a notch was by being ok with using substitutes. I share some of my favorite ones in my 5-minute dinner hacks post.
If I’m able to get dinner on the table with less fuss and still have organic, healthy food options, then I chalk it up as a win.
Do a charcuterie
Who says you have to be cooking a big, fancy dinner? Why not just come up with a clever charcuterie. My friend Juli over at Tangled With Taste always has the best ones. Check out this super easy, kid-friendly charcuterie.
Doing a quick charcuterie with whatever you have on hand can be a fun way to make dinner a little fancier without really putting in all the work.
Try $5 Meal Plans
If a mother of 4 crazy kiddos told you that you could eat healthy on a budget and she would just do all the work for you, would you totally take her up on it? Yeah, me too!
Thankfully, that’s exactly what the $5 Meal Plan is all about! You can get customized meal plans that are budget-friendly. Meal plans and you get a total grocery list too!
No more trying to come up with a healthy menu and stick to your budget. Just get a $5 Meal Plan and you’re good to go!
Order groceries online
Confession: I still haven’t ordered groceries online. Mainly because I’m a Costco addict. But, I love that people are now able to order their groceries online through places like Walmart. Not only do you not have to get out of your car but this is such a great way to avoid spending temptation as you walk through the aisles!
More of a Target shopper? Use their Shipt program to order groceries and even have them delivered!
Buy lazy foods in bulk
“Lazy foods.” Why didn’t I take advantage of you sooner.
Here’s the thing, I like trying to get healthy foods on the table as much as I can but somedays, mama just wants to tap out and get a pizza.
Unfortunately, I usually don’t realize I want pizza until about 6pm. Then, we spend a good hour debating where we should get pizza and silently arguing about who gets stuck going to the store or the pizza place.
Now, I just bulk-buy pizzas at Costco. This way I save a ton of money by not hitting up the local pizza place and I have a solid 2-3 nights of lazy pizza nights in my future.
Swap with friends
I feel like people in the Netherlands just have everything figured out. It’s very common for people over there to live together and/or share the workload with one another.
Imagine living in an apartment building where everyone was like family and each family took turns cooking dinner one night a month. Which means you only have to cook one giant meal a month! How awesome would that be?
Now, this setup isn’t common of course and I have a husband with major social anxiety so we’d probably just end up making dinner by ourselves anyway. BUT, why not look into swapping with friends or neighbors?
It’s not uncommon for groups of friends to get together, make freeezer meals in batch and then swap them with one another.
What an awesome way to try new foods while simultaneously cooking less!
Phone in dinner
Praise the inventor of UberEATS and Doordash! Not only can people use these jobs as a side hustle, but lazy cooks can also take advantage of takeout from just about anywhere.
Now, truth be told, this probably isn’t the biggest money saver of the list, but some days you just gotta be willing to pay for convenience.
Rebate your way to a night out
The day I paid for our meal at Applebees with my Ibotta rebates was one of the best days of my life. I wish I was kidding but I honestly just get this excited about things.
First of all, you get $10 when you sign up for Ibotta and then you get rebates when you shop at your favorite places. For me, this is Target. After a few
There you have it! My favorite lazy girl, cooking hacks! Did I miss something? Feel free to drop it in the comments or share with me on Instagram!
