You also need to be well-prepared with the clever ways in using leftover foods or some ingredients that would somehow complement the whole tastes of your dish. In addition to that, you need to know how to store extra ingredients and leftovers properly to prevent any waste. For you to learn better ways on saving money on cooking, then you may take the following tips and considerations that are listed below:

• Cook enough foods and serve the right portions – Based on the nutrition experts, there are about 3 ounces for a cooked meat serving. So, if you are eating meat in a day, you should only consider a small portion to gain the meat’s right nutrients. It would be advisable then to fill your plate with vegetables, and another quarter of your place must be filled with whole grain. If you eat less meat, you can also improve your health status, which may also help you save your budget. 
• Cook your foods slow and low – Tougher slices of pork and beef are quite cheaper compared to any other cuts of meat out there. But the secret way of cooking these tougher slices of meat is to cook these meats slow and low, approximately 3 hours or more. This allows the meat to be tender while the cooked meats melt inside your mouth. 
• Add rice or pasta – Do you have some leftover meats or few vegetables? Perhaps you can still make use of these extra foods to upgrade your dish. You may add rice or pasta for your dinner since these are not pricey at all. In fact, these are healthy pantry foods that you may serve as your meal. You can start sauteing onions and peppers. Then, you can add herbs, noodles, and cheese. You may also add rice to your vegetable soup for you to have a satisfying combination of foods. 
• Cook once but eat twice – You may also cook double recipes for your lunch or dinner later. Cooking a recipe for your meal all at once is wiser enough to save ingredients and time for cooking. You may consider cooking additional chicken meat or any kind of meat other than what you need. Don’t be worried if there are some leftovers. Leftovers can also be used in salads, quesadillas, or soups later in the next days. Just make sure that no leftovers will be turned into waste. 
• Purchase big slices of meats in a package and use them over multiple recipes – Learn how to cook several types of recipes for your meal. Don’t just cook one recipe or dish using the big slices of meats. If you buy meats wholesale, then you can possibly have discounts. Thus, you can also cook more dishes out of the cheaper prices of meats. 
• Invest more time in making your own dressings, sauces, and seasonings – Salad dressings and other types of sauces may be a little bit expensive in the shopping store. So, you can make your own dressings or sauces that would complement your dishes. This is better than spending too much money out of the ready-made seasonings, dressings, or sauces that you can find in the market. Just be a little creative when cooking so that you can come up with great results. 

With these simple steps, you can also save money on cooking. Just make sure to think of some innovative ways so that you can eventually explore other means of saving money on cooking your favorite foods.