Introducing Cooking and Saving for One

A few weeks ago, my Mom was watching me make my lunch for work the next day, and she commented,

"It must be so easy cooking for one."

At first I wanted to say, "Why yes, it is!" But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that this is not necessarily the case. There are some ways in which cooking for one is no different than cooking for several.

For instance...

I still have to pull out all the same ingredients for a recipe or dish no matter how many people are eating it. 

I probably have to dirty the same amount of dishes, too. 

Cooking for one does mean smaller quantities. But it also means things go bad before you can eat them up. 

It also means you might be eating the same dish several times to eat up all the leftovers before they go bad.

Cooking for one may not have the same challenges as cooking for a crowd, but it does have its own set of challenges to work through! So with that in mind I'd like to share some of the tips, recipes, and money-saving ideas I've learned while cooking for one.

Let me begin by sharing how I got started:

The first time I was presented with the task of cooking only for myself was several years ago while volunteering in Florida. My mom had taught me to cook, but I was used to cooking for at least 7 people or more all the time. So cooking for one was a new concept for me! Lets just say there were a lot of leftovers those first few meals!

Shopping for one was a learning curve as well. I had watched my mom coupon and come home with 8 cake mixes for 50 cents each, but what on earth was a single girl going to do with 8 cake mixes?? And 10 tubes of toothpaste??

And then there was the fresh foods...in So. FL we had several great markets with yummy fresh fruits and vegetables. I wanted them all! Sadly, most got thrown away before I could eat them...they don't last long in that heat!

Slowly, I learned that there was a balance. A balance between saving money and only buying what I needed and what I could eat up. A balance between buying non-perishables when they were on sale and buying only what I truly was going to use. 

Now that I am living in Maine, there are new challenges. We don't have all the fresh fruits and markets year round. I need meals I can prepare quickly or take as lunches to work.  I also have limited storage and freezer space to take into consideration.

And perhaps the most complicated part? I'm trying to save money for a vehicle, so I want to do it all on a budget, but not a ramen-noodles budget. I want to eat clean, healthy foods that are going to benefit me physically (and I am a big eater!) but I don't want to spend a crazy exorbitant amount of money. Really, is that too much to ask?? ;)

It takes planning and work. I am still learning, and what I have learned has definitely been through trial and error! It is a fun challenge though, and I enjoy finding new ways to save, new recipes that I can adapt for one person, and new ways to simplify my routines to be more efficient.

I'll share some of my tips, strategies and how I organize it all in the next few weeks. I'd love to hear any tips or suggestions you have that might help me out! What stage of your life are you in right now, and what cooking challenges does it bring?

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