Heh. As a single person, making an entire pan of lasagna or a big pot of stew or soup makes many meals. It's easy to shy away from making an entree that would feed an entire family (maybe more than once), but doing so, enjoying some leftovers, and freezing some of the rest is a good way to enjoy some variety in meals and save some money at the same time.

I do all kinds of things, I do a smorg night with the family when I have lots of leftover bits in the fridge....everyone takes what they want and because there is so little of each they take a variety of things. I make up my own meatpies with roasts or large fowl. I make soupstock from the bones. I make quiche and stirfrys when I have the right combinations of leftovers.....I do pastas and throw in bits of meat and veg finely sliced with the sauces. I just keep trying different things....some are successful and others not so great but everything is eatable.

I have quite a few of these. Here's a few...

Roast beef ---> beef pot pie

Italian roast chicken-----> Italian style chicken soup

Baked ham ---->ham and eggs--->pea soup

Spaghetti sauce--->chicken parm, baked ziti, minestrone, stuffed shells (I make a BIG pot and freeze some)

Marinated grilled chicken breast----> chicken salad, caesar salad w/ chicken and penne

I almost always buy meat on sale and in the budget packs and break them into smaller portions.

Eating less per meal ...

... tends to shrink the tummy, I hear.

Saves money, too - enables one to get some more wear out of those pants that appeared to have shrunk too much, a while ago.

ole joyful

I bought a 16 qt. stockpot, even though there are just 2 of us. It's just as easy to make a lot of soup as it is a little, and most soups freeze beautifully. We eat what we want for a few days, and then I freeze it in portion-size containers which we microwave at work. That way, we eat it over a longer period of time, rather than ODing on too much of it all at once. I also make bone-in chicken breasts and simmer them in water, carrots, celery and onion, with S & P and a couple of good glugs of white wine. I use the chix either for chicken salad or pot pie, depending on the time of year, and the stock comes in wonderfully handy for a variety of uses. Again, after cooling and skimming the fat off, I freeze it in 1 and 2 cup portions, finding that those are the sizes I need the most.

More of budget stretcher....while making your goodies this year, scrape the extra flour off the counter that is left after rolling out your cookies, pies, etc. and keep it in a little cup. I just keep adding the leftover flour until I get about 1/4 cup - sometimes this flour also has sugar, cinnamon, etc. with it from making all those goodies...I then take it and toss it into the foodprocessor to grind it up again (there might even be a raison or chocolate chip from whatever I happened to cook) and add it to my next batch of muffins...no matter the kind. It makes a great addition and I am not wasting my flour or my spices. And of course the reduced egg nog is appearing on the shelves...out come the waffle irons and I make a bunch of waffles for the freezer....it works out great as you don't need to add eggs. Budster

The Roast Turkey-----add salsa to chunks of turkey, freeze in bags, instant soft taco/burrito filling.
Also I make a freezer casserole with Turkey, rice, celery, onion, cream of shroom soup. No need to cook onion or celery ahead, and to save freezer room I freeze in freezer bags and just squeeze out the thawed casserole into a pan and bake 30 minutes or so. A gallon bag will fill a 9 x 13 pan (we have a big family.)
Crock pot roast------yummy drippy meat sandwiches or burritos.
Ham-----add a bunch to a scalloped potato recipe for an outstanding casserole.

Sometimes I freeze this stuff for later, and sometimes I just have the "leftover/second" meal 2 days later so they aren't back to back.

Hello Robins, This is my first post here, but I have been reading and learning from you. I am posting to see if budster will share his waffle recipe made from egg nog.
Thanks for all your money saving ideas.

Just follow your standard waffle recipe from any cookbook - I just eliminate the egg and milk (or whatever liquid your recipe calls for) with the eggnog. I have added a touch of regular milk if YOU think the batter is too thick. My family likes this one but I've used others....I feed the family and always have some leftovers to freeze - Makes about 20 4 inch waffles: 4 cups flour, 4 tablespoons sugar, 2 tablespoons b. powder, 1 teaspoon salt (I use alot less) 1 teaspoon baking soda, 2 1/2 - 3 cup eggnog ....I will then thin the batter until I like the look of it with regular milk or watered down milk or even water) 2/3 cup veg oil (I admit to using less here too). If making regular waffles...the recipe is 3 1/2 c. milk and 3 eggs...with eggnog...no eggs..and the taste is wonderful. I get reduced eggnog and make my waffles up and cool, package and freeze the lot. For a 99 cent litre I get 2 batches easily...that's lots of waffles stacked in a bread bag...I've even seen eggnog for 79 cents..so for me it is a moneysaver..I also add a touch of cinnamon (although eggnog is already spiced - but we love cinnamon. Serve with reg. syrup but maple syrup makes it wonderful...I've also served with a dollop of warm strawberry jam, and dusted with icing sugar..for me the savings is in the milk, eggs and spices. It is wonderful to serve around the holidays. Hope you find some eggnog to try it. Budster (a she by the way)

Budster, thanks for the recipe. It sounds delicious, so I hope to find nog on sale too. Sorry that I called you "his". I guess I have been paying more attention to the helpful hints than to the personalities.

I cook Virginia baked ham every Christmas that supplies main dish entree, sandwiches, breakfast meat, added to omelets, frozen to use to flavor vegetables, and best of all Ham Bone Soup.

I joined a community kitchen. Now, we all get together, plan a bunch of different meals (that way we try something different too) and we split the cost per serving. We get together once a month to plan one night and shop. Then we get together on a Saturday morning and cook for three hours and come home with almost a month of entrees.

Stripedone... that sounds like loads of fun! How do you find something like that? What kitchen do you use? A public one, or do you rotate in each others' homes?

http://www.dinnerdone.com/index.cfm We have used them. Excellent value I think. we choose 8 entres's and from those 8, we have meals for 21 suppers (enough to feed two) One just has to prepare the sides. Cost was $155.00

This winter we are enjoying blueberries that I bought at their lowest price in the summer ($1 per pint). I happened to see a man buying a whole case at the supermarket and asked him what he did with them. He said to freeze them as they were and to wash them when you thaw them. I'm so glad I ran into him! Stores have some blueberries in now -- from Chile -- at $5 per pint.

Howdy everyone, I'm so glad to have found this site. I'm a big nut when it comes to saving a buck or two and buying in bulk. I always thought my Great Aunt was a loon for doing this but now that I'm an adult I see that she was a very smart woman.
Whenever I find a deal or two I really take advantage of it. I bought beef spare ribs at 19 cents a pound. I just made the last batch yesterday. I made chinese style BBQ Ribs. With the bones I made some great Chinese soup broth. I got 3 gallons of broth out of the bones which I froze two gallons and made soup with the third. I took the leftover meat off the last ribs and made BBQ beef sandwiches. I usually can buy turkeys here for about 15 - 25 cents a pound after Xmas. I missed out this year. I was too busy to go get them. I have a nice big freezer on my back patio and I freeze everything. I have about 40 lbs of broccoli frozen I got for 15 cents a lb. I shop at the 99 cent store here. Once in a while I can find a deal or two. I also bought about 200 lbs of coffee beans for $3.00, then for $1.00 for a 4-5lb bag when the Krispy Kreme shop went out of business. I froze most of it and gave away about 50lbs to my friends and family. I have about 40lbs left. I buy peanut butter on sale for about 99 cent for a 24oz jar. I just finished off the last of two cases I bought.
I have to be sure and rotate the food closet once a month or so to keep the cans from enflating. My business takes me all over Southern California so I have my shopping places in every city. I shop at farms and produce stands if things are cheap enough. I feel like I'm a very thrifty shopper.

Paul