Far from being a modern money-saving trend, frugality is an old-fashioned virtue that has stood the test of time. During the Great Depression and both World Wars, frugality in the kitchen became a necessity for survival. Homemakers stretched every scrap, reused what they could, and embraced creative ways of cooking and storing food.In today’s world of rising food costs, environmental concerns, and a growing desire to live more intentionally, these timeless practices remain as relevant as ever.
Whether you’re looking to trim your grocery bill, reduce waste, or reclaim some old-fashioned kitchen know-how, these frugal kitchen rules will help you do just that. Some are practical, some are time-tested, and all of them are doable. They’ve made a difference in my own home, and I hope they’ll make one in yours, too.
Let’s dive in!
FRUGAL KITCHEN RULES VIDEO
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RELATED: Learn How to Make These Foods from Scratch to Save Money
#1: USE WHAT YOU HAVE
Before heading to the store or pulling out a recipe, look at what’s already in your fridge and pantry. It’s amazing how many meals we can miss by overlooking what’s right in front of us.
Have a couple of potatoes, an onion, and textured vegetable protein? Make vegetarian shepherd’s pie. A can of salmon and some herbs? Salmon fritters. If you’re stumped, make breakfast for dinner. Omelettes and frittatas are always winners, especially when they’re served with a side salad. What about a quick batch of crepes? Get into the habit of starting with what you have, not what you want.
Learning to assess what’s on hand and getting creative with it is the hallmark of a frugal kitchen—and the birthplace of some of the best meals. If you want a way to look at the food you have on hand with a fresh pair of inspired eyes, I highly recommend reading An Everlasting Meal by Tamar Adler.
Also, if you’re not eating your leftovers, you’re throwing money in the garbage. You already paid for the ingredients, spent the time preparing the food, and used energy to cook it—don’t let all that go to waste!
Make it a habit to give your leftovers a second life. Stir them into soups, stuff them into wraps, or tuck them into omelettes or frittatas. If dinner leftovers won’t be eaten soon, freeze them for a busy night. And remember, not all leftovers are created equal—some things taste better the next day!
🧺 Frugal Tip: Take five minutes each week to look through your fridge, freezer, and pantry. Plan a few meals around what needs using up.
#2: KEEP A WELL STOCKED PANTRY
A thoughtfully stocked pantry is the backbone of frugal, stress-free cooking. When you have staples on hand, you can always throw together a meal—no last-minute grocery run required.
Beans, rice, pasta, canned tomatoes, broth, oats, flour, and a collection of herbs and spices can get you far. Add shelf-stable basics like lentils, coconut milk, peanut butter, and baking powder, and you’ve got everything you need to improvise a hearty meal.
Stock it slowly and intentionally. Buy in bulk when it makes sense, store things in jars if you can, and keep an inventory of what you have and need.
🏺 Related Read: The Frugal Kitchen Pantry (Part One)
#3: MAKE IT FROM SCRATCH (WHEN YOU CAN)
Homemade doesn’t always mean complicated. Start simple: try making your own salad dressing, pancake mix, broth, or muffins. You’ll save money and avoid unnecessary additives and packaging.
Once you get the hang of it, you might try bread, yogurt, or even crackers. It feels good to make something from nothing, and there’s a special kind of satisfaction in putting a home-baked loaf or simmering soup on the table.
🍞 Get Inspired: 30 Foods You Should Try Making from Scratch
#4: STRETCH YOUR INGREDIENTS
It’s tempting to toss scraps in the compost or garbage without a second thought—but there’s often still so much value in them. Save veggie scraps, herb stems, onion skins, and bones for broth. Wilted greens can be sautéed, blended into soups, or added to frittatas. Stale bread becomes croutons or breadcrumbs. Overripe fruit gets transformed into muffins, smoothies, or jam. Chicken bones become the base of a nourishing stock.
Using every edible part of your food not only honours the ingredient—it stretches your grocery dollar further than you thought possible. Waste not, want not!
A pot of vegetable broth being made with scraps.🥕 Bonus Read: Broth from Scratch with Scraps
#5: BUY IN BULK
Buying in bulk can be a powerful way to stretch your dollar, but only if you do it with intention. Before tossing a 10 kg bag of anything into your cart, ask yourself: Will I use this? Can I store it properly? Do I have a plan for it? Bulk buying isn’t about stockpiling for the apocalypse—it’s about building a smart, frugal kitchen.
Dry goods like oats, flour, rice, and dried beans are no-brainers if you use them regularly. Herbs, spices, baking supplies, and even loose-leaf tea are often cheaper (and fresher) when bought in bulk. If you’re lucky enough to have a bulk store or co-op nearby, take full advantage.
And don’t forget meat. Buying meat in bulk—whether it’s a quarter cow, a whole chicken, or a family pack of pork chops—can be a major investment up front, but it pays off in savings over time. Just make sure you have the freezer space and a plan to portion and use it. If you’re already turning on the oven, why not cook a little extra and freeze it for later?
The goal isn’t just to buy more—it’s to waste less and make every dollar count.
#6: SHOP THE FLYERS
Shopping the flyers might feel like a lost art in the age of grocery pick-up and one-click ordering, but there’s still real power in this old-fashioned practice. Weekly flyers offer a glimpse into what’s in season and on sale, which is especially helpful when you’re planning meals on a budget.
Rather than building your menu first and shopping for ingredients second, try flipping the process: let the deals lead. If cauliflower is on special, make a gratin or whip up a curry. If beans are marked down, think soup or tacos. It’s a simple switch in thinking, but it can make a meaningful impact on your grocery bill—especially if you’re feeding a family.
You don’t need to spend hours clipping coupons, either. Many stores now offer digital flyers, so you can browse sales while sipping your tea. With a little creativity and flexibility, the flyers can become your greatest kitchen ally.
#7 KEEP AN HERB GARDEN
Fresh herbs bring a meal to life—but they’re expensive at the store and often go bad quickly. Instead, grow your own! A few small pots of basil, thyme, parsley, or mint on a windowsill or balcony can save you money and brighten your cooking.
Even one or two herbs can elevate your meals and reduce waste. Plus, they’re a joy to snip and use.
🌿 P.S. Does this tip resonate? Read about the Modern Victory Garden Revival
#8: LABEL EVERYTHING IN YOUR FRUGAL KITCHEN
If you’ve ever worked in a professional kitchen, you know that everything gets labeled—and for good reason. It keeps things organized, avoids confusion, and helps reduce waste.
I’m notorious for saving containers, which means that if I don’t label them, no one knows what’s inside or how long it’s been there. Is it soup? Coconut milk? Leftover tequila lime chicken quesadillas? A label saves the guesswork and keeps things from being forgotten.
Don’t overthink it—just use masking tape and a sharpie.
#9: LEARN HOW TO MAKE A WHITE SAUCE
White sauce (béchamel) is one of the most versatile and budget-friendly sauces you can learn. With butter, flour, and milk, you have a base that can become mac and cheese, a creamy pasta, a pot pie filling, a gratin or pizza sauce, or a luscious lasagna layer. If you have ham, cheese and bread, you can make a classic French sandwich melt: a croque-monsieur.
It’s a humble skill and recipe with big returns.
🍲 How-To: Melt 2 tbsp butter, stir in 2 tbsp flour to make a roux, slowly whisk in 2 cups milk. Cook until thickened, then season to taste.
#10: PLAN A MENU
Menu planning doesn’t have to be rigid—but it can be a lifesaver when it comes to reducing food waste and grocery costs. Use what you already have to anchor your plan, then build from there. Look at what’s going bad, and plan to use it early in the week.
It helps you avoid takeout, reduce decision fatigue, and waste less. Even just jotting down a few dinner ideas each week can go a long way.
🧾 Frugal Tip: Save your menus so you can reuse favourites in the future!
#11: MAXIMIZE OVEN AND STOVE USE
Did you know that during WWII, women on the home front had to do everything in their power to conserve fuel? They had baking days where they would cram their ovens full of food and invite their neighbours to join in on the oven action. This might not be practical today, but the principle still applies.
If you’re turning on the oven, fill it up. Roast a chicken, a squash, and a tray of veggies; bake several sweet potatoes alongside a batch of muffins. If you’re boiling pasta, blanch veggies in the same water. It’s such an easy way to prep food that can be used later in the week.
🔥 Bonus: Double your recipe and freeze half for an easy dinner later.
TRUST IN YOUR RESOURCEFULNESS
Frugality isn’t about deprivation—it’s about abundance. It’s about learning to see potential where others might see fodder for the compost heap. It’s about cultivating confidence in your ability to nourish yourself and your family with creativity, care, and what you already have.
The more you practice, the easier it becomes. You can do this—and your kitchen will thank you.
THANKS FOR STOPPING BY THE KITCHEN
Do you follow any of these frugal kitchen rules already? Are there others you’ve picked up along the way—maybe from a grandmother or old cookbook? I’d love to hear your favourite tips and tricks. Let’s keep this old-fashioned wisdom alive, one meal at a time.
SHOP THIS POST
An Everlasting Meal: Cooking with Economy and Grace by Tamar Adler
OTHER FRUGALLY-MINDED ARTICLES YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN:
Old-Fashioned Kitchen Skills to ReclaimThe Frugal Kitchen PantryBroth From Scratch with Scraps30 Foods You Should Try Making from ScratchOld-Fashioned Ways to Stop Wasting Energy
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Love and gratitude,
Love your tips especially saving peelings and such for broth! I implement almost all of these in my kitchen…frugal is a way of life! The other thing we do is not waste any food, period. Scraps are fed to either the chickens or the dogs so even if it’s “wasted” something is still benefiting. Composting scraps for a garden would be a good frugal thing too but none of ours make it that far.
Thank you so much, Rachel! I wish I had chickens and dogs I could feed my scraps to; that’s the dream! I really need to set up a compost system for my garden. Fortunately there’s a composting program where I live, so I feel slightly better knowing my scraps aren’t going to a landfill, but I like where your head’s at.
I love this post! Right down my ally! This is so like me. I save jars and store dry goods. I am always telling my daughters they need to keep staples on hand because they are constantly running to the store. Crazy right? Great post!
Thank you so much Angela! It takes time and money to build up a good supply of staples, but then you save so much more in the long run. It’s not so bad if you do it bit by bit though. Thanks for stopping by!
Oh how I need this post!! I waste so much food and feel terribly guilty about it!! Thank you for sharing your tips!
Thank you, Elise! I don’t have a perfect score myself, but I’m getting better and better at using what I have and making the most out of my ingredients.
These are great tips! I love challenging myself to stay frugal and stick with what I already have, too. Thanks for sharing!
Great ideas! We really can learn a lot from the people who lived in the depression! Those women really had to come up with unique and thrifty ideas to conserve items being used in the war effort. I have some great recipes from my grandmother that are eggless and use very simple ingredients but taste oh so good! Thanks for bringing those memories back with your post.
I’m glad you enjoyed the post, Yvonne! It’s crazy how we can sometimes take something as simple as eggs for granted. I have one cookbook full of recipes that date back to WWII and one ingredient that pops up a lot is dried egg powder because the ration was one egg a week per person, or something ridiculous like that. I think I would have followed your grandmother’s footsteps and gone eggless in my recipes, too!
Sylvia, you inspire me to waste less in my kitchen! Thanks for that.
Thanks, Suzy, I’m so glad to hear that!
I freeze many things and reuse later in soup. Your past prime tomatoes, onion, celery , lettuce/cabbage (shredd), small amount leftover corn, carrot , peas all can be frozen and thrown into a soup later on! Fruits can be frozen and used in smoothies,jam, dessert.
That’s such a good idea! I freeze things like asparagus ends for soup, but never thought to freeze those lonely vegetables in the crisper drawer for future soups. Thank you for sharing!
Learning to eat the old fashioned foraged greens helps a lot-as long as they haven’t been sprayed in five years, dandelions are delicious and full of nutrients. Learning also to maximize my food-using the white inside the watermelon rind as zucchini replacement in bread or curries is yummy and gives me several pounds of free veg! And the pumpkin harvest in fall – pumpkin guts make tasty bread, seeds are great for snacking and the broth can be used in cooking.Skins can even be roasted with oil and salt for snacking.
Yes to the foraged greens! I love all of these ideas! I never thought of using watermelon rind as a replacement for zucchini—I need to start testing that out for myself. I’ve heard of turning the rind into pickles, but that’s about it. I also never heard of eating pumpkin skins before or using pumpkin guts in bread baking. Thank you for your inspiring comment!
I purchase flour in 50lb bags from the restaurant supply store in my town and I dry can all of it. I don’t touch it except in case of emergency. When covid happened, I shared with neighbors. It’s a great way to store flour for years without worrying it will go bad.
What a great idea!