Don't Feel Alone When Cooking For One
Cooking for one doesn’t have to feel like a daunting task. At Frugal... Party of One, we believe that solo dining should be simple, efficient, and enjoyable—without breaking the bank or taking up too much time. Whether you’re tired of wasting ingredients or just looking for ways to make cooking easier, we’re here to help you master the art of solo dining with practical tips, ingredient prep strategies, and time-saving tricks.
The Challenges of Cooking For One
For many solo diners, the biggest challenges are ingredient waste and the difficulty of cooking small portions. When you buy groceries in larger quantities, it can feel like you’re throwing away food that you’ll never use in time. And let’s face it—who wants to cook every single day from scratch? But with the right planning and prep, cooking for yourself can be both rewarding and easy.
That’s where Frugal... Party of One comes in. We offer tips and strategies to help you prep ingredients in a way that works for your schedule and your budget. It’s all about efficiency: making the most of your ingredients without the hassle of daily prep or expensive grocery bills.
Here's How the Frugal Family Can Help
At Frugal... Party of One, we focus on preparing ingredients in advance—to skip the stress and have everything ready when you need it. Whether you’re looking to save time, reduce food waste, or create a more organized kitchen routine, you’ll find our tips help make the most of your investments. Tips like these:
Prepping
Instead of preparing entire meals, we emphasize the importance of prepping your ingredients ahead of time. By washing, chopping, and storing ingredients in advance, you can quickly throw together meals without much effort. We provide simple instructions on how to prep and store a variety of ingredients—from vegetables to grains to proteins—so you can assemble dishes on the fly.
For example, you can chop veggies and portion them into containers, so they’re ready to go whenever you need them. Or, cook grains like rice or quinoa in bulk, then store them in the fridge to use throughout the week. These small steps can save you time and energy on busy days, and ensure that you always have fresh ingredients ready to work with.
Shopping
Shopping smartly for solo meals is key to reducing waste and saving money. We’ll show you how to select versatile ingredients that you can use in multiple meals throughout the week, without buying in bulk and letting them spoil. Learn how to buy produce that lasts longer or use frozen vegetables and fruits as a budget-friendly, long-lasting alternative.
Our site also shares tricks for purchasing pantry staples like grains, nuts, and canned goods in smaller quantities—so you’re only buying what you’ll actually use. You can even find ideas for rotating ingredients so that nothing goes to waste.
Cooking
Cooking in large batches doesn’t have to mean preparing entire meals. We focus on batch-cooking individual ingredients that can be mixed and matched to create different dishes. Roasting a batch of sweet potatoes, grilling chicken, or cooking extra rice gives you a head start on meals for the week, while still allowing you to personalize each dish. This method minimizes prep time, while ensuring you have tasty, healthy components ready to go.
Time-saving
Cooking for one doesn’t have to take forever, especially when you have ingredients prepped and ready. Our time-saving hacks help you get the most out of your time in the kitchen. For instance, you can prepare quick snacks like hummus or overnight oats in advance, so you’re never scrambling for a healthy meal when hunger strikes. We also share tips on multi-tasking in the kitchen—like using the oven for roasting while you cook grains on the stove—so you’re working more efficiently with the time you have.
Storing
Proper storage is essential for keeping your prepped ingredients fresh throughout the week. Whether you’re freezing portions for later or storing chopped vegetables in airtight containers, we provide helpful guidelines on how to store your ingredients so they last as long as possible. Our tips will help you maintain a tidy kitchen and avoid food waste, making meal prep that much easier.
Prepping
Shopping
Cooking
Time-saving
Storing
