<p>I’m moving out of my parents’ house this summer, and I will probably cook for myself to minimize living cost.</p>
<p>If I trusted my mom’s judgment on shopping, I would ask her for advice, but her philosophy on shopping is to buy the cheapest stuff in massive quantities and store them in the freezer. If meat prices skyrocket like gas prices, we’d probably become vegans and live off of tofu.</p>
<p>So I’m just wondering if there are any good advices as far as shopping and planning goes for cooking. Do you plan out what you’re going to eat that entire week and shop accordingly? or are there certain vegetables, meat, wheat and dairy products that you buy on a regular basis?</p>
<p>any other advice would appreciated too.</p>
<p>I recommend the “Cook this, not That” books by David Zinczenko and Matt Goulding. It is subtitled “The Kitchen Survival Guide” and is chock full of useful info for setting up a kitchen and selecting healthy foods. It then takes popular restaurant food and shows you how to make it at home, telling you your savings in money and fat, calories, etc. I have the second volume also. Everything I’ve made has been easy, practical, and tasty! Focus on buying healthy foods, and try to select things that are in season and/or on sale. Grocery stores tends to run the same sale items every few weeks, so there really is no need to stock up on huge amounts of everything. Label & Freeze your leftovers:they can be a big time and budget saver. If you have a Costco, you can get great frozen fish, chicken breasts, etc. that are always on hand. Pop in a baked potato, or make up some brown rice. Add a salad or veggie, and you’ve got a meal.</p>
<p>Convenience to a good grocery store is a factor in how you shop. I live near a nice supermarket and generally buy things as I need them. Things are pricey there but I like the convenience and their produce and meat are fresher than a lower-cost supermarket that’s 30 minutes away.</p>
<p>If a good supermarket isn’t convenient, then you might have to buy more items less frequently.</p>