9 habits that save money and time cooking

Below tips don't really coherent with Principles of lazy recipe, in fact some of takes extra work. Yet the extra work invested worth the time and money saved in the future.

1. Plan meals at least a week in advance to incorporate the use of leftovers. you then can cook more (save time) and since you have well planned meal, you won't waste food (save money)

2. If you know you're not going to have time to cook one evening, prepare two dinners the night before and just reheat one the next night. During Tuesday and Thursday, I will be having lab classes until 9pm. I won't have the energy to prepare my dinner. I prepare 2 dinners during Monday and Wednesday, then I reheat them after I came back from class. Generally cook multiple meals at a time is time-saving. Less cleanup needed.

3. When preparing a meal using grated cheese, chopped onions, etc., prepare more than the recipe calls for and refrigerate the rest for another meal. By using this method you will be able to save lots of time. But you'll have to plan your future meals in order to use up the extra ingredient.

4. Clean your kitchen workspace as you go. Save time. Multitasking is the key. Try to clean up bench top, wash some dishes etc while waiting for your soup to be cooked. When you're done with your dinner there will be little left to clean. If you have greasy pans to be cleaned, consider this effortless method.

5. On grocery shopping day, have your children help individually wrap their cookies, snacks, etc., for their lunches. Makes lunch preparation for the rest of the week a breeze and snacks don't disappear before lunches are made.

6. Don't hide your cookbooks away. Organize them where you can get to them easily, and you will use them a lot more: I don't usually use cookbook, in fact I don't own any cookbook. I use google and my cookbook software - Yum most of the time. But this is a good tip.

7. Keep a notepad on the front of the refrigerator for your shopping list. When you run out of something write it on the list right away. Encourage family members to do the same. Plan your grocery list according your meal plan, then you won't spend too much on unnecessary stuff. (save time and money). I use thethriftshopper for meal planing and grocery shopping.

8. Prepare favorite beverages like lemonade, tea, or Kool Aid in gallon-sized pitchers, and you won't have to make them as often. Same reason as cook more on tip2. Save time and money. Less cleaning needed which is always a good thing.

9. Use a suitable kitchenware. Before I go for class, I just put all the ingredients needed into the cooker. I then can enjoy a delicious dinner after class. I use non-stick pan to cook, so I don't have to spend too much time cleaning.

What's your special habit? Share them in comments. :)