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If we were to ask you to close your eyes and think about what your grandma’s cooking means to you, words like delicious, homely, warm, filling, heavenly and appetizing will probably flood your frontal lobe like warm custard spilling over the pan. However, a term that probably doesn’t make this list is money-saving, but it should. Oh, it so should. 

You see, grandma grew up in a time where life wasn’t quite as easy and on-demand as it is now, where food wasn’t as cheap or accessible and little tricks needed to be used in order to pinch those pennies that were so crucial. In short, your grandma is a genius, as you are about to find out with this list of hacks she told us about. Delicious and budget-friendly meals; now that is heavenly. 

Portion sizes today would be enough to keep a pride of lions fat until next spring. It is crazy. You go to a restaurant and you’re overwhelmed by what they serve. But this is about as unhealthy as it is expensive. Instead, start trying to serve the right portions. Ask your grandma and she’ll tell you meat should take up a quarter of your plate, another quarter should be for whole grain or chips, and the final half should be devoted to vegetables. 

Most people avoid buying certain cuts of meat because they were, well, tougher. However, they are also a lot cheaper. That’s why grandma used to buy them. Then, to turn that leather-like meat into something gorgeously tender, she would cook this meat at a low heat for about three hours, usually in a stew, creating melt-in-the-mouth meals that would garner groans of delight around the table. 

Baking your own bread used to be the only option there was, and that smell of warm dough used to fill every house on a block. But beyond the far superior taste, you can also save yourself a dollar or two for every loaf you make. To help you out, look at this list of 5 best bread machine top rated reviews, and pick whichever one suits your needs. It’s not just the budget or the taste either. It is the chance to be a little healthier, a little more experimental and a create pizza and pasta dough too. 

Leftover veg and uneaten bits of meat are pretty much a guarantee with most meals made. But instead of tossing them into the garbage and adding to the food crisis (and your money out), turn your leftovers into a meal. You could create a light salad, a pasta dish, a soup, or even a little something-something with noodles. All of these are cheap meal options that can be made with leftovers, and something grandma would be immensely proud of. 

There is something wonderful about saving time on meals, which is what you can achieve by doubling whatever it says you need in your recipe books. It isn’t just time you will be saving, though. You’ll also get the chance to save money because you’ll be able to use all of the ingredients you bought. You know what it is like buying ingredients for a recipe. You only ever use half, and then you’re left to watch the rest go off. O double up, cook it, and then store the other half in the freezer for a rainy day.