“Yesterday, I got $78 of groceries for $36 doing this, so it works!”

As a Senior Staff Writer at BuzzFeed, I cover real-life stories that explore relationships, lifestyle (including travel and beauty), and the internet's most fascinating trends.

"Lastly, your freezer and pickling are your best friends. Bought a Costco six-pack of chicken breast? Freeze, cut up, and marinate the lot of them. Cabbage or cucumber about to go bad? Kimchi."

"When I’m too busy to deal with prep work, I buy frozen fruits and vegetables because they last so much longer; they’re ready to use right from the bag, and I don’t have to worry about them getting moldy before I can use them."

"With chili or soups, I'll squeeze the air out of the sandwich bag, freeze them lying down with wax paper between each bag, and after they're frozen, I'll stand them up to save room."

"You don’t need the Hershey's or Ghirardelli’s chocolate chips; the Walmart brand ones will taste the same and save you, like, $3."

"They were usually on sale, and I thought I’d be saving money because I’d 'use them eventually,' only to have a mishmash of items that I couldn’t make a meal out of — and which often expired before I used them. Sticking to a list saves me time and money, and planning a menu cuts down on waste."

"I check out flyers online, see what's on sale, especially for proteins and cheese, and I build menus based around that."

"Bone broth soup is good since you use leftovers from a turkey or chicken or pork roast and just plop it in some water with a bunch of seasoning and patience. Bam, food."

"Also, have an idea of how many packages of those perishable ingredients contain. If you can only buy a large bundle of say, green onions, even though your recipe calls for way less than that, find other meals that share the ingredients you buy to help make those ingredients go further. It will help you save money and eliminate food waste."

"You'd be surprised how much this helps! I used to always buy basics, like carrots, onions, canned tomatoes, etc., thinking they go with everything and I will always need them ('good idea to have them just in case'). There were times I would be constantly throwing away food that had rotted from disuse. When I started making a weekly meal plan, I was surprised at how few ingredients I actually needed! I remember one whole month, I didn't buy carrots or ground beef because the meals we came up with just didn't need them."

"I’ll admit, it’s easier said than done, but it’s worth it. You can even buy the beans your local coffee shop uses if they sell them — most do!"

"Also, scan receipts if you don’t mind the privacy loss — there are still several receipt apps that’ll give you a few cents here or there for scanning receipts. And coupon clip like hell; before I buy any groceries, I check to see if there’s a coupon."

"Then, I can reheat them at work for lunches or on a weeknight when I don’t feel like cooking. Freezing also means you don’t have to worry about leftovers going bad in your fridge. You do need to be selective about what you freeze. Soups are great, but soups with cream will curdle. Formerly, crispy foods will get soft. So, sticking with soups, stews, casseroles, curries, and saucy items or items meant to be soft is usually the best bet. Breakfast burritos or other burritos can be frozen. You can also freeze sandwiches and let them thaw. Just avoid mayo as it gets kind of weird when it freezes. It will keep food from going bad as well as save you money on takeout and frozen meals."

"I've been working on my food insecurities. I try not to watch food shows and cooking shows late at night. They trigger my obsession with food. The key to spending wisely is to find out what it is that we're really lacking in our lives and fix those things. Food will not cure boredom."

"Where it gets tricky is prepared shelved foods since those have a specific flavor profile that’s hard to replicate (like cereals, pasta sauces, baked goods). Get what you’ll actually like eating for those."

"My son loves it, and there’s no waste from the edges."

Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.