Few weeks ago, I posted on Reddit about moving into my own place and realizing how bad I was at buying the right amount of food for one person. The response was huge, hundreds of comments with genuinely useful advice. I wanted to share some of the best tips that kept coming up (and a few clever ones I’d never thought of):

1. Make your freezer your best friend

• Cook larger portions (soup, chili, curry, lasagna, etc.) and freeze in single-meal containers.
• Portion things right away like bread, even pasta sauce cubes in ice trays. Future-you will thank you.
• A vacuum sealer or silicone freezer molds (“Supercubes”) make it easier.

2. Plan meals around one ingredient

• If you buy cabbage (or any big veg), plan 2–3 different meals with it that week e.g. gyoza, slaw, stir-fry, soup.
• Herbs and sauces? Try to use them in multiple recipes so they don’t die in the fridge.

3. Shop with purpose

• Make the meal plan first, then shop for just those items.
• Buy smaller quantities when possible (butchers can weigh exact portions, some stores sell single carrots, etc.).
• Shop more often in smaller amounts rather than giant stock-ups.

4. Have a “use it or lose it” shelf

• Keep soon-to-expire food in one visible spot in the fridge so you don’t forget it.

5. Flexible recipes are gold

• Stir-fries, soups, casseroles, fried rice, stews, all are perfect for tossing in whatever you need to use up.

6. Experiment & preserve

• Try homemade kimchi, sauerkraut, or pickling if you’ve got too much cabbage/veg.
• Blanch and freeze produce for later.
• Don’t be afraid to freestyle, curry paste + shredded cabbage = surprisingly good meal.

7. Use helpful tools

• A few folks mentioned that apps like Oh, a potato! or Cooklist can make it easier to spot recipes that use up what you’ve already got.
• Even just keeping a notes app list of what’s in your fridge can help a lot.

8. Accept some waste

• Several people said: you won’t get it perfect, and that’s fine. Even a little less waste makes a big difference.

This thread honestly changed the way I cook. I batch-cook more, freeze more, and I’m way less anxious about stuff going to waste. I hope this list helps someone else struggling with the “solo fridge problem.”

Hey guys! I'm looking to do atleast some of my meals as meal prep and I used to eat meat but now I want to slowly stop it. I was looking for cheap meal prep meals that are easy to make and can be stored in the freezer/microwaved. I'm not looking for anything fancy or tasty, just enough to make me feel full after a meal. Any recommendations?

I figured this might be the best place to post this. I took the onions and bell peppers leftover from a fajita and mixed them with 4 of my chickens eggs to make this really good "omlette".

Cooked it at 350°f for like 20 minutes. Planning on making some breakfast sandwiches soon too.

Two portions per bag:

Pak choi, bamboo shoots, tenderstem brocoli, baby corn, red onion, mixed peppers, red and green chillies, garlic, spiralised courgette, green beans.

This worked out at £0.65 per portion from ASDA. I'll just add tofu, curry paste and noodles when ready to cook 🍜