Why Going 'Ingredients Only' Will Stretch Your Paycheck Like You Won't Believe
Lately, your meal prep has involved pulling prepackaged meals out of the freezer and tossing them in the microwave. You know it’s better for your budget — and your blood pressure — than DoorDashing on the regular, but you’re still not seeing a dramatic difference in your savings.
That may be your sign it's time to go “ingredients only.”
Going "ingredients only" is exactly what it sounds like: You prioritize cooking from scratch by shopping for raw components, pantry staples and fresh produce instead of ready-to-eat meals, snacks or heat-and-serve foods.
If you’re more likely to Google how to boil pasta than to whip up a culinary marvel, we hear you. However, becoming an ingredients-only household can stretch your paycheck much further than you might expect — and you may even learn how to cook along the way.
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1. You Save Money by Making More Portions
Do you love hummus? Of course you do. But you probably don’t love the added cost of buying a tub or two every grocery run.
To illustrate why ingredients-only cooking delivers more value, Joanna Chodorowska, a holistic sports nutrition and eating disorder recovery coach at Nutrition in Motion LLC, uses hummus as a simple example.
“First you would need to buy the beans (canned or dried) ($1.99 to $3.99), a jar of tahini (about $8), a bottle of olive oil ($8 for the smallest bottle), lemons or bottled juice, sea salt and spices,” she said.
Those ingredients might total roughly $30 upfront, but they don’t disappear after one batch. Chodorowska estimates that amount could yield about 16 batches of hummus over time.
Compare that with buying 16 containers of store-bought hummus, which can cost $3.50 or more per container, depending on the brand and whether it’s organic. That adds up to at least $56.
"Do the math," she said. "$30 for ingredients only versus $56 store-bought."
The bigger takeaway: Ingredients-only cooking often comes with a higher up-front spend, but the cost per serving drops dramatically as you reuse your ingredients across multiple meals.
2. You Build Money-Saving Habits
Even if your ingredients-only era doesn’t turn you into the next incarnation of Julia Child, thinking more carefully about how your food is made — and what it costs — can help you build healthier habits, both financially and physically.
When Georgia O’Neill, founder of Parent Proof Nutrition, works with clients who switch to ingredients-only cooking, she often sees them become thriftier in their shopping and more strategic with meal prep
“What I do see consistently is that people save money through habits that come with ingredients-only cooking, like batch cooking,” she said. “Whole-food meals also tend to be more filling, so people often eat less overall, which may reduce the amount of quick, ready-made foods they want to purchase.”
3. You’re Not Paying Extra for Packaging
Part of the reason packaged foods can be more expensive than whole foods is, well, the packaging — you’re paying for the materials and labor.
“With processed foods, you’re paying for processing, packaging, branding and marketing, not just the food,” O’Neill said. “Alternatively, when you buy whole ingredients, most of what you’re paying for is the food itself, aside from transportation and logistics.”
Adopting an ingredients-only lifestyle means more of your grocery dollars go toward actual nourishment instead of waste. Over time, that can translate to both lower grocery bills and fewer items headed for the trash.
4. You’re Not Going to the Store as Much
As someone with a mostly ingredients-only kitchen herself, O’Neill knows how far ingredient-based meals can go. She says buying staple food items in bulk can bring the cost per meal down while ensuring you always have the base of a meal on hand.
Stumped on what to make for dinner? There’s no need to race off to the grocery store with a growling stomach — the most expensive way to shop — or default to delivery. You’ve got plenty of options in your own pantry.
“One cooking session often turns into several meals," O'Neill said. "That means fewer trips to the shops, less waste and potentially less money spent overall."
5. You’ll Feel Better
Remember that old saying that an apple a day keeps the doctor away? That may not be entirely true, but prioritizing whole foods and overall health can have financial benefits beyond the grocery store.
At the very least, eating more whole ingredients may reduce reliance on over-the-counter remedies like antacids or digestive aids. Over the long term, supporting your health can help keep routine medical costs in check.
O’Neill notes that whole ingredients are foods in their natural form, meaning they provide fiber, micronutrients and intact nutrients — without added sugars, refined oils or artificial additives.
“Long-term, regular intake of ultra-processed foods has been linked to poorer gut health and adverse health outcomes,” she said. “From a nutrition perspective, an ingredients-only approach is far more supportive of gut balance and overall well-being.”
The Bottom Line
It’s perfectly fine if Nigella Lawson isn't shaking in her high-heeled boots over your culinary skills. Your goal in going ingredients only is to stretch your paycheck further, reduce food waste and support your health at the same time.
And that's a recipe worth trying.
This article was provided by MoneyLion.com for informational purposes only and should not be construed as financial, legal, or tax advice.
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