Co-op Cooking: More Than a Budget-Saver

Co-op cooking—friends cooking together—is huge...and for good reason. You can save money (as much as $250 a month) by buying food in bulk, making a bunch of recipes and packaging them to freeze. The best part of all: Get your friends together, cook for a day and have meals ready in the size that works best for your fam.

5 easy steps to co-op meals:

1. Choose a host to plan the menu and buy the groceries. Helpful hint: Shop at a food warehouse to make it even easier and more affordable. (Don't forget the wine.)
   
   
2. Divide the grocery bill among all your friends, and get together in your host’s kitchen to make meals for the entire week/month. This keeps recipes cheap!
   
   
3. Have fun making the recipes you planned together.
   
   
4. Have each person package the finished meals in containers brought from home.
   
   
5. When you get home, freeze the meals.