Cooking for just yourself can be hard but it doesn't have to just follow these 6 tips

When you live on your own, it can be tempting to leave the cooking to someone else on more days than not. But while we all sometimes get that hankering for a slice from your favorite pizza joint, or Chinese takeout that can last for days, you can save a lot of money by simply cooking for yourself. And still enjoy delicious home-cooked meals to boot.

Cooking for one doesn't have to be difficult. With a little bit of forward thinking, a large freezer, and some simple culinary math, it's easy to get food that you cooked yourself without eating the same thing over and over again. And as a bonus, you never have to worry about cooking around someone else's dietary needs or personal preferences.

1. Cook an entire recipe in smaller batches
Just because a recipe makes a lot of food doesn't mean that you need many mouths to feed it to, or that you even have to cook it all at once. Instead, while you're assembling it break it up into smaller portions. You'll be able to cook them whenever you want, and you don't have to worry about a dish becoming over-cooked because you kept reheating it over and over again.

Use small loaf pans to break a whole lasagna up into smaller portions. You can still get all those delicious layers, but instead of using nine or ten lasagna noodles to make a whole casserole, you'll only use three to layer inside the small loaf pan. And instead of forming two pounds of ground meat into a meatloaf, divide it among muffin tins and then freeze the portions you don't use in resealable bags. You can take out what you want when you want it, and leave the rest for another day.

2. Shop at bulk stores, the butcher, and the deli counter
One of the biggest problems people will face at the grocery store when shopping for one is that everything is prepackaged. Even meat like chicken breasts come in packages of at least two, if not four; and items like flour can tend to come in huge bags that will not only take up a lot of room, but also take forever to get through.

To avoid this, shop at places that will allow you to pick and choose what you want, and the amounts you want. Bulk food stores will let you place as much or as little of any one ingredient you want into a bag and they often have a huge variety of food from baking ingredients to pasta to candy. Butchers will give you that one chicken breast you're looking for and the deli counter will make sure you have just enough sliced meat to make sandwiches for the week. You'll waste less, have more money in your pocket, and eat delicious meals made by you!

3. Re-purpose leftovers
Whether you're cooking for a family of four or just yourself, no one wants to eat the same thing over and over again. To avoid this when you've cooked a little too much, use those leftovers to make an entirely new meal. Use that chicken from the salad you made one night to make quick and easy quesadillas; or chop up the remaining hamburger you made and turn it into a meat sauce for pasta. With a little creativity, you'll never have to worry about eating the same thing for an entire week just because you made a lot of it.

4. Make a meal plan every week
This can be important for families, but it's even more important for those who are cooking for themselves. After all, one of the reasons why people eat out so often when they live alone is because they don't want to waste anything. When you don't have a meal plan for the entire week when you go grocery shopping, you can end up buying a lot of impulse buys - even if it's healthy, like those delicious peaches that weren't on your list. And when you're the only one eating them, it can quickly turn bad and go to waste. Plan out your meals carefully and then try to stick to your list as much as possible when it's time to shop.

5. Divide recipes in half
Depending on the recipe, some can be really complicated to whittle down from four or five servings to just one. Make it easier on yourself by just cutting the recipe in half - something that's easy with practically all recipes. While you may end up with one or two servings more than what you need, these can be frozen for one of those nights when you're too exhausted to cook or when you get in pretty late.

6. Throw a feast for one
Don't feel as though you always have to make the exact perfect amount and not a drop more. Treat yourself regularly by making a meal that includes an appetizer, an entree with lots of sides, and possibly even dessert. Going all out will awaken your inner chef and spark more creativity for those times when you're looking at leftovers wondering what to do with them all. And anything you have left over will do just fine in the freezer for one of those tired or busy nights. Best of all, because you don't need to worry about making sure the timing's right for everyone at the table, you can make it even more fun by eating the appetizer while you prepare the rest of the meal!