Whether you’re single or a couple without kids, it seems some of the best recipes out there are made for big families. Even the best dishes though can get tiresome with leftovers and there’s only so much freezer space you can devote.

If you’re embracing cooking for one or two, here are some tips to help you make the most of your mealtimes and actually enjoy doing it!

1. Use those bulk bins

Your best friend and her family of 6 do well buying in bulk at the warehouse clubs. But for you, your best bet at the store is filling up just what you need from the bulk bins. You can customize the quantity that suits you, only paying for what you need without leaving anything to waste.

2. Add a new twist to your go-to recipes

When it’s just you for lunch or dinner, it can feel very uneventful to make a grilled cheese, pasta, salad, or any dish the same way as always. Instead, experiment by adding a new element. Try your grilled cheese with several different gourmet cheeses inside. Add a new sauce to your pasta, or think outside the tortilla when it comes to those quesadillas.

3. Cut big recipes in half

Sometimes, it’s hard to get into a groove for cooking for just yourself because it feels like so much work. But it’s actually less work if you think about it. Make a plan at the beginning of your week and prep your meals the way your friends with kids do. Maybe you don’t need a recipe that feeds 8, but you can cut it in half and package up the rest for lunches for the week or freeze it for a busy night when you don’t want to cook.

4. Invest in proper food storage

When you make those big recipes, make sure you’ve got the right kind of storage for it. If you have limited space, use gallon-size freezer bags with a zipper at top and lay them flat. If you have room to spare, you can use plastic containers. Whichever method works for you (for some, it’s a combination of containers and zipper bags), make sure you label what you’ve got in there and when you sealed it up. This will help keep you from wasting food.

5. Rely on frozen veggies

Frozen vegetables are a great way to get the nutrients you need because they are frozen when they are at their prime and retain the vitamins and minerals you need. But there’s another benefit for small batch cooks and that’s being able to use just what you need without waste. You can add them to soups and stews or serve them as a side and keep the rest in the freezer.

Fresh foods are good too, but if it’s just you, buying too much will result in wasted food and wasted money. Instead, buy only what you need for a week and stick to your plan to have tasty homecooked meals whether it’s just you, or even two.