How do you create a food budget that works? I mean, you could just buy what you want and let the chips fall where they may. You could buy only what you need, but sometimes, uh, you really need a gallon of high-end ice cream.

As boring as it sounds, having a food budget — a distinct allowance for grocery shopping — really is important. In fact, it’s key to living within your means and achieving your financial goals. Without a food budget, it’s very easy to let spending get out of control without a lot to show for it.

Here is my food budget 101 — start from scratch to achieve a budget that really works for you.

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When I was a child I thought Disney was the happiest place on Earth, but now that I’m an adult, I’m pretty sure it’s Costco. Disney has Space Mountain, but Costco has avocados that stay ripe twice as long, and really good Prosecco for just $6.99 a bottle. There’s no contest.

The only problem is that for a place that really wants to sell us everything from hot dogs to diamonds, Costco’s arcane policy of only accepting certain credit cards has not always made it easy to actually pay for them. But now checking out has gotten a lot easier, because Costco has started accepting mobile payments at all of its U.S. stores.

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Meal prepping lunch for the week can really be a game-changer. It rids you of mornings digging around your fridge for something to pack and helps you curb your expensive takeout salad habit. We’re big believers in it and try to make a point to prep lunch each weekend. Here are some of our favorite recipes to get the job done.

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The best lunches are the ones that are the simplest to pull off. They make use of leftover veggies in the crisper, humble pantry basics, and meal prep staples, which not only makes them easy but also keeps our weekly food budgets in check. These are the lunches that do just that, and come together in 15 minutes or less. If it sounds too good to be true, I assure you it’s not.

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You could say moving is one of my specialties: Over the past decade, I’ve lived in more than 25 different apartments. Because I don’t move with much, I’ve had to get creative when it comes to stocking my kitchen on a budget.

The thrift store is almost always my first stop, although they don’t always have what I need. Not to mention, there are certain items I generally can’t (or don’t want to) buy used.

So where do I go next? The dollar store.

As I learned from my late grandfather, these stores have pretty much everything you need — for cheap. If you’re setting up a new kitchen, or just looking to replace or stock up on some things, grab one (or 12) of the following items.

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As the face of the Food Network for more than a decade, Guy Fieri tends to garner attention everywhere he goes. But this past July and August he very quietly stepped up to the grill, cooking for thousands of first responders and evacuees in the wake of the Carr fire in Northern California.

“We have the skill of feeding people, and at a certain point, it’s the most important thing that there is,” Guy Fieri says in a recent interview with Food Beast.

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Shopping for cabinet hardware can be overwhelming (so many options!) and underwhelming (so many not good options!) at the same time. To help ease the stress, we’ve provided a list of 10 online shopping sources for cabinet knobs and pulls to get you started.

We think you’re bound to find what you’re looking for — and not too much of what you’re not — at one of these places!

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Choosing the right houseplant for your space isn’t exactly a science. Also not a science? Astrology. But much like covering your kitchen in greenery, exploring what your zodiac sign might reveal about your personality is a ton of harmless fun (for not a ton of money).

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In addition to its quirky snacks and cult-favorite foods (looking at you, cauliflower gnocchi!), Trader Joe’s is known for its unbeatable super-low, budget-friendly pricing. It’s part of the reason we all love it. So, it’s no surprise that you’ll find a shocking number of items that ring up under five dollars.

Of all those inexpensive finds, these are my seven favorites.

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Regardless of your diet, meal prepping is the easiest way to get ahead on your breakfasts, lunches, and dinners for the week. For vegans and vegetarians, this means getting things like vegetables and meatless protein ready to fill up plates for days. Here are some great recipes we love to get you started.

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