Hubby will purchase ground beef in bulk. He browns about one pound portions with onions and carefully drains the fat using a small colander. Freezing browned/ cooked beef is a time saver! We use freezer bags and usually weigh out portions of 12 to 16 ounces. This is a time saver for us.
I like to make chicken or pork chop-suey, pulled pork, chili, spaghetti sauce,soup, lasagna, etc. I have always considered this as making my own convenience food. It helps provide a nutritious meal and (drumroll) we have more control over the food budget.
When my children were small, I would freeze containers of cookie dough. Slice and bake type rolls, pre-formed individual portions, or in bulk enough for one or two trays. Parchment paper really cuts down on messy cookie sheets.
Forget mountains of left-overs and create planned-overs....... :-)