The best tip I’d ever learned was that of mise en place, which basically is a fancy French way of saying “A place for everything, and everything in its place.” Before you begin cooking, do yourself a favor and get everything you need ready in advance, specifically if you’re planning to execute a recipe. It makes the process go a thousand times faster.
The one thing I’d like to add is that if you don’t want to buy something to sharpen your knives – I know I don’t… y’all know I’m El Cheapo – then don’t be afraid to look for a place in your area that’ll sharpen your knives for you. My former farmer’s market had a booth where people brought their knives and waited in line to have them sharpened. Gotta get creative… because the LAST thing I want to do is spend $130 on something and it’s not an electricity bill… or shoes.
Emphasis on shoes.