Saving Money in the Kitchen

I started this series a looong time ago, and then I forgot I’d started it. Oops.

I had recently re-read all of the Tightwad Gazette books, making particular note of the tips, recipes, and information that were of particular interest to me at that point in time, and sorted them. I decided to do a series of posts here, for two reasons:

1. There are a lot of things our family already does to be frugal, which we do so naturally that we don’t really think about them. I thought it might be helpful for someone else to hear about these things.

2. I need some way to keep straight for myself the things I’d like to look into doing to be an even better steward of what we’ve been given.

One important thing I’d like my readers to notice is that where these lists are divvied up will look different for every family! We might do some things to save money, where you’ve opted for “other values.” Or we might have opted for “other values” where you choose to save money. That’s as it should be; every family has its own priorities. (And our priorities often ebb and flow over time as the needs of our families change.)

It was encouraging to me to see that some of the items from the “we might like to” list have actually migrated to the “we already” list since I first made it several years ago!

So let’s get this series going again, shall we?

We/I Already:

Eat at home. (That is, we don’t often eat out or order in.)
Cook from scratch (most of the time).
Have a leftover night once a week.
Make my own bread crumbs from bread ends.
Make my own bread products. (This may not be cheaper than any storebought option, but it’s cheaper than the healthiest storebought options.)
Use freezer containers (instead of multiple ziploc bags).
Buy herbs and spices in bulk.
Buy other foods in bulk (esp. grains).
Cut the amount of sugar in recipes. (This is also healthier, and we often like it better. Alternatively, though, we replace it with honey, which is actually more expensive.)
Drink water most of the time as a beverage. (This was more cost-effective when we had a well. Now we have to buy water if we want decent quality. 🙁 )
Dilute our juice by an extra can’s worth of water.
Make breakfast instead of buying cold cereal. (This is healthier, too. Although we “cheat” on occasion.)
Use 3/4 c. of cooked meat in place of 1 c. in casserole-style recipes.
Prepare recipes that call for inexpensive cuts of meat.
Boil chicken to make my own broth, and/or using bulk bouillon powder.
Prepare vegetarian meals once or twice a week.
Use a lecithin/oil mixture or butter instead of buying nonstick spray.
Use real dishes (instead of disposables).
Freeze leftover smoothie as popsicles.
Freeze juice in ice-cube trays so it can be used in small quantities.
Buy Grade B maple syrup in a large bottle.
Save partially-used cans of things in the fridge.
Buy generics.
Buy fresh or frozen, instead of canned, vegetables.
Shop at Aldi, Wal-Mart, and/or Trader Joe’s. (We loved Trader Joe’s when we lived someplace there was one. Now we don’t have Trader Joe’s, but we do have Aldi.)
Use vanilla powder (instead of liquid vanilla – or buy it in Mexico!). (Buying your vanilla in Mexico is probably not very frugal if you weren’t already going there. 😉 But if you happen to be taking a trip to that country, vanilla is MUCH less expensive there.)
Buy meat in large packages and divide it up.
Shop with coupons/track sale cycles. (Sometimes. Sometimes I let this go in trade for time and energy.)
Use cloth napkins.
Use up the last of the jam with milk and a popsicle mold.
Make my own yogurt.
Save and sell our soda cans. (We actually save ours for a friend who sells them.)
Pop and season popcorn “from scratch.” (Michael prefers the microwave kind, so we do still use that regularly, but every time we cook it on the stove is a little bit saved — money- and health-wise!)
Make desserts an occasional treat.
Cook ahead, for convenience without the cost.

I Would/Might Like To:

Cook dried beans. (I have made some forays into dry bean cooking, but I’m not yet to the point of it being my norm to cook them rather than buying them canned.)
Garden/dehydrate/can. (It’s not for want of trying! I can’t seem to get a garden to be successful.)
Pick more of our own, locally.
Cut a roll of paper towels in half for small jobs.
Turn the heat off after bringing pasta to a boil and cook it, covered, for 20 minutes. (This is also healthier, especially if you can use less water.)
Put certain leftovers straight into the freezer so they don’t spoil.
Add 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. baking soda to fruit pie fillings so I can reduce the sugar by half. (also healthier)
Substitute 1/4 tsp. baking soda and 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar for 1 tsp. baking powder. (No starch is needed if it isn’t being saved, as it doesn’t need a buffer.)
Fold up butter wrappers and save them for greasing pans.
Save watermelon seeds, dry them, and feed them to the birds. (It wouldn’t really save us money, but would avoid waste.)
Use up the last of the ketchup with 1/4 c. hot water for leftover soup.
Wash my plastic bags with the dishrags (in warm water with a tsp. of bleach).
Ask at the butcher shop about venison hunters don’t want. (Apparently in our area, anything the hunters don’t want is automatically donated through some charity program. Buying it doesn’t seem to be an option.)
Prepare “leftover” soup.
Make my own dishwasher detergent, OR
Find a cheaper dishwasher detergent that works.
Dry/can fruits & veggies.

I Have Opted for the Investment/Other Values in These Areas:

Hormone- and antibiotic-free meat, milk, and eggs
Making my own bread products (more expensive than bakery thrift loaves)
Eating real food
Using real butter, olive oil, and milk
Buying filtered water (When we had a well, we filtered our tap water instead. But the city water here is REALLY bad, and the filter just wasn’t cutting it. We’ve seen clear health benefits since ordering spring water delivery.)
Using honey as a sweetener
Using freezer containers instead of used margarine tubs, etc. (because the visible leftovers get eaten, and the real plastic is not quite as unhealthy)
Microwave popcorn most of the time (because hubby prefers it)
Buying some Coke (because hubby wants it — and, frankly, the acid in it has been beneficial for my gut lately)
Buying juice (because if left to drink only water, our toddlers will just not drink — we just use a little bit of juice to flavor their water, though; they don’t drink it straight)
Eating plenty of meat and dairy (so we don’t waste away!)
Buying snacks (“)
Using plastic bags, aluminum foil, etc. (for convenience/easier cleaning)
Not washing plastic bags
Using bulk muffin liners (for easier removal/cleaning)
Using paper towels (’cause my family threatens mutiny if I let us run out for even a little while)

Some other organizational/time-saving/misc. ideas I’d like to try that may or may not save money:

Freeze sliced bread in sandwich bags.
Bend a coat hanger to make a hook for storing canning jar rings.
Use charcoal briquettes for odor absorption in the refrigerator/freezer.
Flash-freeze grated cheese before bagging. (I haven’t ever had trouble with not flash-freezing it first, though, as long as I don’t “mush” it together too much when I’m sealing the bag.)
Use a chest of drawers for recycling.
Keep bananas in a sealed plastic bag; supposedly they’ll last for 2+ weeks this way.
Cook 4 carrots and use in “pumpkin” pie, along with milk as sub. for sweetened condensed milk.
Use a comb to perforate crackers (when baking them).
Use a heavy aluminum (or SS) pan to thaw foods quickly.
Clean burner pans by placing them in a pot of water with 2 Tbsp. powdered dish detergent and boiling for 15-30 minutes.
Food-process chicken noodle soup as a cream-o substitute.