When I have money, I tend to use as much as I have.
But when I don't, I don't use at all.
The good thing is, I enjoy saving money and keeping the household account!
I might actually be suited to being poor... lol
There are many ways to save money, but here's my techniques for saving on groceries.
DIY: You can make many things you buy at store yourself, with what you already have.
Do you like sweets? Bake at home!
And don't buy those ready-made brownie mix or cookie dough.
Making your own sweets at home is a lot cheaper, and way healthier, because you can control the amount of sugar and fat.
Does it look burned? ....yes, it is lol
It actually wasn't all that bad, it was just the surface that was burned.
And, another tip to save money when you bake is using a toaster oven. (if you have one)
It saves some gas/electricity, and also it wouldn't let the kitchen get HOT during the summer.
It also tastes better when you make them yourself.
You could probably save about $2~4 a month!
Next time I find really cheap tomatoes, I'm thinking about making my own ketchup!
I hear it's healthier, because the ones you buy at store have a LOT of sugar it them.
Sodas are good... addictively so. But they are expensive!
Instead of spending $10 on sodas every month, try drinking iced tea.
You can find Iced tea bags for $1.5~4 depending on the size and brand.
It's still a lot cheaper than sodas... and a lot healthier!
My favorites are; Jasmine tea, green tea & black tea.
I suggest you boil 2 cups of water first, dip 2 tea bags in the boiled water (if 1 bag is for a gallon, then just use 1) for a while, pour it in a pitcher and add water.
I have a very bad case of PMS, so I start drinking decaffeinated ones 2 weeks before the period starts.
Preserve veges well and make them last longer!
When you don't have many people in your household, the size of vegetables stores sell could be too big. Or, you simply let them go bad before you can eat them all.
What you need to do is preserve them well, and let them last longer!
Potatoes can be kept outside of the fridge, but keeping them in the fridge prevents them to go dry and wrinkled. It also prevents the buds too.
If you buy a big bag of potatoes and think you can't eat them all soon enough, just put them in the fridge! Don't forget to keep them in a plastic bag.
Another vegetable that goes bad very quickly is green onions.
Just get rid of the roots (the white part), chop them in half (or smaller), put them in a tupperware with a piece of kitchen paper lined in it. And preserve in the fridge as usual!
This way, they will last twice as long.
And, don't throw the roots! You can regrow them in a cup with a little bit of water!
When you buy meat, just keep as much as you would eat in a couple of days in the fridge. For the rest, put them in small plastic bags and freeze them.
A lot of people tend to freeze the whole pack, but it saves a lot of time to thaw and prevents waste if you take time to separate them into a smaller amount (ideal is 1 meal x people in the household = a bag).
I suggest you write down a list of everything you have in the freezer, including dates and amount. This way, you don't have to dig into the freezer to check what you already have, and prevent duplication.
I also recommend freezing breads, especially during summer.
If you don't eat them within a few days, just put them in the freezer.
Toasts: you don't even have to thaw them. Just put them in the toaster!
Table breads: Leave them out for a while. Wrap in kitchen paper and warm up in a microwave for 10 seconds. You can have fluffy bread again!
Grow your own herbs and veges!
Herbs grow without much effort, and fast!
My basil was half of this size a week ago. Look how big it's grown now!
I like making Italian tomato salad with chopped basil and garlic, extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. So simple and so good. But you can't make it without fresh basil, and it's too expensive to buy in store. Now I can have it anytime I want!
If you have a lot of them, you can make basil sauce too.
Green onions grow very fast, so you might not even have to buy them again :)
It's very easy to grow green onions... just don't forget to change the water everyday... the water has to stay fresh all the time.
Plan menus for the week in advance.
It doesn't have to be for every meal, but I recommend planning rough menus for the week before you go grocery shopping. It should be something you can make with what you already have in the fridge. That way, you don't have to waste them, and also save money.
The cheap stuff you find in store cannot always be used with what you already have. Meaning, you are not necessarily saving money.
It's actually better to plan the menus first, buy cheap stuff that can be used for the menus, and be flexible about how you use them.
I will write more next time!
1 comment:
I love your ideas about saving money on food. I have a large family and saving money is a good thing. One tip that I could pass on would be " the value of leftovers". I will add onions or pasta or whatever. Let your imagination run wild to create new and fun dishes. My family likes my surprise "goulosh dishes".
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