kitchen Archives - leanstead

Today’s post is a continuation of last week’s post on money saving tips for the kitchen.

Last week, I shared five easy reminders that you probably already know to do to save you time and money in the kitchen. Here are five more tips that are not only frugal, but healthier for the environment and your body as well. Again, these are not ground breaking ideas but I am sharing them because I need the reminders as well.

1. Purchase in season produce

I’ll be the first to admit I love that I can get a tomato pretty much any time of the year where I live. However, they aren’t always the best. Produce shipped across the country or even around the world is simply not going to taste the best. In order to not spoil, the crop must be picked well before it is truly ripe. Not only does this affect the taste, but it also affects the nutritional value. Anyone who’s ever grown their own tomatoes also knows that nothing tastes as good as a vine ripened tomato fresh from the garden.

To get the best bang for your buck, choose produce that is more locally grown and is in season. You’ll not only get it at a lower price, you’ll also be getting healthier food while supporting your local economy. Tasty, friendly money saving tip!

2. Whenever possible use cloth

As tempting and easy as it may be, using paper napkins and paper towels can be a huge budget drain. It is also more harsh for the environment. Using cloth dues require a little investment on the front end, but can result in a big savings over time. Our family hasn’t bought napkins in over twenty years. I don’t recommend making a huge purchase all at once. Just buy a couple of cloth napkins at a time. After a while, you’ll end up with a nice supply. There are also other ways to create your own napkins from tea towels.

It does take a little getting used to, but the adjustment is worth it. When you get to the point that you can simply skip the paper products aisle, your budget will thank you. The environment will thank you. Plus, your family and guests will feel special that you broth the cloth napkins for them while you are saving money following this tip.

3. Switch to reusable instead of disposable

We all have that drawer in the kitchen filled with sandwich bags and disposable food storage containers. Yet have you ever really stopped to consider how much money we are throwing away? Probably not. A couple of dollars every few weeks adds up over the course of a year. This money saving tip really adds up.

This is one area of my kitchen that I found myself more affected by thinking about the BPA’s of plastics. I gradually starting made the shift to glass storage containers rather than plastic ones or baggies. It took months of buying one or two at a time, but over time I replaced all of the BPA plastics with glass containers or canning jars to store leftovers. I also use them for dry goods as well.

I love being able to see through the containers. This has prevented me from running out of items I use often. I can see that the cocoa is almost empty before it becomes and issue.

4. Simplify drink options

We all know that there are certain drinks that really should be eliminated from our diets. However, that’s not always an easy thing to do. However, considering the financial savings can certainly help with the motivation. Choosing to simplify the drink options can make a substantial impact on our wallet and our waistline.

French press, yeti coffee mug and grinder on a wood tray

That $5.00 latte once or twice a week can add up to $40 per month. That could be or $480 a year and as much as 10,000 calories. Preparing your own coffee at home can save you the money without sacrificing the caffeine jolt. Meeting friends at the coffee spot? Why not meet at a park instead. You can still have the coffee and visit while soaking in some vitamin D and fresh air. Here’s a money saving tip that is waistline and immunity friendly.

5. Get organized

Organization is probably the simplest and most impactful way to same not only money but time as well. In order to shop from a list, you need to make that list. It’s much easier to make said list when you know what your needs are.

An organized pantry, together helps you to see what you have and plan meals quickly. It also keeps you from buying a fifth jar of olives instead of the peanut butter you really need. Grouping like items helps you see at a glance what your situation is.

Take this same organization to the refrigerator. Store like items in the same area of the refrigerator and in containers that can be seen. No one likes to find a package of cream cheese five months after the expiration date.

Don’t get overwhelmed!

No matter where you start, you’ll find any of these areas can impact your budget. Don’t overwhelm yourself by tackling each item. Choose one. Master it. Then move on. As I’ve shared before, each item can be taken deeper once you are ready.

For now, think little by little. Master one area and enjoy the savings!

These money saving tips for the kitchen will help free up some cash AND are kind to the environment. Who’s not looking for frugal and friendly?

We are all trying to squeeze a little more out of each paycheck, right? Let me help out a little with some simple reminders of habits that we’ve all heard of but tend to slip away from over time. Any one of these concepts can be tackled, perfected and expanded. So don’t get overwhelmed. Just start with one idea at a time.

1 – Shop from a list

You’ve heard the warning “Never buy groceries when you are hungry”, right? That’s because you end up buying everything that looks good and often you get home and have no idea what to cook for dinner. Well, the same is true for shopping without a plan. Start with making a menu for the week. The best way to begin is to look in your refrigerator, freezer and pantry to see what you already have on hand. Make a general list of ingredients and build your menu around those items. Make your grocery list from that menu and commit yourself to stick to it.

When my kids were little, they loved to man the list. The one sitting in the grocery cart held the list and checked the items off as we put them in the cart. In a way, I guess they were actually keeping me in check because if I strayed, they would say, “That’s not on the list!” Overall, it has proven to be a good habit for us all.

2 – Cook from scratch

Cooking from scratch was probably one of the most foreign concepts for me as a young adult. I grew up in the age of the convenience food extravaganza. Our pantry was filled with can soups, box meals, seasoning packets, and loads of junk food to keep a family of six filled. We were a family on the go, so my mom didn’t have a lot of time to spend in the kitchen. We didn’t know then what we know now about the chemicals and all of the sugar present in processed foods.

Today, though, we can make better choices. Not only will our bodies thank us, our wallets will as well. Cooking from scratch is actually quite liberating. A bag of flour, some oil, some sugar and eggs can be the building blocks of bread, cakes, cookies, pasta, pizza crust…Do you see what I mean? All it takes is a little time to explore some recipes, check out a food blog, watch a video or maybe even phone-a-friend.

I’ll admit, it can seem a little daunting at first. Recipes used to overwhelm me. Then, when I was living in a place that did not offer all of the convenience foods I was accustomed to, I was forced to try my hand at making homemade tortillas and brownies. It turns out, recipes are our friends! How cool is that?!

3 – Plan for outings

Another way we end up spending extra money on food that is probably not the best for us, is on fast food. We’ve all been pushed for time and errands take longer than expected so you end up hitting a drive through for a quick meal. If you are like my husband and I, you can pretty much count on being disappointed and feeling bloated afterwards. The only way to avoid this is simply by planning ahead and preparing a snack or meal to go. Not only does this save you money, but you’ll end up skipping out on the regrets.

4 – Look for store brands instead of name brand products

Many items on your grocery list can be filled with store brands instead of name brands. Often producers of name brand products also have contracts to produce the same item with other labels. So, you can possibly end up with the same item in a slightly different package, but with a lower price tag. This savings can often be close to 50%, so it’s definitely worth giving a store brand a try.

5 – Check out the price per unit

Sometimes we can be tricked into thinking that bigger is better when it comes to unit prices. However, that may not be the case. Doing a little math while in front of that shelf can save you a littler money.

When possible, also consider refillable items. Items like soap or cleaning products often come in concentrated solutions that you can dilute and add to a previously purchased container. This is usually more environmentally friendly, provided it really does create less waste. But you still have to consider the waste and consider the per unit price. In other words, think it through.

There you have it, the short list of simple steps to take on the journey to frugality starting in the kitchen. In a later post, I’ll share more ideas for practicing frugality in other parts of the house. Let’s not overwhelm ourselves. Just start with one idea and master that one before jumping into others. Slow and steady wins the race, right?

Money Saving Tips for the Kitchen: Five More to Add