5 Frugal Life Hacks For Your Kitchen

To help you stretch your dollar, make homemade meals. A great reason to prepare stews and soups is that you can add your own ingredients. And, fresh ingredients are healthier than canned products.

A few tasty recipe ideas:

• Try homemade beef stew, vegetable soup or chicken soup with noodles.
• In addition to stews and soups, casseroles are yummy and filling.
• Make a meatball or eggplant lasagna and freeze the leftovers.

Tip: When you prepare your dishes, use a larger pot or serving dish. This will ensure you have leftovers. Freeze them in smaller containers. You can take one to work for a fast lunch that’s filling.

When you shop in bulk, you can benefit from added savings. Shop in the bulk produce section of your store. Or, start a membership at Costco if you have one in your area. You can also shop in stores like Super Walmart and head to the bulk aisles. Prices can be much lower if you’re willing to purchase in quanity.

What to look for?

• You can freeze or can fruit and vegetables. Buy these whole and then cut them at home and freeze or refrigerate them.
• With shelf products like rice, pasta, flour, and other dry products, ensure you store them in air-tight containers.
• With perishable goods like milk and cheese, you can freeze them. Keep in mind that any milk or juice will have to be shaken vigorously once thawed.

By shopping in bulk and freezing what you don’t need now, you’ll have plenty of food to get you through a long winter. You will maximize your grocery savings and have enough to cover you until the next big sale.

Your mom and grandmother probably served bread with dinner. As people started focusing on diet and exercise, they took bread off the table, but bread is filling. And, it’s nutritious. If you have gluten allergies, shop for gluten-free bread.

For a few tips:

• Try homemade Italian bread with herb butter when you make your spaghetti dishes.
• Serve pita bread with salad ingredients and make homemade falafel and tahini sauce.
• When you make tacos, serve empanadas and soft tortillas.

Your family will love the new creations and you’ll enjoy filing their bellies with wholesome and nutritious ingredients.

Ready to save more at the store? Try your hand at homemade pizza.

While a frozen pizza is fast, it’s still mass-produced. A better alternative is using your own fresh ingredients. Yes, you can buy pizzas at your local pizzeria, but you know what’s going in your food when you prepare it yourself.

Tips for the best homemade pizzas:

• You can buy dough fresh or frozen. Or, make your own.
• If you have a picky family, make mini pizzas and let them add their own toppings.
• With any leftover dough, save it for breakfast. Add in a little sugar and cinnamon for breakfast rolls (yum!).

Tired of stacking bulky containers in the freezer? Use Ziplock freezer bags. You can neatly store bags of stew, soups, veggies, and other items. And, you can find special freezer labels to include the dates of the items and the ingredients.

The bags can hang on a convenient storage rack. It’s a perfect fit for your freezer or fridge. There are no messy spills to clean up either!

Ultimately, there are so many great ways to save money when you cook. From saving time on meal prep to saving on what you cook, these essential tips are time savers. And, you’ll save a few dollars, too. Happy savings!