Kick off the New Year with a little extra green in your pocket
Somehow for many people saving money seems to top the list of New Year’s resolutions—I am one of them. When my husband and I got married we didn’t have very much and we had to choose between cable and eating well—guess what we chose.
And so, we turned to our collection of cook books. Our pallets salivated with every page turn and our minds raced with ideas—the power of food styling. Right then we made the commitment to each other that we would live simply and eat well. After all, we didn’t have a television anyway. With my husband’s over 20 years in the food industry, what we call a “pennies business” and my sensational pallet, and at the time, novice chef skills; we were confident. And with these tips we did fulfill that promise of eating well on a very tight budget. Needless to say, we still utilize these ticks of the trade and in doing so have cooked some of the most delicious and creative meals.
Menu plan. On that note, don’t over plan. Learn to be flexible with your menu based on what you may find on sale, for instance. I also find that it isn’t necessary to plan for an entire week, because leftovers can occur, often enough for an entire meal.
Never shop hungry. This could lead to impulse buys where your brain shuts off and all of a sudden your stomach is controlling you.
Buy whole. Don’t be lazy—cut and chop things yourself. You can get double the fruit if you chose to forgo the pre-chopped ones sold in plastic containers. The same goes for lettuce and other vegetables. Your produce will last longer, too. Buy the whole chicken and cut it up yourself. Separate the pieces into freezer bags and store. And don’t throw the carcass away—turn it into stock, which will save you a bunch.
Don’t just chuck. Make it a point to do inventory in your fridge on a regular basis. This will not only help you menu plan, but it will give you the idea of items that are on its last leg. Here’s a tip: Revive lettuce and limp vegetables by soaking them in ice water. They’ll get their crunch back.
Yes, soup for you! When in doubt, make soup. Need I say more?
Parboil and freeze. If you’re shopping for produce on sale already, it can be stressful to utilize it before it goes bad. Parboiling it first and then freezing it allows you to preserve your produce for future use. I do the same with fruit.
Challenge yourself. Pretend that you are on one of those cooking shows like Chopped and what’s in your fridge is your mystery basket—you can only use these ingredients. You’ll be amazed with what you come up with. And maybe your invention makes it to your recipe syllabus.
Do you have any money saving cooking tips? As a caterer I’m used to sourcing product for each event as each menu is unique to my client. But when it comes to my own family sometimes I have to reel it in while still producing a deliciously healthy meal with a fraction of prep and cook time. The Health Journal would love to hear your tips! So, please comment below.