How much are our economic fears or realities affecting what we do in the grocery store and the kitchen? To gain a sense of how the economy is affecting our actions, I put a poll on my website (http://thescramble.com/) and in the Scramble newsletter. So far, many of those polled said they cook at home more and use more leftovers in their meals. One subscriber who lives in Hawaii, where food costs are especially high, asked me for some suggestions for lowering costs of dinners she makes at home. While I think that cooking at home is one of the best money-saving strategies, there are some ways to make those costs even lower. For those of us who love fresh herbs, one great way to save money is to plant a little herb garden in your yard, window sill, or on your deck, so you can use those instead of buying expensive herbs at the market.
Let me know if you have other money saving tips when it comes to meals.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
4 comments:
I love the garden tip, especially because it will be a fun activity to do with my 4-year-old.
My tip is to create recipes around the same ingredients. For example, if one of the scramble recipes uses celery, instead of using one or two stalks then tossing the rest, I make sure I can use the rest later in the week for either snacks, or a side dish... I try really hard to do this for all non-staple and fresh ingredients I purchase each week.
To keep costs down I try to add recipes to the week's menu to use items that may be "left-overs"--such as tortillas (a recipe only used 1/2 package), etc. With the great new Scramble format I see which items on this week's menu I may have extra of, and then find another recipe to use that item(s) so it doesn't go to waste.
I save money by using recipes (like the Scramble ones!) that require fewer processed ingredients - they cost less and are easier to use up in other recipes. And I use some of the savings to purchase better quality items - organic, grass fed, etc. that taste better and are better for the environment.
Fresh herbs are delicious, but often dried herbs are faster and cheaper. Grocery spices tend to be overpriced, though. Look at your local international foods store (Hispanic, Asian, or Middle Eastern) for dried herbs and spices. I found dried mint, for example, at 99 cents for about 2 cups - compared to $4 for a little jar at the grocery!
Post a Comment