Double the batch. Whenever you cook something, just double (or triple) the recipe. Then you can eat it for two or three nights or, if you don't like leftovers, freeze it for an easy meal in the future. My favorite things to make triple batches of are soups, sauces, pancakes, re-fried beans, and chicken. Things to avoid freezing are flour-based stews or sauces, anything with potatoes, or cooked bone-in chicken. Freeze things flat to optimize your freezer space!
By multiplying the batch, you can utilize your ingredients to their fullest. For spaghetti sauce, it is cheaper to buy large cans of tomatoes and tomato paste than small cans. For chicken soup, you can turn one chicken carcass into three or four meals worth of chicken stock rather than boiling it down for just one meal.
This method also allows you the convenience of prepared or processed foods without the cost. I purchase bagged pinto beans because they are much cheaper than canned pinto beans. However, canned pinto beans are ready to use, so you pay for convenience. Bagged pinto beans need to be soaked overnight then boiled. By soaking and cooking an entire bag and freezing it in portions, I now have the convenience of pulling them out of the freezer for a last minute meal. (To allow for quick thawing, I just portion them out in Ziploc freezer bags then thaw them by running hot tap water over them in the sink.)
Buy the least processed meat you can. Buy whole chickens instead of chicken breasts. Buy hamburger in a tube instead of on the Styrofoam tray. Buy canned salmon with cartilage and skin instead of flaked salmon. The more the meat has to be handled or processed, the more it will cost.
If
a skinless, boneless chicken breast costs $2.50 a pound, a whole
chicken will cost $0.70 a pound. If you don't like skin, peel it off
and throw it away. You will still save money. You can then use the
meat on the chicken, freeze the heart and giblets (so when you have
enough you can fry them up for a special yummy meal!), and cook down the
carcass for stock. I can take a whole chicken and effortlessly create
eight or nine meals with great variety.
The hamburger in the tube is the same as the hamburger on the tray. The only difference is the hamburger on the tray has been put through a grinder one extra time, making it a finer ground. If you buy the tube, you just have to mash it up a little more while you are cooking it. Otherwise, it tastes no different and the nutritional value does not change.
The
canned salmon that contains skin and cartilage is much cheaper (and
larger quantity) than the flaked canned salmon. All you have to do is
mash it together with a fork. By eating the skin and cartilage, you
actually get the added health benefit of more DHA, and I promise you won't even notice the cartilage.Shop with cash. Set your budget for the month and withdraw that amount in cash. Tell yourself you are only allowed to use that money for food. You are not allowed to use any debit or credit cards. If you run out of money, you can't buy anymore food all month. That will be great motivation to use your money wisely. By using the cash-only method, you will learn to stretch every dollar and every meal and not waste a thing. It forces you to prioritize. Let's say, by the last week, you have run out of coffee, mayonnaise, and milk. If you were using a debit card, you may purchase all three. But if you only have $3.00 in cash, you can only purchase the milk. It helps remind you what you can live without.
I use the cash-only system every month. If I have money left over, I either throw it in a can in the kitchen or I use it to reward myself with some shoes or a shirt. There have been months when I didn't have enough money for groceries due to bad planning or unexpected guests and I have had to raid the kitchen can. That mentality helps me throw my leftover money in the can instead of buying shoes. I have actually started throwing $20.00 in the can at the beginning of the month, just to push myself to be more frugal. I try my hardest not to use that $20.00. I have been that person in line at Walmart searching frantically for that dime in the bottom of my purse so I can purchase a much needed gallon of milk, all so I do not have to dip into my can. Needless to say, our can is starting to fill up nicely. It is a great way to see the fruits of your labor. We are thinking of using it to buy a new television. (For more information on a cash-only lifestyle, I highly recommend Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace Revisited.)
More tips and recipes to come! Also, my philosophy on once-a-month cooking!
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