Not new I know - as I think it would be fair to say that almost everyone these days is aware that home-made meals cooked from scratch - are not only healthier - but one of the simplest and easiest things that you can do if wanting to become a little more frugal or are looking for extra ways to save money or stretch the budget. However - as eating home prepared totally natural non processed food made from scratch is something that I have done all my life and being a great believer in ' every little bit helps ' - particularly as - its often those little things that we don't normally think of doing that generally add up to even greater savings - I thought this would be a good place for us all to share our extra money saving tips - so that we could all benefit and make even more significant savings. So just to get the ball rolling - here are a few of mine - which some of you may find helpful Always plan what you are going to eat in advance and make a shopping list so that you only buy what you need. Only take advantage of special offers - if its something that you regularly use Never let anything go to waste - particularly as even vegetable tops and tails can be used to make tasty stocks and soups Make use of leftovers by adding a few different ingredients to turn them into a totally different meal Always make use of the times when fruits and vegetables are cheap and plentiful - as they are all easily frozen or made into salsas, soups and sauces - as well as into jams, syrups or jellies and even dried too. or better still try growing a few yourself you also can also make some significant savings on your energy costs too - just by Not preheating the oven more than is needed and never for more than 10 minutes Turn off the oven 10 minutes prior to the end of the cooking time and let the trapped heat finish off the cooking process Always cook as many foods as you can at one time - as batch cooking is not only more economical but great for filling up the freezer with ready to eat meals Use a pressure cooker and microwave as much as you can - which due to the reduced cooking times - saves energy Thaw frozen foods prior to cooking and if you need to boil a kettle - only boil it with the amount of water required as well as - always use a dishwasher - simply because - dishwashers use one-sixth of the water, half the energy and less detergent - compared to hand washing. So what about you - are you already reaping the rewards of cooking at home and do you have any helpful extra money saving tips or ideas ?
Cooking in your own home is great, because not only are you able to save money, but it also means that you know exactly what is in your food, and this means that you can cut down on your calories at the same time. Buying all of the ingredients separately is better than paying for a meal somewhere else, or buying a microwave meal of a similar type, and usually you should find that it doesn't cost a huge amount of money to make the meal anyway. Plus, cooking can be relaxing, and you will have a huge sense of achievement at the end of it.
Sanition is one of the reasons I like to eat at home. I have worked at a restaurant where the cooks would sneeze on the food on the grill they were cooking on. I saw a server sneeze into a plate of food and give it to the people that ordered it. I have seen cooks pick up meat they dropped on the floor and still cook it. Yep, I cook ak at home.
Other ways to save money when you cook at home: - Cook in bulk and freeze the food. - Serve the food in small portions. Prevents food wastage. - Replace meat with other cheaper proteins like beans. - Buy only frozen veggies and fruits. - If you can, buy only groceries which are on sale. - Make your own seasonings, if you can. - Get most of your vegetables from your garden.
It's definitely cheaper when you cook at home against going out and dining in restaurants. However, the ambience in a restaurant is different. As my husband would say, you get to have a break from the routine dishes that we cook at home. And sometimes we have no time to cook so we just go outside, much better than ordering food to be delivered.
Cooking at home regularly is a fantastic way to save money. Cooking in bulk can save you a lot of time and money each week, and it gives you a simple meal to come home to every evening. Restaurants, takeaways and ready-made frozen meals are not only incredibly unhealthy, but also horribly overpriced, and it really can save you so much money to just make the food from scratch yourself.
We cook at home most of the time and only eat out about over a month. I found that we can eat ugh better meals because the ingredients at the store are much cheaper than purchasing an entree or 2 at a restaurant. You can go to just a run of the mill restaurant, like Apple Bees or Red Robin and spend $50 on meal for the family l, or you can go to the grocery store and buy really nice steak cuts for less than that amount and have a very tasty meal at home.
We eat at home most of the time, and it's almost always food I've made from scratch. We do love eating out as it's our favourite type of night out. We're not really pub/bar/nightclub types, so when we do go out eating, it's really like a treat. The restaurants we frequent have great service, ambience and food. But we certainly couldn't do it on the regular as it could get very expensive.
