Favorite food hacks?

[la79al]

I don't know if that's a good title or not. I am looking for some of your best budget saving food tips. For example, I just realized that instead of going and spending money on actual breadcrumbs, I can save the ends of the bread (that no one eats anyhow) and make my own. At the same time, I thought today about the price of making our own pizza versus buying and realized it probably wouldn't be a savings at all (we aren't very picky about our frozen pizza and can usually get it on sale 2/$5). I'm trying to get our food budget down as far as possible without living on Ramen noodles and honestly, our menu needs a serious kick in the pants here (horrible morning sickness=waaaay too much processed crap that my kids don't really like to eat anyhow). Ideas and suggestions?

 

[worm761]

I don't know if that's a good title or not. I am looking for some of your best budget saving food tips. For example, I just realized that instead of going and spending money on actual breadcrumbs, I can save the ends of the bread (that no one eats anyhow) and make my own. At the same time, I thought today about the price of making our own pizza versus buying and realized it probably wouldn't be a savings at all (we aren't very picky about our frozen pizza and can usually get it on sale 2/$5). I'm trying to get our food budget down as far as possible without living on Ramen noodles and honestly, our menu needs a serious kick in the pants here (horrible morning sickness=waaaay too much processed crap that my kids don't really like to eat anyhow). Ideas and suggestions?

Cooking from scratch is the way to go. I am looking to decrease my grocery bill for the next two months. We host Thanksgiving and then Christmas is right behind that and DD's birthday is between the two. So many expenses!

Soup with fresh dinner rolls is a great way to stretch your budget. Soups and stews need very little meat if your broth is flavorful. Dinner rolls can be easy to make. And all of your kids are old enough to help in the kitchen. Pre-make stuff and freeze. Make a bunch of pizza's, prebaking the crust, wrap and freeze. If you have pre-prepped stuff then cooking is a lot easier and quicker. Make a menu and stick to it.

Here is my frugal meals board on Pinterest. I have been adding to it lately too. http://www.pinterest.com/disneybug/frugal-meals/

Here is my soup board: http://www.pinterest.com/disneybug/soup-recipes/

And here is my bread board. I have everything from super simple to very complicated. The no knead bread is fantastic! And you can add in all sorts of stuff. http://www.pinterest.com/disneybug/bread-recipes/

 

[worm761]

Breakfast for dinner is super cheap too! Biscuits and gravy. Breakfast sandwiches (bacon/sausage, egg, and cheese), pancakes, waffles, breakfast casserole. The possibilities are endless.

Biscuits are super easy to make: http://stolenmomentscooking.com/how-to-make-fluffy-flaky-biscuits/

Or if you prefer English muffins, google Alton Brown's recipe. Very easy to make also.

 

[KKB]

Plan meals.

Use sales/seasonal products to guide menus.

Leftovers: lunch the next day, freeze, or incorporate into another meal. I LOOK for ways to get rid of leftovers, use things that are nearing expiration. (no one was eating the alfredo or chili that had been there a few days--so last night was leftover night--if I make it, they will eat it!)

Crock pots, pressure cookeres & dutch ovens can turn tough less expensive meats into tender meals. My fav is to toss a whole chicken in, season it & let it go in the crock pot all day. Tender & flavorful when I get home.

If you need some snack items, bag your own instead of buying individual bags.

Breakfast: homemademuffins, quick breads, or granola bars, eggs (inexpensive for any meal), malt o meal cereals
Lunch: leftovers or sandwiches are our fav cheap meals

Potatoes are very inexpensive--use them as the base for a main course, or to stretch your soups & stews.

If there is an Aldi in your area, get there now! We just got one--honestly, prices are up to 40% cheaper & quality is very good.

Be careful with Sam's--if you are smart, it can be a great savings (cheapest place around for 93% ground beef & boneless skinless chicken breasts here). But a friend with 4 teens says her husband spends $1600/month there--WHAAATTT???!! I can cut that by at least a third, maybe half.

Produce--buy in season, don't buy anything chopped or cut (nearly always terribly more expensive); toss overripe bananas in the freezer for breads, cookies, etc. If apples get soft make apple crisp, pie, etc.

 

[marmalade]

I don't know if that's a good title or not. I am looking for some of your best budget saving food tips. For example, I just realized that instead of going and spending money on actual breadcrumbs, I can save the ends of the bread (that no one eats anyhow) and make my own. At the same time, I thought today about the price of making our own pizza versus buying and realized it probably wouldn't be a savings at all (we aren't very picky about our frozen pizza and can usually get it on sale 2/$5). I'm trying to get our food budget down as far as possible without living on Ramen noodles and honestly, our menu needs a serious kick in the pants here (horrible morning sickness=waaaay too much processed crap that my kids don't really like to eat anyhow). Ideas and suggestions?

I make a Ramen noodle dish that my family loves. I saute onions,carrots, garlic and ginger in a pan with some olive oil, once they are soft I add some sesame oil and rice vinegar and some brown sugar (1-2 tbsp). I add approx 1-2 cups of water per ramen noodle packet I am using as well as chopped broccoli. Bring to a boil throw in the ramen noodles as well as the seasoning cook for a few minutes and you have a delicious cheap quick dinner.

Sesame oil is a pricier ingredient and not necessarily needed it is just an ingredient I always have on hand.

 

[LJSquishy]

I make almost everything from scratch which saves a lot!

Make your own chicken stock by simmering a whole chicken with the end pieces and peelings of carrots, celery, and onion (I keep a bag of end pieces in the freezer that I add to whenever I peel carrots or chop an onion and use it when I'm ready to make stock).

In recipes that call for 1lb of ground beef/turkey for example, I only use 1/2lb of meat and add diced fresh mushrooms to bulk it up. Depending on the recipe, I will also use minced red bell pepper, carrots, and/or onion. I do this frequently with spaghetti, healthy sloppy joes, and Asian lettuce cups.

Rice and pasta is inexpensive, as are beans (especially dried beans). If you buy dried beans and soak them yourself, you will save a TON versus buying canned beans. We don't eat much rice or pasta, but it is a big money saver. You can even make your own "refried" beans in a crockpot.

Various soups are very inexpensive and this is the perfect time of year to whip up huge batches! I like to freeze extra for later use. I like to serve soup with sandwiches (usually just 1/2 sandwich per person as long as the soup is a balanced meal). Sometimes grilled cheese, other times BLTs.

Certain sandwiches are dirt cheap...egg salad sandwiches are one of my favorites and eggs are so cheap! We also love making teriyaki chicken sandwiches where we cook cubed chicken in teriyaki sauce, then add diced pineapple and a slice of Swiss cheese. We used to serve them on the Outdoor Rolls at Costco (sooooo cheap!).

Potatoes are really inexpensive. We don't eat many but I know they are cheap.

Shred your own cheese instead of buying the little bags of preshredded. First, preshredded cheese is coated in something which keeps it from melting nicely, and second, it's cheaper to shred your own. The one exception I make is buying the 5lb bag of shredded mozzarella at Costco and freezing it in 1lb bags.

We eat a lot of spaghetti squash, acorn squash, etc and I save the seeds to roast (just like pumpkin seeds) then add them to my husband's trail mix for his lunches. I buy large quantities of nuts and seeds and freeze them then pull out a little of each to make a trail mix.

I recently started to make fruit topping mixins for my husband's plain Greek yogurt. We buy the big containers at Costco and he spoons in whatever topping he wants. His favorite is the cherry topping (1 cup frozen Organic tart cherries from Costco, cooked down with about 1/4 cup water and 1tbsp organic pure maple syrup then thickened with arrowroot powder). It saves money from buying the expensive Chobani or Fage cups.

I make homemade whole wheat tortillas (I've also made Paleo tortillas) which are dirt cheap to make and easy! We love to spread almond butter on them, a sprinkle of cinnamon, and diced Apple or banana before rolling them up. Yum!

I made English muffins once which were delicious but a little more time consuming...but not bad. My husband recently requested them again so I'll have to freeze some.

I freeze ice cube trays with lemon juice and lime juice for using in recipes. I put the cubes in a freezer bag. I always have "fresh" juice for my recipes which tastes so much better than the bottles! I don't know if it's cheaper, though. I also zest them before juicing them and freeze the zest to make whole wheat lemon poppyseed muffins, etc.
The biggest money saver for us is just not eating out at all. It's been 7 weeks since we've had a meal out.

 

[stayhomemom77]

Try looking at the Eat at Home thread on the Budget board. Lots of people posting their menus and some of them are very budget friendly.

 

[Handbag Lady]

Have you tried making English Muffin pizzas? My mom gave us those once a month for years. We could never agree on toppings, so she bought English muffins, got sauce on sale (she used spaghetti sauce as pizza sauce, but you can simmer tomatoes and do your own), and let us make our own with whatever toppings we wanted. We could even cook them to however well done we wanted. I liked mine crispy and my sister liked them softer.

Anyway, it was oodles cheaper than frozen pizza, which my mom wouldn't buy ever.

 

[barkley]

I don't know if that's a good title or not. I am looking for some of your best budget saving food tips. For example, I just realized that instead of going and spending money on actual breadcrumbs, I can save the ends of the bread (that no one eats anyhow) and make my own. At the same time, I thought today about the price of making our own pizza versus buying and realized it probably wouldn't be a savings at all (we aren't very picky about our frozen pizza and can usually get it on sale 2/$5). I'm trying to get our food budget down as far as possible without living on Ramen noodles and honestly, our menu needs a serious kick in the pants here (horrible morning sickness=waaaay too much processed crap that my kids don't really like to eat anyhow). Ideas and suggestions?

we get the giant bags of herb/parmesan croutons from Costco. I save the broken pieces and crumbs from the bottom of each bag (put them in a plastic container). these are AWSOME for breadcrumbs in Italian dishes.

on the rare occasion we get kfc I pull out the box of biscuits to put in the freezer. we pull a couple out at a time and nuke um to use for biscuits and gravy.

watch for sales on meat at your local stores. when ours have sales on roasts I can get them per pound cheaper than ground/other cuts. a few weeks ago one store had them on sale-I grabbed up 10 pounds worth and had the butcher grind 5 pounds, and slice the other 5. we used our vacuum sealer to put up 1 pound packages of the ground, and 3/4 pound packages of the sliced-which we cut into strips for stroganoff or fajitas. this saved me almost 70 cents a pound on ground beef, and almost $1.50 on the strips. I also do this for stew/soup meats and frequently save a dollar or more per pound.

for pork sausage (Andouille, Italian or plain) I save SO MUCH by grinding our own. for the per pound price at the store I can buy bulk pork (including the large mutant tenderloins at Costco) for near or less per pound-and end up with sausage that I don't end up losing 25% of due to the fat that comes off it. again-we use an inexpensive vacuum sealer.

on soups and stews I will double everything but the meat called for.

SEASONAL DEAL-right now the stores have all the trick or treat goodies for sale. look through them for stuff you normally buy to put in kid's lunches or for them/you to snack on. I've gotten small treat size bags of the same fruit treats I normally bought for a fraction of the price. today I got a big bag with 30 individual bags of Cheetos that are being marketed as treats-for about $5-that 17 cents a bag is a big savings. walmart has boxes with 35 little frozen themed bags of cheese puffs for less than $6-they are ideal for school lunches, and if a person is dieting they put the price of those snackwell measured servings to shame.


for us it comes down to looking to see if what we want is available less expensively in another form (and changing it to what we want).

 

[sheetz]

The day after Thanksgiving my local Walmart usually has fresh turkeys on sale for half price.

 

[Vernie822]

We love making soup and chili and freezing it. Our favorites are chicken noodle, tomato bisque (this never makes it into the freezer because my fiancé eats it all lol), chili with ground turkey, wedding soup, and minestrone. They're actually pretty inexpensive to make and they make for super easy weeknight meals!!

 

[tina.tina]

I have to say my pressure cooker is amazing. In 30 minutes last night, I cooked 3 chicken breasts from frozen and they were so tender. I love to make ribs or pork chops with McCormick's Applewood rub and my kids like them, too. I'm planning to cook some Pinto beans in the pressure cooker soon for DH and FIL.

Like a PP said, Sam's is great for ground beef and boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Their chicken tastes so much better than the local grocery stores' chicken. I also bought a jug of rice at Sam's that lasted me forever. Their frozen sweet corn in steamable bags is so good it tastes like fresh corn on the cob. I used to buy the individual bags of taco seasoning to season our meat for Mexican dishes but I bought a large container of taco seasoning several months ago that I am still using. I also save money buying shampoo and hand soap from Sam's.

I buy large packs of meat and put single chicken breasts or 1lb of hamburger into individual freezer bags. I mash the hamburger down until it's flat in a 1 quart bag and it takes up less room in the freezer. There are 4 of us so I cut the hamburger (while it's still in the bag) into 4 squares and have square burgers. The trick about poking a hole in the middle of your burger really does seem to help it not shrink too much.

We have a Flowers bread store in town that sells reduced bread and our Dollar Tree often sells bread.

We plan to have soup and sandwiches for dinner twice a week in November. You wouldn't believe how much making a menu helps with budgeting and solving the question of What's for Dinner?

 

[Eureka]

I've found that making homemade pizza and freezing it doesn't come out so good. The crust is soggy no matter what I do. So for days when I can't make fresh dough, I keep pita breads in the freezer to use as crust. I have also resorted to buying frozen pizza when it's on sale and I have coupons, but it prefer to use it as a last resort to keep the fat content down. I also try to plan a leftover tonight to use up what's in the fridge. This was easier when I freelanced and cooked every day. Now that DH cooks a few times a week, it doesn't work as well. He cooks very differently than I do in terms of what he likes to cook and what ingredients he asks me to buy, so we don't always have leftovers. I stock up on canned soup when it's on sale in the fall (using coupons of course) so some weekend dinners are DIY soup and sandwiches.

 

[fairyjess]

I freeze a lot of chopped veggies (that I buy cheap at a spanish market, or walmart or aldi or whatever is on sale) and then use those for recipes. Onions, peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, broccoli, spinach, and also apple, banana, and berries are all currently in my freezer. You can make fajitas, soup, smoothies, caramel apples, pie filling, jelly, all kinds of basic, healthy and filling foods with frozen veggies and a few staples (like chicken, rice, tortillas, pasta...) I also puree the thawed food and make bread and muffins with them inside.

I have picky eaters and work multiple jobs, so for me the key is not just money, but also time savings. Therefore I also wholeheartedly endorse any overnight breakfast casserole, crock pot lasagna, and low and slow bbq ribs in the oven. I can put them all on timer and leave them in the oven so they are ready when I get home. I have no idea how my mother managed dinner everyday when she worked and took care of me.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

Eating at home is way cheaper.
This week we had steak, baked potato, salad and cake pops for dessert Cost was $9.00 for steak, $1.33 for potato, $2.99 for bags lettuce .75 for cake pops. = just under $15 Plus I had left over salad for the next meal. At a steak place I could not get one meal for what I made for 2 people.

Made Italian chicken casserole. which made enough for two meals.


If you are in a hurry breakfast is a quick meal to make. Scrambled eggs, pre cooked sausage patties and toast. In fact that is what we are having tonight for trick or treat.

We get to go meals from Applebee and Texas Road house. Saves on have to tip and buy expensive drinks.

Another quick meal is a bag of barefoot contessa beef bourguignon. I add cheese tortellini to it and then I have enough left to have left overs. A bag of barefoot contessa beef bourguignon is $6.99 tortelli is $7.99.

In the summer I go to the local fruit stand for my veggie's. There is one 1/2 mile from where I grocery shop and I can get a dozen eggs from her for .79 cents.

Crockpot meals and use the crockpot liner bags for easy clean up. You dirty one thing that is cleaned simply by tieing the liner shut and putting it in the trash.
Writing out a weekly menu helps A LOT!

 

[NYEmomma]

My favorite right now is making chicken stock.

We buy a $4.99 rotisserie chicken from Sam's Club and generally get 2 meals out of it and then I use the carcass to make chicken stock. Just did this a couple days ago and we got chicken noodle soup for 2 days and 2 small canning jars and 1 large canning jar of chick stock (I'm relatively new at canning -- I keep forgetting the actual jar sizes but ya know what I'm talking about when I say large & small, right? I think one is 16 oz so that means the other is probably 32 oz).

I also buy bulk ground beef and ground turkey and cook & freeze in 1lb increments. More so for the time saving at dinner time than the cost saving but I do think it's a bit cheaper.

We make homemade bread, pizza crust, biscuits, etc.

 

[The Princess]

Thank you for all the wonderful ideas......keep them coming!

 

[tina.tina]

Lots of people seem interested in pizza so I thought I'd post that I use cheap canned biscuits to make individual pizzas. A jar of spaghetti sauce, shredded cheese, 4pk cheap biscuits, and a pack of pepperonis is less than $10 and I could get 4 meals out of it! I usually use the cheese, sauce, and pepperoni for spaghetti a couple of days after I have the pizzas. The biscuits keep for over a month so they're there the next time we have pizzas.

DH likes supreme pizzas. So, I throw whatever we have on his- banana peppers, green peppers, onion, mushrooms, deli ham, sausage, etc.

 

[pjlla]

I make my own vegetable broth/stock for soup. I buy mostly organic veggies and those that aren't get a good scrubbing before peeling and/or chopping. I save the carrot peelings, onions skins and ends, celery leaves, asparagus ends,kale stems, cabbage and cauliflower cores, etc in a big bread bag in the freezer. When I have about two full bags I pull out my largest stock pot (a big canning pot) and throw in the veggie pieces, a few pepper corns and bay leaves and fill it with water and bring it to a boil. Then I turn it down and let it simmer, uncovered, for a few hours or until it is reduced by at least 1/3 (but usually by 1/2). Then I let the broth cool and I strain it through a fine mesh sieve and freeze it in large jars in 6 C portions (because that seemed to be just the right amount for me to use at a time).

If I am ready to make stock but it seems like I don't have a good balance of veggies I will sometimes throw in a whole carrot or two, a celery stock, or a whole onion.

I use a LOT of vegetable stock because DS is allergic to chicken and anytime I am making a soup or stew that calls for chicken stock, I usually replace it with veggie stock (and if it contains meat I replace the chicken with lean pork or tofu). Plus we really like soup and stew here, so I make it a few times a week.

After I've strained the stock out I compost the remaining vegetable mush.... but if you had a dog or any farm animals (chickens, goats,pigs) they would probably love this!

The ONLY things I really don't add to the vegetable stock is tomatoes (it is too strong a flavor or clashes with the flavor of many of my regular soup recipes), or any starches (potatoes, parsnips, corn).

That is probably my BIGGEST food hack!

I also make my own chicken stock if we have had a whole chicken (although we don't very often due to DS allergy). That is a pretty basic "hack" and I'm sure I don't need to offer instructions for that one!

I have also made beef stock from the bones from our Christmas prime rib a few years in a row and ham stock from the bone from the Easter ham. The beef stock made FABULOUS soup base and it made me feel a BIT better about the cost of the Christmas roast. And my cousin usually hosts Easter and provides the ham but doesn't want the bone. I can usually get enough ham from the bone (before cooking it for stock) to put aside for a meal of ham fried rice (to serve 4). I use the ham stock for split pea soup. I don't mind no meat in my pea soup, but the ham flavoring in the stock adds a lot!

As previously mentioned by others, I also make my own bread crumbs from loaf ends that may otherwise go uneaten. I toast them when I have the oven heating for something else and then crush them in my food processor and throw them into a bag in the freezer.

I make my own "lean cuisine" type lunches. I make something I really like that fits my eating habits (I'm a lifetimer on WW) and then freeze it (in glass) in batches (well labeled). When I have a work day I just grab one and toss it into my lunch sack and warm it at lunchtime! I make southwestern quinoa stew, pea soup, black bean and barley soup, curried chicken with brown rice, vegetable chowder. Soup freezes well in mason jars.... just be sure to leave room at the top for expansion. I use glasslock containers (bought at Costco) for the stews and other things.

HTH..........................P

 

[pjlla]

Few other ideas....

one of my favorite supermarkets has a marked down produce rack. I check it before I decide anything else I'm buying for produce. I buy the marked down apples for applesauce, I buy the marked down cucumbers and avocados, mangos and bananas (always bananas!!) for smoothies (peel, dice, freeze), and any other fruits and veggies that I can use immediately or freezer for later. Two days ago I bought summer squash marked down to 50 cents/lb. There was absolutely NOTHING wrong with it.... and it tasted great mixed into the hamburg stew that day! I will also use it for juicing (celery, cucumber, apples, oranges, grapes). I also buy onions and mushrooms and peppers on the markdown rack and roast or sautee them and then freeze them. That way they are ready for a soup or stew or omelet!

When I can buy produce for anywhere from 19 cents a pound to 89 cents a pound, it is a huge bonus! I bought 6 avocados this week for 99 cents total... they were PERFECTLY ripe and they are now peeled and chopped and residing in my freezer ready for a smoothie!

The trick to the markdown produce is that you usually need to process it within 24 hours. So if you won't have time to do anything with it.... skip it for now.

Bread..... making your own is cheapest (especially if you were gifted a bread machine ), but next best is a bread outlet. I can get the 100% whole wheat bread that I use for DS's lunches for $1.39 (fresh, not old) a loaf at the bread outlet. Usually the BEST price at my favorite supermarket is $2 but more often $4. I also buy whole wheat Sandwich Thins (8 pack for $1.29) and occasionally bagels (Thomas' for $1/6). The hard part is resisting the siren call of the junk they sell..... like cakes and donuts. Plus my nearest bread store is 40 minutes away, so when I am going that way I stock up and put it in my freezer.... but I never make a special trip.

Pizza dough.... SO EASY to make your own!! I hate cooking and baking (although I do a LOT of it), but I've found a few healthy pizza crust recipes that are SUPER easy and delicious!!! If you have a food process you can buy your cheese in blocks and shred it pretty easily (it is cheaper than buying preshredded).... but even if you buy preshredded cheese it is still a better deal than take-out pizza and healthier than cheap frozen pizza.

Snacks for dinner night..... easier and often cheaper than making a whole regular meal.... and especially good on busy nights. Sometimes I put out carrots and celery sticks, sliced peppers, garlic hummus, crackers and cheese, hard-boiled eggs, sliced apples, whole wheat pretzels... and everyone just gets to pick and choose! Hummus is an easy inexpensive protein to offer for a meal.... and again, super easy to make at home, but also reasonable to buy pre-made.

Again, HTH...............P