Friday Frugal Fun #1

Since I love to cook I thought I would start off with some frugal cooking tips! I hope you enjoy them. Add to them in the comments or write a blog post with your frugal tips!

#1 – If you cook at home, you are already ahead on saving money. For $10-$20 you can feed a whole family vs. one entrée at a restaurant.

#2 – Grow your own food. Everyone needs vegetables and they are just getting too expensive in the grocery store for good quality organic veggies. So just grow your own! You’ll have the initial costs of seeds, dirt, tools and other things, but what an investment!

#3 – Buy spices and herb in whole & in bulk (or again, grow what you can). You can always chop or grind them up yourself and save, save, save.

#4 – Buy or make your own cheese. Buy it on sale and plan meals around using it in your meals.

#5 – Cut down on the amount of meat you cook each week. We usually have at least one veggie night. It is fun to create new casseroles with the fresh vegetables we get out of the garden or from the market.

#6 - Eat leftovers. This is an easy one for us. We usually cook enough for 2 meals and either we eat the leftovers for lunch or the following night’s dinner. Fridays are usually fend for yourself night or throw it in the pot night.

#7 – Shop Latin or Asian markets. They usually have deals on exotic spices and veggies. I bought a pound and a half of white mushrooms in an Asian market one time for $1.29. In the local grocery store they were $2.59 for 8 oz!

#8 – If you are buying local try to buy straight from the farmer. We have lots of strawberry, tomato and blueberry farms around here that gladly let you come in and pick your own (for a minimal fee) or they will have them picked and ready to go for a little bit more.

Those are just a few tips to help save money when you are cooking. Of course use coupons if you want and plan your weekly menus around the sale flyers too. What other tips do you have? How do you feed your families & save money in this economy?

Thanks for joining me today!

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