Guest Blog Post from Tightwad

Hi Everyone!  Recently I was presented with the idea of doing a guest post exchange with Emma over at Tightwad.  She has a lot of wonderful ideas about saving money in the kitchen!  Here are her top ten ways to save in the Kitchen.  If you like this post, be sure to visit The Tightwad Blog!

Tightwad top ten: ways to save in the kitchen

10. Save veggie peelings by popping them in a Ziploc bag and into the freezer. When you are ready to make some stock (read: after Thanksgiving when you are staring down a huge turkey carcass), they are a good go-to for adding flavour and nutrition. 

9. Reduce the weekly grocery bill and make your own bread – lots of room for creativity here! Along these lines, don’t discard old bread ends… they could either a) provide a fun outing to the duck pond for the kids or b) be used to make croutons for your next salad or soup.

8. Buy in-season fresh fruit in bulk and make your own jams, jellies and chutneys. This way you can control the amount of sugar in them and they are easy to bling out with pretty ribbon for quick hostess gifts.

7. Why stop at just composting citrus peels? If you grate orange and lemons before peeling you can store the zest in a covered jar and have it on hand for adding some zing to salad, baked goodies, dressings or marinades. 

6. As everyone knows, bananas ripen before you know it. Put them in the freezer when they’re too ripe to eat and you can use them for baking banana bread. 

5. Much cheaper than buying fresh milk, try experimenting with using powdered milk in recipes that call for regular. 

4. Try bulk cooking to save money on grocery buys as well as having prepared meals ready (Tightwad finds this especially handy for when she is reaching for the take out menu!). 

3. Skip expensive flavored vinegars - they are easy to make if you have an herb garden or a great farmer’s market nearby where you can get bunches of herbs for next to nothing. The same can be said for making your own loose teas and gourmet dried seasonings. 

2. Leave the expensive breakfast cereals on the grocery shelves and serve hot and healthy oatmeal instead; it’s a fraction of the price and much better for you.  

1. Introduce yourself to the crock-pot you got for a wedding gift. Buy less expensive cuts and choose slow cooking recipes to create healthy, hearty and delicious dinners. 

Speaking of slow cooking, when you spy a fridge drawer full of root vegetables on their last legs, chop them, throw them in a roaster with a light layer of olive oil, a lashing of balsamic vinegar and salt ‘n’ pepper. Roast together for a hearty dish of roasted root veggies. This is also a good use for tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, mushrooms and asparagus. Roasting them keeps the veggies longer if you don’t use them that day and makes a great pizza topping, omelette, quiche or panini filling or tossed in a cold salad. Yum! Time for lunch!