A thread for us to share money-saving tips.
Cooking in bulk and packaging in individual servings in the freezer is one useful idea.
Dollar stores are surprisingly excellent when it comes to hosting a party.
Use the library for books, movies and magazines.
Bring one's own water, tea, coffee (or hip flask- if so inclined) while venturing out.
pay off credit card balances to avoid paying interest
Aside from buying family packs and freezing individually....menu planning is HUGE in saving money and minimizing waste.
For example.....I can cook a roast chicken dinner....traditional style (with mashed taters and carrots and corn). (roast chicken for 2) From what is left, I can make a half dozen chicken enchiladas, (a few mushrooms and green peppers to fill them out)....which I freeze individually. There is also enough chicken left to make a nice hearty chicken soup......and the left overs from THAT can be thickened to make a full sized chicken pot pie....or 4 small individual chicken pot pies.
That's a lot of mileage out of one roast chicken.
The same can be done with roast beef. Traditional....French dip buns.....beef pie or shepards pie.
(and roast pork too)
Roast pork.....leftovers cubed for sweet and sour, rice and veggies......pulled pork buns.
Go to a bakery for day-old breads and pastries. There is often a good variety if you get there early just after they open. The same goes for shopping for meat...at least at Safeway. If you get there early they have meat that has been marked down because the expiry date is the same day.
That works Kitten.....and I think we have to do what we have to do. Me ?......I'm not good at compromising......and day old bread and old meat doesn't work for me. (I know how snooty that sounds....forgive me) And I'm OK with getting a good cut of meat when I know it's going to see us through 3 or 4 meals. Even a tiny piece of meat will go a long ways with planning.
I'm more able to afford steak if it is close to the expiry date. Even lean hamburger is getting expensive, but at least it will stretch a long way. With the steak I usually slice it into thin strips and stir fry it to get more than one meal out of it.
We often buy the tougher "lean" cuts of meat and cook them longer.
That's a good idea too. A slow cooker really comes in handy for that sort of thing.
I always check flyers and cut out coupons for specials that I need.
I'm not as vigilant about clipping coupons any more.....but I sure used to. They made a BIG difference. Especially being as our local grocery store would offer Triple Tuesdays. Three times the value of the coupon.....sometimes stuff would be free. (can't beat free food.....even if it's something you normally wouldn't buy)
Check out to see what offers your grocery store has.....it took me a year and a half before I found out that little tid bit.
1) Eat out even less than usual.
2) Avoid Christmas.
Oh my...this sounds like the lunch thread. me hongry again. ;P
P.C. wrote:
[div style="font-style: italic;"]Aside from buying family packs and freezing individually....menu planning is HUGE in saving money and minimizing waste.[/div] [div style="font-style: italic;"] [/div] [div style="font-style: italic;"]For example.....I can cook a roast chicken dinner....traditional style (with mashed taters and carrots and corn). (roast chicken for 2) From what is left, I can make a half dozen chicken enchiladas, (a few mushrooms and green peppers to fill them out)....which I freeze individually. There is also enough chicken left to make a nice hearty chicken soup......and the left overs from THAT can be thickened to make a full sized chicken pot pie....or 4 small individual chicken pot pies.[/div] [div style="font-style: italic;"] [/div] [div style="font-style: italic;"]That's a lot of mileage out of one roast chicken.[/div] [div style="font-style: italic;"] [/div] [div style="font-style: italic;"]The same can be done with roast beef. Traditional....French dip buns.....beef pie or shepards pie.[/div] [div style="font-style: italic;"] [/div] [div style="font-style: italic;"](and roast pork too)[/div] [div style="font-style: italic;"] [/div] [div style="font-style: italic;"]Roast pork.....leftovers cubed for sweet and sour, rice and veggies......pulled pork buns.[/div]
I don't know if this is valid in other cities but I find fresh fruits and vegetables are cheaper in asian markets
- steal (haha just kidding)
- hang out at Chapters on rainy days for hours on end if you want to read a book (and they don't have it at the library)
- go to a friend's house to eat / try to get to other peoples' parties
- get fast internet and download as many movies as possible to save on blockbuster rentals (same goes for music)
- use those store-brands instead of big name ones... they are usually decent
- barter!
- borrow stuff from your friends / neighbours
- buy used (especially cars!!)
never
Grow your own vegetables. If you haven't got a garden go out in the countryside and pick as many edible fruits etc. as you can (this not only saves money it's also a healthy and enjoyable poursuit)- freeze surplus for eating in the winter.
'Repurpose' old furniture. Like an old dresser that no longer serves its function, can have the drawers removed....gut it....and put in some shelves (sometimes it even works that the wood in the drawers will work). Repaint or stain it....voila....a bookshelf.
When we bought our house I wanted trees in the yard, but I only bought trees that gave me fruits or nuts, I have apples, cherries, plums walnuts& a hazelnut. Just a word of warning walnut trees take 10 years before they give nuts, I had to wait a long time! LOL
Excellent solution JJ. The beauty of trees....plus the bonus. Let's face it....all trees are beautiful, so why not plant the ones that will supplement your food bill.
Grow your own hydroponics and sell what you don't smoke.
Secondhand stuff is good but don't buy secondhand guns.
Always insist on getting paid for the work you do. Don't be suckered in.
One idiot i worked for argued with me so i put my steel caps on and went and confronted him and threatened to kick his head in. No result so i threatened to fill his front yard with asbestos blocking in his cars.
He paid me.
Why Gordie....you're full of good ideas. You don't strike me as the thrifty type. [img style="CURSOR: pointer" onclick=url(this.src); src="vny!://www.cheesebuerger.de/images/more/bigs/c008.gif" border=0]
I'm not. I spend money like water but concentrate on bringing it in!!!! And i have heaps of scams to keep me going all totally legit mind you! ;-))
Dirty deeds done dirt cheap!!!
AC/DC knows how to make things work.
I'm quite frugal, but know when to splurge for quality. (and sometimes just for fun....but I like to think my thriftiness in other areas allows me to splurge on some things.)
JJ wrote:
When we bought our house I wanted trees in the yard, but I only bought trees that gave me fruits or nuts, I have apples, cherries, plums walnuts& a hazelnut. Just a word of warning walnut trees take 10 years before they give nuts, I had to wait a long time! LOL I already have my hands full fighting the squirrels and birds from stealing and pecking the persimmons and pears on my few fruit trees and keeping the possums from rummaging thru my garbage. No thanks!
So true 49er, the year my cat died the squirrels moved into the nut trees. They get more nuts than I do, but they are fun to watch!
Maybe P.C. can give you each a bear to scare away the squirrels/possums.
Now THERE'S a practical solution. All I have to do now is catch a couple.....and then figure out transportation. I wonder if Southwest Airlines will be offended if they are wearing fur.
Cabbage is more nutritious anc cheaper than lettuce.
For the lazy people like me, a BIG bag of pre-cut coleslaw is $3and something at Costco. I'm using it for stirfry as well as salad.