Frugal Kitchens 101 - The Little Things Add Up

Becoming frugal in the kitchen means paying attention to those little things. Surprisingly they really do add up! Changing how you do the little things doesn't cost you any money and most take very little effort. It may take a bit of a mindset change but think of how much money over all you are saving! At the same time you are saving kWh something that is very important. Here's a few little things you can do that will help save you money in the kitchen.

1. rinse those bottles: Rinse bottles and jars from sauces with a little water or stock or even milk depending on the sauce. This will get that last little bit out. Simply pour in a little liquid, cap and shake well then pour the resulting liquid into what ever you were using the sauce for. Each time you do this you are saving a fraction of a cent to a few pennies but over the year this simple practice will save you a few dollars.
2. use a spatula: Use a spatula to get that last little bit peanut butter, mayonnaise and similar out of jars. Again this will save you money over the year.
   
3. save those bits: Save those little bits of left-over foods. Use small glass covered bowls for that last ½ cup of vegetables. Toss these little bits of left-overs into homemade soups or stews. You can also save up enough that you can dry them for later use. If you are making a dish that calls for 1 tbsp of tomato paste, measure out the remaining tomato paste into an ice cube tray. Do the same thing for applesauce to be used as a substitute for fats in baking. Freeze for later use. Don't toss that last bit of bread out to the birds. Freeze it until you have enough bits to make croutons or bread crumbs.
   
4. save those bones: Quite often you will end up with a bone or a few bones cut from meat you've cook. There's not enough to make a batch of stock so vacuum seal the bones until you have enough to make stock. NB. only use bones that have been cut from the meat prior to serving.
5. save vegetable water: Use vegetable water to water your indoor houseplants. The water provides nutrients for the houseplants. You can also use vegetable water to water outdoor plants. Save some vegetable water to make vegetable stocks.
6. choose steaming over boiling: This one simple change for preparing cooked vegetables will end up saving a lot of kWh over the year as well as giving you a more nutritious food.
7. use a lid: Using a lid when cooking means you can turn down the heat AND cooking time is reduced so you save kWh in two ways! Not only is this eco-friendly cooking it saves you money on your cooking fuel costs!