Living - Whatchya Got Cookin'? Saving Money in the Kitchen!

The more obvious ways to save money on your family’s food budget are to shop sales and even use coupons.  But have you considered reviewing your recipes, using ingredients or products you have yet to discover or even cut certain recipes out altogether?

Everyone’s food budget will differ based on income, number of family members and overall goals set for your budget.  But no matter the differences, we can all continue to learn and share different ways to save in the kitchen (or at the drive-thru window)!

With that said, over the coming weeks you can check in to the blog and view budget friendly recipes or tips to keep you living, laughing and saving in your kitchen (or at the drive-thru window)!

Often times when I am in the kitchen I try to determine how I can make a recipe be most cost effective, no matter our budget.  Some of the things I consider:
*If the recipe calls for an ingredient that is costly or not readily available in my kitchen does the recipe really need it?  Can I get away with a substitution without jeopardizing the overall taste?
*Can I find ingredients or meats in the grocery store that maybe I haven't considered before to make a quality meal?
*Do the ingredients go on sale frequently or do they have coupons readily available?  Better yet, can I combine a sale and a coupon?
*Can I freeze the meal or portions of the meal that will allow for a quick meal at a later date?  This becomes especially important when we are in “busy” times in our schedules.  Avoiding the drive-thru or calling the pizza delivery person will definitely cut costs!
*Will this make good leftovers or will I end up tossing it out?
*Will the kids like it or will this be a total waste?
*Why is that ingredient necessary in the recipe?  Do you automatically ask for mayo on your sandwich, if so, have you tried it without?  You may be surprised at how delicious it is without!
*If there is a special ingredient that will only be partially used, how can I make sure to use the remainder of that ingredient before it expires?
*And more….

These are just a few things we can discuss over the coming weeks to start pocketing extra dollars.  Please be sure to leave comments or send me an email with other ideas you have; including proven recipes and tips!