Kitchen Habits that Save Money

September 27, 2010 By Leave a Comment

There are so many small changes you can make to save yourself money and stress when you’re in the kitchen. Here are some examples of new habits to incorporate whenever you can find the time:

  1. Cook 2-3 times as much: If you’re taking the time to make lasagna, enchiladas, etc. go ahead and make a second pan to freeze for a later date. This works for plenty of recipes that freeze well—spaghetti sauce, soup, stew, casseroles, etc. It takes a few more minutes to prep a larger amount of ingredients but saves a LOT of time on the other end. When I make meatloaf, I make three instead of one and freeze two for busy weeknights. On a future date, I thaw the meatloaf during the day and pop it in the oven to bake for dinner. This also works with pancakes and waffles; I take a little extra time to make enough for the week on a weekend morning, and freeze them to pull out each morning before school.
  2. Chop fruits and veggies ahead of time: I’ve always heard this as a tip but I didn’t employ it until I started the gluten-free diet. Now, instead of reaching for starchy snacks from the pantry, I have lots of healthy choices like celery, cucumbers, and fruit, and I find myself putting them out more often for the kids, too.
  3. Clean as you go: This is one of the easiest habits and it makes such a difference! Whenever you’re baking or preparing food, start the bowls to soak in soapy water, wipe the counters, etc. as you go along. Then, while food is cooking, baking, take a moment to wash your prep materials or load the dishwasher. After dinner, there won’t be a mountain of dirty dishes in the kitchen.
  4. Buy in bulk and prep/freeze the extras: When chicken or ground beef is on sale, I buy 10-20 lbs at the lowest price, then put it in smaller freezer bags to store for later. This saves me from purchasing what I need on a week where chicken breasts are $4.99/lb instead of $1.79/lb. For a full tutorial, read my Cook Once, Eat 10 Times posts.
Which of these strategies has worked for you?
What other home cooking habits help you save money?
Filed Under: Home Cooking

Safeway this week 4/1

April 1, 2009 By 5 Comments

NOTE: Safeway deals are also applicable to their partner stores: Dominicks, Genuardis, Vons, Pavilions, Tom Thumb, Randalls, and Carrs.

I got my dates mixed up; the next big promo (it’s the same as this time last year) doesn’t start until April 15th, so we have a good two weeks off to relax, eat some of the frozen and Mix & Match foods we’re all stocked up on, and prep the new Promo. I’ll be ready. :)

There are plenty of other goodies in this week’s ad, like:

5-lb. box of Clementines $4.99. Use this printable $1.00 off coupon from Safeway.com to bring it down to $3.99

Green Seedless Grapes are .99/lb.

Large Russet Potatoes are .69/lb.

93% Lean Ground Beef is $2.49/lb, which is the lowest it’s been in a while (sometimes it goes down to $1.99/lb). If you need to stock up and cook ahead, it’s a pretty good price. They also have 90% lean for $1.99/lb or 80% lean for $1.49/lb.

Domino Sugar 5-lb Bag is $1.89, and there were coupons in the March and April women’s magazines (Woman’s Day, BHG, etc.) or you may have the coupon from the 3/15 paper (amounts varied per region).

Gold Medal Flour 5-lb Bag is $1.99.

Tyson Frozen Breaded Chicken is BOGO starting at $7.99. There were coupons in the 3/8 paper, which would bring it down below the Target price.

These SuperCoupons say limit 1 coupon per transaction, but I listed the coupon matchups in case your store will still take a manu coupon on top (some still do):

  • Nabisco Oreo Cookies $1.99
  • Lucerne Butter .99
  • Post Fruity Pebbles or Quaker Life Cereal is .99. Here is a printable $1.00 off Maple & Brown Sugar Life Cereal, making it FREE.
  • Extra Large Cooked Shrimp in 2-lb. bag is $11.98.
  • Lucerne Large Eggs 18ct $1.99
  • SeaPak Seafood Selections $4.99. There are often $1.00 off coupons in women’s magazines.
  • Tide Laundry Detergent $16.99
  • Hefty Trash Bags $5.49
  • Dixie Value Pack Plates $2.99. There was a .35 off coupon in the 3/15 paper.
  • Kleenex Facial Tissue $1.00
  • Colgate or Crest Toothpaste $1.99. There was a $1.00 off Crest in the 3/15 paper and a $.75 off Colgate in the 3/29.
  • Dial Bar Soap or Tone Body Wash $2.99
  • Huggies or Pampers Big Pack Diapers $19.99
  • Garnier Fructis Hair Care $2.49. There was a $1.00 off coupon in the 3/8 paper.
  • Duracell CopperTop Batteries $3.99

New promo–Buy 5, Save $5 with Pepsi 6-pk bottles ($2.99), Aquafina 6-pk bottles ($2.99), Gatorade ($4.99),Ruffles Chips ($2.99), Tostitos Chips ($2.99), and Tostitos Salsa ($2.99). You should see $5.00 come off instantly at checkout (check your receipt), plus you’ll get a coupon for a FREE Major League Baseball T-shirt. The fine print says the coupon will tell you how to redeem for the t-shirt.

If your store has a selection of the .99 Hallmark Expressions cards, check out this Hallmark/Beanie Babies deal running through April 12.

The Windex, Pledge, and Scrubbing Bubbles Catalina promo runs through April 19. When you buy 2, you get $1.50; buy 3, get $3.00; or buy 4 and get $5.00 off your next order. Windex and Scrubbing Bubbles are $3.50 each, and there were .75 off coupons in the 3/29 paper that will double at most stores. Pledge Multi-Surface is $3.99, but you get extra Catalina coupons for $1.00 off your next order with each Pledge you buy. Here are two possible scenarios:

2 Windex $7.00 (use two .75 off coupons, which double)
2 Scrubbing Bubbles $7.00 (use two .75 off coupons, which double)
Pay $8.00 after coupons, then get back the $5.00 Catalina. Final price is .75/bottle.

4 Pledge Multi-Surface Spray $15.96 (use four $2.00 off coupons from here or here)
Pay $7.96 after coupons, then get back the $5.00 Catalina plus four $1.00 off Catalinas. You make $1.04. Thanks to Charlene for the scenario.

For coupon matchups at stores nationwide, check out BeCentsAble’s Grocery Gathering. For the other Mid-Atlantic chains like Wegmans and Harris Teeter, go to Frugal in Virginia.

Filed Under: Safeway, Smart Shopping

Giant this week 2/27

February 27, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Giant is a grocery store specific to the DC area and some parts of Delaware and New Jersey.

White Seedless Grapes are .99/lb.

Boneless Chicken Breasts are $1.79/lb. This is a stock-up price, as it only occasionally goes down to $1.69/lb at Giant. Check out my Cooking Ahead: Chicken tutorial.

Barilla Pasta is $1.00/box.

Dannon Activia Yogurt is $2.00. Use the $1.00 off coupon from the 1/11 paper.

Fresh Tilapia is $5.99/lb. If you want to try your kids on fish, tilapia is a great first taste. It’s extremely mild. My kids couldn’t get enough of this Foil Packet Tilapia.

Guaranteed Value Apple Juice is $1.00.

Green Giant Steamers are $1.00/bag. Use the .50 off coupon from the 1/11 paper, which will double at most stores, to get a bag free.

Buy 2, Save $5 instantly on Downy, Tide, Bounty and Charmin (very large sizes–see the ad). The best deal here is the Downy at $5.99. Use two of the .50 off coupons from the 2/8 paper, which will double at most stores. You’ll pay $4.98 for both bottles.

Filed Under: Giant Supermarket, Smart Shopping

Money-Saving Habit #2 Buy Meat in Bulk & Cook Ahead

January 7, 2009 By 1 Comment

There are many ways to save money on groceries and I’ll cover several of them during this Money-Saving Habits for 2009 series. If you’re new to the frugality mindset, however, before you dive into couponing and non-couponing strategies, I recommend you make an effort to save money on one of the most expensive things you’re eating: meat. Here’s how you can save big:

  1. By purchasing chicken, pork, and ground beef in bulk packages when they’re at their lowest prices (known by tracking sales at your local stores or just checking blogs like this one), you lock in the low price for the meat you buy. The down side? Now you have to deal with all that raw meat. I’ve posted several tutorials on how to process ground beef and chicken breasts when purchasing 10 pounds at once. I have found that 10 lbs. is the amount I can handle; more than that takes too long for me, and it’s usually enough to get my family through until the next sale comes around. In my area (Northern Virginia), the cheapest I have seen 93% lean ground beef if $1.99/lb, and the cheapest boneless, skinless chicken breasts are $1.69/lb. The sale cycle tends to run every 6-8 weeks, so I buy enough to last us until the next sale comes up.
  2. Besides repackaging the meat into smaller portions and freezing it, you can also prepare some of it–by cooking and freezing it–to save yourself time on a busy weeknight. This encourages you to eat at home and avoid expensive takeout or restaurant meals. By defrosting the pre-cooked meat/chicken the night before, you can add it to a crockpot meal or make a quick meal like tacos in just minutes. For quick recipe ideas, look at the end of each of my Cook Once, Eat 10 Times articles.

Learn other ways to save money by reading the other articles in the 20 Money-Saving Habits for 2009 series.

Filed Under: Money-Saving Habits

Meal Planning Monday

October 20, 2008 By 9 Comments

Now that I’ve done so much cooking ahead, I have a very full freezer and most of my meals planned for the next month. It makes weekly grocery shopping very simple; I just look at my meal plan calendar, make a list of the dairy and produce I need to complete the meals, and I’m done. What a time and sanity saver! Here’s what we’re eating this week:

Sunday–Sauteed Veggies on Angel Hair (this time around, I did zucchini, mushrooms and red pepper, then topped it with some feta cheese)
Monday–Stroganoff-Style Chicken served on whole wheat noodles, frozen peas
Tuesday–Meatloaf (recipe coming in tomorrow’s post), cauliflower mashed potatoes (from Deceptively Delicious), broccoli
Wednesday–Italian Spinach Pie with Herb Bread from the breadmaker
Thursday–Easy Cheesy Chicken Vegetable Chowder, leftover bread from Wednesday
Friday–Hamburgers (from the freezer), Homemade Fries, salad, frozen corn
Saturday–Potluck dinner at a Halloween Party, I’m cooking the Barilla pasta and Classico sauce I got for $1.50 at Safeway last week.

For more recipes and meal plans, check out OrgJunkie.com. Have a great week!

Filed Under: Meal Planning