Ten Thrifty Food Tips

We're now five days past tax day, and tax day of course has everything thinking about money...and how to save more money....since making more money just means you have to pay more taxes...so saving more money can actually be an "easier" way to build wealth. So, on that thought...

My Top Ten Thrifty Food Tips

1) Reuse tea bags.  My grandmother taught me this. Lately I have been drinking rather large amounts of decaf green tea which has numerous health benefits.  I can honestly say that I haven't noticed a difference in a new tea bag or a used one.  Of course, this only works if you drink multiple cups of tea a day.

2) Don't let any fruits or vegetables go to waste...freeze any fruits/vegetables about to go bad and use later in smoothies (fruit) of veggies (soup).

3) On that same note, don't let any food go to waste....use chicken or beef bones to make stock, save leftover bits of meat for soup, save breadcrumbs to make croutons or in recipes calling for bread crumbs.

4) Grow whatever you can yourself. If you don't have a yard, grow herbs in the windowsill, or tomatoes on the back porch.  Here is a handy website on container or apartment gardening.

5) Plan ahead for picky eaters.  If your child won't eat crusts...cut them off BEFORE you make the sandwich., you child will likely eat more sandwich.  Of course, save those crusts to make bread crumbs.

6) One of my favorite tips is from The Complete Tightwad Gazette. She talks about shopping to feed your pantry/stock piles.  Don't buy ANYTHING unless it is the lowest price, and if you find a good deal, grab it, even if you already have a lot of that (assuming you will be able to store it, before it spoils)

7) Here is another one of my favorite tips..and thinking in these terms really does make a HUGE difference...another perspective on spending.  Think about everything you buy in terms how long you have to work to earn that money.  (OK, so I cheated, this isn't necessarily food related).

8)  I mentioned this before, but it bears mentioning again..make your own...especially cakes, muffins, cookies, brownies, etc. The difference between using a brownie mix and making brownies from scratch is actually very small in time invested, but homemade is much healthier and cheaper.  Make in bulk (like baking several loaves of bread at a time) and freeze the extra.

9) On that same note, the more you cook, the better you get at it. One person might take all afternoon to bake a cake, while another person might whip it up in 10 minutes.  Cooking is definitely something where practice and time spent makes a huge difference.

10). Eat more beans...they're healthy, nutritious and especially if you buy dried...very, very cheap. The Bean Bible is a great resource for how to incorporate more beans into your diet.