Frugal Food and Kitchen Tips...

Do you struggle with frugal food shopping, and the desire to prepare fresh healthy meals for your family? Me too. The healthiest options at the grocery store are rarely the least expensive options.

So every bit you can save helps make it easier to prepare frugal foods, but healthy foods to your family. It's not impossible if you use these frugal kitchen and food tips to help stretch your budget.

Frugal Food, Shopping and Kitchen Tips

• Grow your own herbs. Whether you do it outside in the yard, or in simple pots in your window, growing your own Gourmet Herb Garden is a great activity to do with your kids, and you save big over time. Plus, the kids get a kick out of the seeing the plants grow and adding them to their food when they help do the cooking.

Don't throw away stale bread. Freeze it and use to make bread crumbs or croutons. My kids love to snack on this sweet or savory crouton recipe. Did your bananas get ripe before you were ready for them? Freeze them too. You can mash them to store in an airtight container for use in recipes or freeze the entire banana in the skin, inside a freezer bag. Use coupons whenever you can. They're like free money and are one of the first things many think of when trying to take on frugal living habits. If you haven't been a coupon clipper in the past, link to learn quick ways to clip free grocery coupons and save.



• Don't throw away dried out blocks of cheese. Freeze this too. Frozen cheese crumbles easily and is perfect for adding to your favorite mac and cheese recipe.
• Stop buying bottled water. We all know by now this is bad for the environment. And it costs you a fortune over time. Purchase a filtration pitcher, or install an under the sink filtration system and filter the water you already have. We use a filtering pitcher and my kids drink a lot more water now than they ever did when I was lugging water home from the grocery store by the gallon.
• Buy fewer paper towels.. Make reusable cleaning rags out of old bath towels, flannel shirts or sheets. They're washable and will save you lots of money when you need to clean big messes. You can even invest in a set of Chamois cloths (ShamWows). These things are great and also go right in the wash and come out like new.
• Buy generic brands. If you are brand loyal but you're feeling the pinch, now is the time to consider generic brands. If you doubt the quality just compare the ingredients to your favorite brand name product. Most times they're identical, so what will it hurt to at least give the generic a try? Click on this link for even more tips to save money on groceries.
• Keep Sliced Fruits and Fruit Salads Fresh. More importantly, fresh looking. -- My kids won't touch browned fruit. Not being the most frugal food, I can't let it go to waste. Avoid the browning by sprinkling your sliced fruits with some lemon juice.


Drink Recycled Coffe. If you make your coffee one cup at a time, reuse your coffee grounds to make your second cup. I know--I didn't go for this either, until I tried it for myself. Simply add about 1/2 teaspoon of fresh grounds in with the used grounds in your filter and brew another fresh cup.


This trick comes in really handy if you're running low on coffee grounds and are jonesing for that second cup. Really. This works. I'm sipping on a cup of recycled coffee as I type this.
• Extend the life of your wooden salad bowls and cutting board. Sometimes they can get a little worn and even smell a little funny. Freshen them up by sprinkling with salt and 'scrubbing' with half a lemon. Want something a little tastier to do with your lemons? Try our homemade lemonade recipe.
• Keep your fridge fresh. And food tastes from mingling by putting an open box of baking soda in both the fridge and freezer. Buy an extra box and make your own homemade cleaning products. Don't have baking soda, and company is coming? Try a cotton ball soaked in vanilla in the back of the fridge.
• Purchase Produce in Season. The most healthy frugal food purchase you can make is produce that's currently in season. It's even more affordable if you find your local farmers market and buy from local growers. If you leave near farms or orchards make an day of it. Have a family outing and go pick your own fruits and vegetables.
• Use your dishwasher. Running a full load of dishes in your dishwasher uses less hot water than washing them by hand. This saves you money, time and helps the environment. Win. Win. Win. :)

By using some of these tips in your kitchen and when you're frugal food shopping you'll find the pennies add up. You can use that savings to help you provide the healthiest, yet most frugal meals possible.

Don't forget to check out our frugal recipes for some meal ideas that will satisfy the kids but not break the bank.