Enjoy Eating In and Save Time and Money to Boot

The following is a guest post from They Call Me Mommy:

Your biggest enemy to cooking at home is a lack of organization. You get home from work late and tired to a kitchen with a few mismatched ingredients. What do you do? You probably find yourself eating a frozen dinner or ordering in. At a cost of ordering in or eating out 4 times a week at $20 a pop for 52 weeks, that's $4,160, and that's a conservative estimate.

With a few hints and some up front investment in time and money, you can be rewarded with better food at a significant savings. Mmm...food dividends. My husband and I like to cook, but over the past year I've been doing more of the cooking. Staying at home with our son, one of our goals has been to eat healthier and cut back on expenses. I've learned a few tricks on how to store fresh food to make it last longer, and I've found great staple pantry items, which have helped me make (1) healthy, (2) inexpensive, and (3) delicious meals.

• Have a well-stocked pantry – Items in your pantry can last for a long time. If you have certain basic ingredients, you're always ready to cook. Personally, I find that if I keep certain ingredients that I really like, I'm more excited by the prospect of cooking. For example, we like Asian food, so we have soy sauce, fish sauce, oyster sauce, etc. to make sure we can whip up a stir-fry with just a few additional bits of fresh produce. Here's a snapshot of my pantry.

• Store produce to maximize shelf life – I had a bit of trouble with this one because I really hate throwing away what was good food. I found a few great sources of information, and I posted the most useful aides here. The "periodic table of produce" is excellent!

• Plan weekly meals before shopping & write a list – Before your weekly shopping trip, plan your meals, write them down, and make a shopping list based on those meals. This will decrease the likelihood of over-spending and assures that you'll have all of the necessary ingredients for the week. I no longer scramble to the store for a last minute purchase to get dinner on the table. A weekly menu also reminds me of why I got each item so I use everything I buy instead of letting food go to waste in the crisper. There's nothing more discouraging to me than throwing away what was good food because I wasn't organized enough. Lists also facilitate the use of coupons, which as Five Cent Nickel points out, can be another great source of savings. "Grocery shopping with coupons: When [my wife] buys [groceries], she scans through ads first, and picks out the on-sale items that she wants. Then she matches the on-sale items with whatever coupons she has clipped. Also, the grocery stores (like Ralph's) that have double-coupons are her more preferred stores. This process takes some time at home, but we've probably never walked out of a grocery store with less than 35% in savings from the regular price."

• Don't buy in bulk – This may seem counterintuitive because you "save" money when you buy in bulk. But unless you know you're going to use all of the lettuce in that giant bag, you're just wasting money. When it comes to produce, buy as much as you know you're going to use. Produce has a relatively short shelf life, and you'll benefit from fresh produce in terms of flavor and nutrition. We have a small kitchen, so we only have the choice to buy in smaller quantities, but it has the side effect of assuring that we'll always have fresh food on hand. I don't recommend buying herbs and ground spices in bulk either unless you use them in great quantities because the flavor tends to deteriorate after 6 months. If you buy a lot at a great price but throw 75% away, did you really save money? However, if you'll get significant use out of it, go ahead. I get great deals on herbs and spices at Surfas, a local store in Los Angeles.

• Get new recipes online or from cookbooks at the library – I love trying out new recipes, but I don't have the space or money to buy all of the cookbooks that I want. So I have a selection that I trust, and I browse the internet for ideas when I'm in the mood for something (e.g., Food Network or Recipe Zaar. Before trying a recipe for the first time, be sure to read it in its entirety so you know (1) how long it will take, (2) how difficult it is, and (3) whether or not the ingredients gel with your tastes.

• Make a basic food that can be used in various dishes – I found a great tip on a Chowhound post. The comment was posted by a student short on time who's trying to eat healthy. This person suggests boiling a pot full of boneless skinless chicken breasts and thighs (don't overcook to avoid dry meat in future dishes), rinse the cooked meat under cold running water to stop the cooking process, shred, and store in Tupperware. The chicken can now be used in sandwiches, tacos, enchiladas, pizza, pasta, and salads. Maybe this isn't your preference, but think about what kind of foundation foods you can make on a weekly basis to cut down on your daily prep time.

• Make side dishes in advance – There are a few easy side dishes that I make that last a few days. For example, a nice black bean mix can accompany fish, meat, chicken, or can be mixed with rice and accompanied by a quick salad. I'll make it one day, but it lasts several days, making for quicker meals throughout the week. I do the same thing with an apricot quinoa salad, which is almost better as a leftover and is great for lunch, dinner, or midday snacks. Both are very nutritious and help reduce the amount of work come dinnertime.

Of course, I'm sure there's other great advice out there. Since I'm always looking to learn new tips and ideas, I'd love to hear about them.

Comments

[Ed]

We prepared meals at home too to save money. One thing that we do that save us a lot is fruit juices. Eating out, so called "fresh fruit juice" cost us $2 a glass & that's with a lot of added sugar & water.

At home, we juice up 2 whole cups with no added sugar or water for the same amount.

Ed

[Ed]

We prepared meals at home too to save money. One thing that we do that save us a lot is fruit juices. Eating out, so called "fresh fruit juice" cost us $2 a glass & that's with a lot of added sugar & water.

At home, we juice up 2 whole cups with no added sugar or water for the same amount.

Ed

[WhatWorksForMom]

Excellent post. I couldn't agree more - a little organization goes a long way in saving money!