Money saving tips

I am all about saving money.  It may sound silly but if you can lower your food costs by $5 a week - you are saving over $250 a year. 

The easiest way to lower your food costs is to set aside an hour a week to  plan the next week's menu.  I do this every week.  On Tuesday evening - I get out my recipe binder and with input from the family, plan the week's dinners.  I then begin a shopping list and write down everything I need for the meals.  On Wednesday I look at the weekly supermarket sale ads and break down my shopping list according to what store has something on sale. Shopping starts on Wed - we hit one store and do the bulk of the shopping.  We finish off the grocery shopping on Thursday and add fresh items as needed. It sounds more difficult than it really is.  By doing this we save approximately $50 a week.

I use home made chicken, beef, and vegetable stock 80% of the time.  It is easier than you think to make these.  And when you save bits and pieces to put into your stock pot over the course of a week or two - it's cheaper than you think.

Here's what I do.  When I have a recipe that calls for boneless, skinless chicken breast - I buy straight chicken breast - bone and skin on.  It usually costs $1.69 a lb versus $3.29 a lb.  I remove the skin and cut the breast from the bone.  Some of the skin and all of the bones go into a freezer bag and then into the freezer.  I just keep adding to the bag.  When I have enough to make stock (around 3 lbs or so), I put it all into a pot along with some veggies.  A couple of carrots, onions, whatever you have on hand. Add some white wine, parsley, thyme, a bay leaf - simmer for a few hours and you've got stock. 

The same goes for beef stock.  Whenever you buy steak - don't buy boneless - bone on is cheaper.  Cut the meat from the bone and put the bones in your freezer.  I supplement by purchasing neck bones for a couple of dollars.  When making veggy stock - I just pull out all the leftover veggies from the fridge and put them in a pot with water, wine, and seasoning.

Think about it - a quart carton of stock costs around $2.59.  When you make your own you get 3-4 quarts for the same price.

Another money saver (as I've mentioned before) is slice your meat before it hits the table.  When you serve meat with the bone on - people take an entire piece (1/2 a chicken breast, a whole steak, etc.).  When you de-bone these items before cooking - you have the opportunity to cut the meat into slices and your guests actually put less on their plates.  Instead of 1/2 a chicken breast being a serving - it becomes 2 servings. And you've got bones to put into your "stock bag".

I will start posting my stock recipes later today. 

I hope you find these tips helpful.  I use the saved money to make one more expensive meal a week.