10 Secrets of Fast and Low Cost Meals

You're out of time and out of money, and yet somehow, you have to cook dinner. Before you reach for that phone and call for takeout, try these tips for saving time and money on meals.

1. Plan your meals and your shopping. If you plan your meals ahead of time, you'll save money by purchasing only the ingredients you need. Choosing recipes that are inexpensive

2. Use homemade stock instead of store bought broth or bouillon. To save time, put your crockpot to use to make your own broth/stock. Put your stock making ingredients: bones, meat, carrots, celery, onions, water into a crockpot and cook overnight on low. The next day, you'll have broth ready to go.

3. Make large batches of meals ahead of time and freeze for quick use. Instead of calling for pizza when you're in a hurry, try reaching for a meal you've prepared ahead of time that's now in the freezer. Make a big pot of chili, soup or stew in the crockpot and freeze family-sized portions so that when things are a little harried, you can pop them in the microwave and have a nutritious and low-cost solution.

4. Use dried beans instead of canned beans. Soak the beans overnight in water and then use your crockpot to cook them throughout the day. Make enough to freeze and when making chili or some other meal that uses beans, toss them into the recipe.

5. Use frozen vegetables instead of canned or even fresh. Frozen veggies can be bought on sale and stay fresh in the freezer a long time. They're usually cheaper than canned or fresh and retain their nutrients.

6. Buy fresh fruit and vegetables in season and freeze them. A corollary to tip 4, local produce in season is usually on sale and can be readily frozen for out of season use.

7. Use your crockpot, bread machine, microwave and other labor-saving devices to their full potential. Look for recipes that allow you to use these devices so you don't have to spend time cooking.

8. Use shortcut ingredients such as pizza dough, canned pizza sauce and mozzarella cheese that's already grated. While more costly than making it from scratch, it's cheaper than buying out.

9. Reuse the dinner leftovers the next day in another meal. A roast can become sliced steak sandwiches the next day; leftover chicken from the day before can become chicken enchiladas. With a little imagination and preparation, you can get two or more meals out of the same ingredients.

10. Stock up during sales on the foods you use most. This seems like a no-brainer, but often people shop for things as they need them, not when they come on sale. Buy stocking up when the item is on sale, you'll save more money than if you bought the same product each week.

References

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