Making Money by Saving Money in the Kitchen

1. Keep a piece of paper taped to the refrigerator door with a pen or pencil handy. Encourage family members to jot down items that are needed as they run out. Then when it's time to go grocery shopping, simply use this paper as the start of your list for that shopping trip. It will also provide you a list of what to look for in the weekly sales ads.

2. Try to keep your freezer as well stocked as possible. Not only will this habit allow you to always have food on hand, but it will make your freezer less expensive to run as it will retain the cold temperature more easily and will use less energy.

3. Use generic brand paper napkins in the microwave instead of paper towels.

4. Addicted to buying convenient, yet costly single-serving packages? Purchase snacks in bulk and snack-size baggies and make your own convenience foods for lunches and munchies.

5. Looking for a spice or an ingredient you don't use regularly but need for a special recipe? Visit the bulk section of the grocery store and by only the amount you need. You'll spend less money up front and you won't end up wasting what would ordinarily be leftover unused.

6. Make it a habit to cook with wooden utensils and high-temperature silicone. These types of utensils are easier on your cookware and will lengthen their lives! Not to mention, you can't get more economical than a wooden spoon and silicone spatulas are great at helping you scrap every last drop out of a pot!

7. Prevent spills and help keep food fresher longer. Use inexpensive binder clips to keep opened bags closed throughout the kitchen. Tightly fold over and cinch with a clip bags of chips, crackers, bagged produce, nuts, etc.

8. During the cold months, take advantage of the residual heat leftover inside the oven after cooking by leaving it open just a crack.

9. If you want to save money and help lower your family's fat and cholesterol intake, switch to an egg-white only product instead of using eggs. These kinds of products, however, need to be used within seven days of opening. So, if you buy in bulk or what to save what you won't use, pour the egg whites into ice cube trays, freeze and store in freezer bags. Then, pull out only what you need and thaw either in the microwave or let them sit in the fridge in a cup or bowl overnight.

10. Make casseroles and soups that are easy on the pocketbook yummier and more attractive by topping with an "extra." Bake casseroles that have a yummy topping in a shallower dish to ensure that every serving (including leftovers) are equally as tasty. Serve soups and stews in individual mugs with a biscuit, cornbread or toasted croutons on top. It will not only make the liquid dinner more attractive and yummy to eat, it will make it much more filling and stretch it farther.

11. Mix the expensive with the cheap! Buy your kids' favorite - and often expensive, sugary - breakfast cereal. But buy it on sale and mix it with a cheaper, less sugary alternative. Not only will they appreciate getting their favorites, you can feel better about making the more expensive version stretch farther for cheaper and you'll be cutting their sugar and calorie intake significantly.

12. When purchasing milk, select the milk in an opaque container when possible. By keeping more light out, the milk will retain more of it's nutrients and keep longer as well.

13. When smaller packages of food go on sale making the unit price the same as purchasing in bulk, always purchase the item in smaller packages. This way you'll only open what you'll use preserving the remainder in the original packaging and thereby prolonging the product's shelf life.

14. Sick of freezer burn eating up your savings? Keep a few sharpies in the kitchen so that you can quickly write the date (in an easy to read spot) on packaging before putting things into the freezer.

15. Want a treat, but don't want to make an entire box? Many packaged mixes for breads, cakes and scones can easily be adapted to make just half of the box. Better yet, bake the half you're making in the toaster oven to save energy! Only half the calories will get consumed and the mix gets stretched for two uses rather than just one.

16. Make your own freezer to oven rolls by buying inexpensive brown-and-serve rolls and freezing them. In the morning of the day you'll be using them for dinner, simply pull them out to thaw and then pop them in the oven to bake at dinner time. Not only are they cheaper overall than buying rolls in the freezer section of the grocery store, but they take up less room in your freezer, too.

17. Empty prescription bottles are great for storing herbs and spices purchased in bulk. Not only are they free, but they're shatter-resistant, too.

18. If you find your family (and yourself) constantly opening the freezer or fridge looking for something that "looks good" inside, save everyone the hunt - and the electricity wasted by the open door! Stick a small dry erase board on the fridge itself. Jot down what's inside to snack on or what leftovers are up for grabs.

19. If you use paper towels in the kitchen, get twice the use out of them by making them multitask. If you use paper towels to dry off produce, set the damp towels aside to wipe down the counters after cooking. If you use paper towels to cover things you're heating in the microwave, consider saving them to either use again for the same purpose or to clean the kitchen as well. An empty tissue box works great for storing the once-used paper towels and keeps them handy for reuse.

20. Are you paying for the convenience of shredded cheese? If you have a vacuum sealer, buy cheese in bulk and shred or slice yourself and then package in smaller portions. Just a bit of your time will reward you with future convenience as well as put substantial savings back in your pocket!