Urbanhomemaker

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Frugal tips I do often

{ 09:06 , 2008-Mar-4 } { Posted by Vickie }

Chicken stock: After cooking & picking most meat off of the chicken, I put the carcass into the crockpot. Add a carrot, celery, fresh garlic & an onion. Cook all night while you sleep. In the morning put in fridge or cooler of ice to cool down. Store in freezer bags by the quart to use for anything you would use broth for.

Easy chicken noodle soup (this is one is great for when you're under the weather too)
Heat 2 quarts of the chicken stock to boiling. Add some noodles (any kind you want)
Cook until noodles are done. Add fresh parsley if you like.

For sweets I try to stretch them into at least 2 times.

If I bake a cake I'll make 2 round pans. Frost both and then freeze one in the pan. When frozen wrap in foil or plastic wrap and place in freezer bag for later use. The same with cookies, brownies, etc. I put about half the batch in the freezer. --If I left them out we'd end up eating them all!!--That would not be too good for us at once. When ready to use set them out before you start to prepare dinner & by dessert they should be ready.

Not too origional, but they are practical tips I do alot.


Edited by Vickie on 2008-Mar-4 at 08:08

My frugal shopping

{ 12:01 , 2008-Mar-4 } { Posted by Fruitfulspirit }

I've found that paying in advance for our food helps cut costs signifcantly. I do this by buying a share of a community-supported agriculture farm, which can be found on www.localharvest.com. For about $30 a week, here in Wisconsin, I can get about a bushel of vegetables and sometimes fruit each week. Anything my family of four can't finish, I can or freeze for winter use.

I also buy a quarter or half a cow from the local butcher shop. Butcher shops seem much more expensive that the local chain grocery store, but when you buy in this kind of bulk, the price can't be beat unless you raise it yourself or negotiate directly with a small, local farmer.

In addition to saving money, one of the biggest benefits of shopping this way is the food is local, so there's no shipping costs to us or the Earth. Most of the time, the produce is organic, and because it's not been shipped, it's received and eaten at the height of freshness and health.

Well, I'm not the best in the kitchen...

{ 07:03 , 2008-Mar-4 } { Posted by NancyBaetz }

but with my hubby's help we do pretty well! We have been shopping at a wonderful little store that gets damaged pallets of products from several large natural grocers. Last time we were there, they GAVE us two fifty lb. bags of organic flours. We took them home and re-bagged them and put them in the freezer. We bake so much of our own bread and make our own scratch biscuits and pancakes and such. It is such a blessing to have organic flours in the house!
My daugher and husband both make a lot of our bread, I can't even get in the kitchen it seems. :) I have a kitchen-aid mixer that does wonderful dough. I used to have a bread machine. I never liked those square-tall loaves, and used to just use it to knead the dough for me, then I put it in conventional bread pans. However, I wore that machine out by doing that. LOL. Anyway, someday we'll invest in a bosch, hopefully. We are a family of 6 so we eat a lot!
For the last two years we have done a work share on an organic vegetable farm. This has been one of the best experiences we have had in our lives! The kids and I have learned so much and have benefitted from eating all that good organic food. Plus, we froze and canned all the surplus. My husband made gallons of wonderful salsa that we eat on just about everything. It has all organic tomatos, chilis, garlic, onions etc. VERY yummy. We still have several quarts and are hoping it lasts till the harvest this year.

We are still learning all the time. It's hard to know all that you can do to stretch your food dollar without sacrificing your families health. I always say, you pay now, or pay later. Organic, healthy food can be pricey in the stores, but bargains are still there. If you skimp and buy mass produced food, you will pay with your health.

In the winter we grow a lot of sprouts in the window sill. My kids love to do those, and there is nothing better than fresh, crunchy pea or bean sprouts.

I love to get your newsletters, Marilyn, because of all the good tips! Thanks again,
Blessings,
Nancy

Just getting started

{ 12:26 , 2008-Mar-5 } { Posted by findingcontentment }

We have just started on our journey to healthy eating, and it can be confusing! I am seeing words like spelt and quinoa, and I have no idea what they are!

I think eating healthy is going to be not just a menu change for my family, but a lifestyle change. We are starting by trying to educate ourselves. We are now purchasing only organic meat and are researching family farms within an hour of our city that we can buy meat from.

We are raising our own organic eggs and vegetables, and I have begun making my own yogurt and bread. I am also saving so that I can purchase a grain mill.

Because we are so new at this ourselves, my only advice is what I have learned thus far myself:

Be aware that it will be a long process and will not happen overnight.
Research, research, research! Use the Internet and your library.
And last but not least, forget the big box stores. Instead, look into local family farms and farmers markets, and learn to grow or raise your own!

Barb J.

My tip

{ 11:17 , 2008-Mar-10 } { Posted by rkmyersrus }

Something I do is when my garden is in full swing, I cut up my green peppers and flash freeze them and then put them in freezer ziplocs. Then I can measure out the green peppers and use how much I want. I also do this with onions. I have one day of crying and all the cut up onions for cooking with done in one day!!!!