Let no food go to waste
This is a pet peeve of mine; PEOPLE WHO WASTE FOOD!. To be fair we all do, myself included but here are some tips to reduce your food waste.
-leftover night. Clean out the fridge regularily before food goes bad
-Take up canning, or freeze food from your garden when it is in season
-Freeze your leftovers, buy some tupperware and freeze individual portion sizes for easy meals
-When buying perishables only buy what you can eat before it goes bad
-make soups out of leftovers
-make banana bread with black bananas
-make bread pudding with stale bread
There are tons of ways to reduce the amount of food you waste. Please comment with any strategies you use that I missed. Your co-workers may give you a strange look when you bring lasagna soup* for your lunch, but is well worth the money you'll save. Your wallet will thank you.
*lasagna soup tastes amazing and is easy to make. Simply cut leftover lasagna into small pieces with scissors and add to tomato soup.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Tip #6
More, MORE, MORE!
First of all yet another apology to my readers for the delay of this post. I have been busy getting settled after my move across the country. I will continue where I left off with my series on food.
When trying to save money on food costs 2 words that should be on your mind are 'bulk' and 'unit price'(Ok I lied its 3 words, but only 2 points). That's right buying extra. It may seem more expensive but overall you will save. Lets say you like to eat a granola bar everyday for a snack. In the store you will be faced with a choice; to buy the box of 8 (which will last about a week) or the box of 24 (lasting 3 weeks)*. This is where unit price come into play. The unit price is the price for 1 granola bar based on the price for the whole box. Some manufacturers are kind enough to write it on the box, others aren't. To calculate unit price simply divide the cost of the whole box by the number of bars in it. After factoring in unit price you will see that the larger box is cheaper. Always calculate though, sometime a middle size box will be cheaper or a sale will make the small cheaper. Another tip is to go to an actual bulk store (in Canada I recommend the bulk barn or bulk barrel). These stores often forgo the expensive packaging and place their products in big bins that you scoop out of. Here the unit price is listed by weight. These stores are a great place to buy flour, soup stock, juice crystals, pasta and best of all candy. One more point on bulk purchasing and I'll let you go. PLEASE consider the shelf life of the product. Make sure you will be able to actually use all of the product before it expires because if 3/4 of the box goes bad you might as well have bought the small box and saved the money.
So grab your calculator and head out to the grocery store, you may get some strange looks as you're crouched down reading boxes and calculating unit price but it will be well worth the money you save.
*and yes I know a week has 7 days not 8 but I'm factoring in an extra one for those days your extra hungry.
First of all yet another apology to my readers for the delay of this post. I have been busy getting settled after my move across the country. I will continue where I left off with my series on food.
When trying to save money on food costs 2 words that should be on your mind are 'bulk' and 'unit price'(Ok I lied its 3 words, but only 2 points). That's right buying extra. It may seem more expensive but overall you will save. Lets say you like to eat a granola bar everyday for a snack. In the store you will be faced with a choice; to buy the box of 8 (which will last about a week) or the box of 24 (lasting 3 weeks)*. This is where unit price come into play. The unit price is the price for 1 granola bar based on the price for the whole box. Some manufacturers are kind enough to write it on the box, others aren't. To calculate unit price simply divide the cost of the whole box by the number of bars in it. After factoring in unit price you will see that the larger box is cheaper. Always calculate though, sometime a middle size box will be cheaper or a sale will make the small cheaper. Another tip is to go to an actual bulk store (in Canada I recommend the bulk barn or bulk barrel). These stores often forgo the expensive packaging and place their products in big bins that you scoop out of. Here the unit price is listed by weight. These stores are a great place to buy flour, soup stock, juice crystals, pasta and best of all candy. One more point on bulk purchasing and I'll let you go. PLEASE consider the shelf life of the product. Make sure you will be able to actually use all of the product before it expires because if 3/4 of the box goes bad you might as well have bought the small box and saved the money.
So grab your calculator and head out to the grocery store, you may get some strange looks as you're crouched down reading boxes and calculating unit price but it will be well worth the money you save.
*and yes I know a week has 7 days not 8 but I'm factoring in an extra one for those days your extra hungry.
Friday, August 7, 2009
an apology
sorry for no new posts in the last while, but part of my thrifty lifestyle is working crazy hours at a camp, and thus i have no time, too much time, and internet that cuts out all the time... the hiatus will end soon, sorry
in the mean time, find new ways to save money, you may look silly but your wallet will thank you
in the mean time, find new ways to save money, you may look silly but your wallet will thank you
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Tip #5
Not fit for human consumption; or is it?
Today's post is a continuation of my series on saving money on food. While my previous entry was about which grocery store to shop at, this one is about where to go first in the store. So when you first enter the store do not even think about putting anything in your cart u til you have checked out the reduced table. This is where the grocery store put the vegetables, bread, etc. that are well.... not the most fresh ones in the store. Usually you can find some veggies that are just a bit wilted, or in some stores ones that don't seem to be showing any abnormalities at all. These are your first choice and as long as they are eaten within a day or so of being bought they are perfectly good. If you are really frugal, or say you aren't sure if you are going to get the student loan you need for the year buy the veggies that have a bad spot. Often a spot can easily be cut off at home and voila! a perfectly edible nutritious vegetable. Now in the case of veggies that are fairly wilted or have/had bad spots you probably want to cook them, but that is totally to your discretion. Now the next stop on you're tour should be the section with all the meat. Now pretty much anyone who has entered a grocery store knows that meat is not the cheapest ingredient, but if you know where to look its not bad. Usually off to one side of the meat section there is a spot where they keep the meat that is about to expire. This meat is still totally good but depending on how many days are left until it can no longer legally be sold, it will be marked down anywhere between 10%-75% (or even better). The only thing to keep in mind when buyioing this meat is that it must either be prepared and eaten right away or be frozen until future use so that it does not spoil before you eat it (also if you buy a steak on the expiry date maybe don't eat it blue rare). After this check out the sales, buy anything else you need and go to the checkout. Now you may get some weird looks when you are digging through the bags of chicken to find the one that is reduced the most but its well worth the money you save. Your wallet will thank you.
Today's post is a continuation of my series on saving money on food. While my previous entry was about which grocery store to shop at, this one is about where to go first in the store. So when you first enter the store do not even think about putting anything in your cart u til you have checked out the reduced table. This is where the grocery store put the vegetables, bread, etc. that are well.... not the most fresh ones in the store. Usually you can find some veggies that are just a bit wilted, or in some stores ones that don't seem to be showing any abnormalities at all. These are your first choice and as long as they are eaten within a day or so of being bought they are perfectly good. If you are really frugal, or say you aren't sure if you are going to get the student loan you need for the year buy the veggies that have a bad spot. Often a spot can easily be cut off at home and voila! a perfectly edible nutritious vegetable. Now in the case of veggies that are fairly wilted or have/had bad spots you probably want to cook them, but that is totally to your discretion. Now the next stop on you're tour should be the section with all the meat. Now pretty much anyone who has entered a grocery store knows that meat is not the cheapest ingredient, but if you know where to look its not bad. Usually off to one side of the meat section there is a spot where they keep the meat that is about to expire. This meat is still totally good but depending on how many days are left until it can no longer legally be sold, it will be marked down anywhere between 10%-75% (or even better). The only thing to keep in mind when buyioing this meat is that it must either be prepared and eaten right away or be frozen until future use so that it does not spoil before you eat it (also if you buy a steak on the expiry date maybe don't eat it blue rare). After this check out the sales, buy anything else you need and go to the checkout. Now you may get some weird looks when you are digging through the bags of chicken to find the one that is reduced the most but its well worth the money you save. Your wallet will thank you.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Tip #4
Groceries: where to shop
With our recent economy meltdown that has been a surge in the price of groceries. The next few blog entries will be about how to combat high food prices and still get a gpood meal. Now the easiest way to reduce your grocery budget is to shop smart. Large 24 hour supermarkets hike their prices up for the convenience of getting a larger variety. So if you aren't in need of fresh obscurities but rather for say tomatoes and a bag of rice, you can hit up the cheaper grocer's. A few examples of cheaper grocery stores in Canada are food basic and Price Chopper whereas Sobey's and Zehr's tend to be pricey. Another place I often can score some cheap groceries is asian food marts. Now the food you get here is a bit different from your normal grocerystore and if the scent of fish makes you queezy I don't recommend it but if you are looking for cheap variety thats the place to get it. Of course the cheapest way to get groceries still usually remains the good old farmer's market. By this of course i don't mean the trendy all organic ones that have been popping up all over the place but rather the genuine farmer's market where farmer's bring their produce each week. Getting your food at a market supports the local economy, gets you fresher food than most grocer's and is just a whole lot more fun. So you may get a few weird looks when you come home with your groceries smelling like freeze-dried fish or a barn but its well worth the penny you save. Your wallet will thank you.
With our recent economy meltdown that has been a surge in the price of groceries. The next few blog entries will be about how to combat high food prices and still get a gpood meal. Now the easiest way to reduce your grocery budget is to shop smart. Large 24 hour supermarkets hike their prices up for the convenience of getting a larger variety. So if you aren't in need of fresh obscurities but rather for say tomatoes and a bag of rice, you can hit up the cheaper grocer's. A few examples of cheaper grocery stores in Canada are food basic and Price Chopper whereas Sobey's and Zehr's tend to be pricey. Another place I often can score some cheap groceries is asian food marts. Now the food you get here is a bit different from your normal grocerystore and if the scent of fish makes you queezy I don't recommend it but if you are looking for cheap variety thats the place to get it. Of course the cheapest way to get groceries still usually remains the good old farmer's market. By this of course i don't mean the trendy all organic ones that have been popping up all over the place but rather the genuine farmer's market where farmer's bring their produce each week. Getting your food at a market supports the local economy, gets you fresher food than most grocer's and is just a whole lot more fun. So you may get a few weird looks when you come home with your groceries smelling like freeze-dried fish or a barn but its well worth the penny you save. Your wallet will thank you.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Tip #3
Don't throw it out
One essential skill for thrifty living is just to keep anything that still has use left in it. Note I said that it must still have use in it, otherwise your living quarters can easily become a landfill. Many people throw out their old technology whenever they upgrade to the latest gizmos and gadgets. I however, recommend keeping that old VCR or turntable. I am currently working a maintenance job at a camp. One of my duties with this job is to collect garbage. The other day I came across a box full of VHS tapes which I assume were probably thrown out because someone else' VCR broke. I now have a full summer's worth of media entertainment for no cost at all. Now you may argue that the picture/sound quality isn't the same, and that is true, but i find that there is something nostalgic about watching a film in the washed out grainy color of a VHS. Another benefit to keeping old technology is that it often comes back into style as a retro or vintage item (an example of this would be the recent renewed popularity of 80's video games). Now you may get a few odd looks from your friends when they see a commador 64 sitting on your coffee table, but just wait in a few years they'll envy you for having it. So keep your old technology, throw a retro party with it and have a good time. It may not match the stats of a blueray disk, but your wallet will thank you.
One essential skill for thrifty living is just to keep anything that still has use left in it. Note I said that it must still have use in it, otherwise your living quarters can easily become a landfill. Many people throw out their old technology whenever they upgrade to the latest gizmos and gadgets. I however, recommend keeping that old VCR or turntable. I am currently working a maintenance job at a camp. One of my duties with this job is to collect garbage. The other day I came across a box full of VHS tapes which I assume were probably thrown out because someone else' VCR broke. I now have a full summer's worth of media entertainment for no cost at all. Now you may argue that the picture/sound quality isn't the same, and that is true, but i find that there is something nostalgic about watching a film in the washed out grainy color of a VHS. Another benefit to keeping old technology is that it often comes back into style as a retro or vintage item (an example of this would be the recent renewed popularity of 80's video games). Now you may get a few odd looks from your friends when they see a commador 64 sitting on your coffee table, but just wait in a few years they'll envy you for having it. So keep your old technology, throw a retro party with it and have a good time. It may not match the stats of a blueray disk, but your wallet will thank you.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Tip #2
A lesson from the homeless
This is less a tip on how to save money and more a tip on what to do when you find yourself in an inconvenient situation. One evening last fall I found myself in a pinch. I was wearing a spring/ fall jacket and the temperature outside had taken a plunge with nightfall. I found myself to be more than just a bit cool while I waited for the late bus, in fact I was freezing. I was tired and cold and it hit the point where I just didn't care how I looked. Luckily I had a copy of our terrible school newspaper on me, so I began stuffing my jacket (as I think every homeless character in every movie does). I was amazed by its efficiency. So if your ever stuck without the right coat on you know what to do. You may get weird looks but it beats dishing out the money for a cab instead of waiting for the bus. Your wallet will thank you.
This is less a tip on how to save money and more a tip on what to do when you find yourself in an inconvenient situation. One evening last fall I found myself in a pinch. I was wearing a spring/ fall jacket and the temperature outside had taken a plunge with nightfall. I found myself to be more than just a bit cool while I waited for the late bus, in fact I was freezing. I was tired and cold and it hit the point where I just didn't care how I looked. Luckily I had a copy of our terrible school newspaper on me, so I began stuffing my jacket (as I think every homeless character in every movie does). I was amazed by its efficiency. So if your ever stuck without the right coat on you know what to do. You may get weird looks but it beats dishing out the money for a cab instead of waiting for the bus. Your wallet will thank you.
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