The kitchen can be the place that eats away a lot of your money. Whether it be on meals, snacks, or even appliances, the kitchen can be an expensive place. Sometimes we just need some cheap kitchen tips to save us money!
If you haven’t noticed from my blog, I LOVE food. Food is pretty much my love language. Well, that and lattes. And chickens. Preferably the living ones that walk around the homestead.
No, seriously, you can’t tell me your life isn’t more full when you have something like this sharing your yard with you.
I mean, I know I’m biased, but I kinda think they are both pretty cute.
Anyways, back to my love for food. Food is amazing. But ever since having kids I’ve noticed something. They eat a lot. As they grow they eat even more. So do hard working carpenter husbands. So, not only do I LOVE food, I live with four other people who love food just as much or maybe even more than me.
It’s expensive, I tell ya. Especially because, it turns out, they expect dinner. Every. Single. Day.
Therefore, I’m always looking for creative ways to save money in the kitchen. Because, not eating delicious food is just not an option around here. We all get a little hangry when we aren’t fed well, and I’ll be honest, a family of five hangry people is nothing to laugh about. If you have one person, maybe two in the family that suffer from hanger then you can work with it. But a room with 5 hangry people? Not a pretty sight.
Side note – If you haven’t heard what “hanger” is, The Merriam-Webster Dictionary website describes it as this:
“Bad-tempered or irritable as a result of being hungry.”
It’s a real thing y’all. If Merriam-Webster says it is, you know it’s true.
Anyways, one of the things I’ve actually noticed though is the more we try to save money in the kitchen, the better our food often becomes which is really good for our family of hanger sufferers. The truth of the matter is, often when we save money, it means we are still paying, but in time. So, when it comes to food, there’s a lot more effort and energy that goes into homemade, homegrown food. Homemade, homegrown food equals deliciousness.
I’ve spent a lot of time in the kitchen over the years and it has helped me improve on my cooking skills. We’ve learned to live this way for so long that when we buy convenience foods we used to buy at one point we discover we just don’t really like it anymore.
So, as you can see, saving money in the kitchen doesn’t have to be a miserable experience. Actually, you may find that the more you learn how to save, the more you enjoy this kind of lifestyle.
There isn’t just one way to save in the kitchen though, so don’t feel overwhelmed if you prefer not to cook too much from scratch. Yes, you will find that on this list below, but it is just one of many ideas. Keep reading to find out what other cheap kitchen tips there are.
CHEAP KITCHEN TIPS TO SAVE YOU MONEY
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Cook from scratch. Okay, I feel like I am constantly using this line in my posts, but it’s because it is such a money saver! And it taste so much better most of the time. Cooking from scratch has a magical way of taking those moments in your life of when you are absolutely broke and making you feel like you are leading a life of luxury because it doesn’t matter how low-cost the ingredients are, it can still amazing!
Add stretcher foods. What are stretcher foods you may be asking yourself? Stretcher foods are those ingredients that are filling and stretch your meal further, allowing you to feed more for less money. Some of us may have had moments when you had to add water to the soup when company showed up your door, but I promise you these stretcher foods will taste better than water (though, I am all for adding water to the soup if it means you can invite another person to your table!)
Some cheap stretcher foods are things like rice, potatoes, pasta, oats, beans, and bread. When you have kids stretcher foods are especially helpful to fill those hollow legs of theirs!
Buy foods on sale. When you shop, shop the sales. Make meals around whatever is in your local flyer that week. You will see a significant change in your grocery bill by shopping this way.
Meal plan. This goes hand in hand with the previous point. Meal planning can help you utilize foods on sale as well as avoiding running through the drive-thru because you don’t know what you are going to make that night for dinner. To help you get started with meal planning, check out this post which also includes a free template.
Minimize your kitchen appliances. If you walk down the small appliance aisle of a department store you will be overwhelmed by items that do absolutely everything and anything you want them to do. However, we often don’t need all of those appliances. Really, it’s why the appliance section at the thrift store is so full. People buy them with good intention and discover it’s more work to pull out and use said appliance and not really worth it.
For example, this year our rice cooker broke and I passed on getting a new one. Turns out you can make rice pretty easily on the stove. 🙂 The same goes for sandwich makers, pancake makers, etc.
Buy appliances without the bells and whistles. If the small appliance aisle overwhelms you, then you’ll want to avoid the large appliance aisle. Do you know your fridge can talk to you now? It can play music, you can write on an electronic screen, and there are a host of other features you can buy. While this sounds cool, you don’t need need it. Buy an appliance without the bells and whistles to save money in the kitchen. Does the fridge hold food and keep it cold? That’s all you need. 🙂
Shop secondhand. Do you need pots, dishes, or cooking utensils? What about tablecloths or aprons? The secondhand store is a great place to find super cheap items you may need for your kitchen. If you are lucky you can even score some cast iron or copper pots. Just be willing to take the time to wait till you find what you need as secondhand shopping requires a level of patience.
Save and eat leftovers. There are some people who are really against leftovers but I am one of those people that gets excited when there are leftovers in the fridge. Wait, I don’t have to cook again? Score for me! Save money by actually eating those leftovers that are piling up in your fridge.
Start a vegetable garden. Grow your own food and save! Enjoy fresh tomatoes and lettuce, and preserve vegetables for the winter season.
Grow herbs. Herb gardens require minimal space. You can grow it on your windowsill, or you can grow them outside. Check out this adorable herb garden starter kit to get you going.
Make convenience foods yourself. Convenience foods are often more expensive, not to mention not the healthiest. Making many convenience foods isn’t as hard as it sounds. Check out this list of things you can make yourself to get you started.
Make cheap meals. If your budget is tight and you need to save money, now may not be the time to buy steak. You can make some really good meals with some ridiculously cheap ingredients. Check out my post Cheap Foods to eat When you are Broke for insanely frugal meal ideas.
Limit your trips to the grocery store. Every time you walk into the grocery store you are opening yourself to temptation of things you don’t really need. If you limit your trips to the grocery store to once every two weeks at least you will spend less and have less chance of buying things you don’t need.
Buy in season. Prices fluctuate and depending on the season will dictate the cost of certain items, especially produce. In the winter you want to buy more root vegetables, in Spring your asparagus and leeks are often cheaper, in Summer you get to enjoy a variety of berries at a super cheap price, and in Fall you have things such as peaches and pumpkins that go on sale. Learn to shop and cook in relation to the seasons.
SAVING MONEY IN THE KITCHEN CAN HELP YOUR BUDGET
There are so many ways you can save in the kitchen, whether it be with food, or appliances, or what you cook with or the dishes or utensils you use. When it comes to your budget I find that one of the easiest ways to save money is also in the kitchen because there are so many creative ways to run a frugal kitchen in your home. Try these cheap kitchen tips above to help you.
You don’t have to sacrifice beauty or taste. A frugal kitchen can be a place that is warm and inviting. Just offer your guests some fresh bread and soup and some friendship and they won’t care a bit how much money you’ve spent in the kitchen.
You are so right Amanda. Cooking from scratch saves money!Having children with food sensitivities can be challenging and expensive! If you have ever had to by gluten free bread you understand. Baking your own gluten free breads, cookies etc can save you a lot of money and it is not as intimidating as it sounds.
Yeah, I have seen the price of gluten free products in the store and they are expensive. It makes sense that it would be cheaper to cook from scratch especially if dealing with food allergies.
Well said! Our meal stretcher was a big basket of hot biscuits and I got so I could make them and have them in the oven in just a few minutes. I drop them with a 4 Tablespoon scoop and then flour their tops and pat them flat with my hand. No rolling or counter to clean up. This filled up our five kids and how ever many friends were around our table.
I do have an expensive rice cooker that I love. I can cook rice just fine for 4 or more people but cooking it for two without a heap leftover is tricky especially for brown rice. I can also set it up to cook just one serving of steel cut oats and have it ready when I get to the kitchen in the morning. I tried two less expensive models but they could not make small quantities. I had a regular rice cooker when the kids were growing up that I set on a plug in timer most Sunday mornings before leaving for church. I had something in the crockpot that could go over that rice and a smaller crockpot wth green beans going most week. It really helped to have that food ready when we walked in the door. All we had to do was set the table and pull out a salad made ahead and we were eating.
Wow! It sounds like you had some good systems there with your rice cooker and slow cooker. I did not know that you could cook oatmeal in a rice cooker. I learned something new.:). We also make a ton of biscuits here.:)
Thankyou for your comprehensive list of various ways to save in the kitchen! Each way is efficient in its own, and combined they become a foundation for living well for little.
Your posts are, like always very hepful, thoughtful and encouraging! I enjoy your blog very much!
Aw, thank you for such kind words. I am so glad what I share can be helpful. My prayer is that this is a positive space that encourages those reading it. 🙂