Breakfast Items that Freeze Well

One of the ways to save money is by avoiding the expensive cost of breakfast. You may be overspending on this important meal if you rely on convenience items, such as dry cereal, individual oatmeal packets, and store-bought frozen breakfast items, from sandwiches to pancakes. To reduce your spending in this area, consider preparing your own breakfast items and freezing them for later use. This way, you will always have a ready breakfast at hand, no matter how hectic the morning turns out to be. You can approach preparing freezer breakfast items in at least two different ways. You can … Continue reading →

My Bulk Cooking Section –Organized Pantry

Yesterday’s project of organizing the pantry yielded some food that needed to be used up soon. Time to do some bulk cooking. These are items that were nearing the expiration dates or had just over stayed their welcome in the pantry. What I didn’t mention in yesterday’s post is that I actually cleaned out two pantries, plus a smaller three-section bin that usually holds produce. In the latter, was a five-pound bag of organic potatoes that were just threatening to grow eyes. I hate potatoes with eyes. Ew. I mean, really ew. So, this afternoon I decided to attack the isolated … Continue reading →

Freezing My … Off

This week, I am making it one of my frugal goals to freeze a little something each and every day. Today it is mashed potatoes and also banana chocolate chip muffins. Yesterday, it was sour cream corn muffins, and the day before it was regular chocolate chip muffins. I’ve been doing this by making extra and then packing up some aspect of our regular meals, such as the leftover muffins from breakfast or preparing a whole six pounds of mashed potatoes (before the butter and milk). By doing this, I really don’t have to do much additional preparation. I measure … Continue reading →

The Investment of Once a Month Cooking

The first time that you prepare an entire month of freezer meals, you may be surprised by the initial cost, the initial investment that it takes. There are extra costs to consider. I don’t want to discourage you from doing it, because once a month cooking can really pay off in the long run, both in time savings and eventually in the cost of food. But like anything else, there are areas of once a month cooking where you can spend more than less. There are a number a good once a month or freezer cooking books out there that … Continue reading →

How to Get a Freezer for Free

Having a separate freezer can be a lifesaver in your home. It gives you the ability to be able to stock up on inexpensive ingredients when they are on sale, the ability to buy meat in bulk and save money that way, and the ability to cook ahead and fill that freezer with freezer meals. Having a stockpile of freezer meals means that you are less tempted to eat out and can get through tough or busy times without having to increase the money that you spend on food. I personally think that a good freezer is worth its price, … Continue reading →

What Food Can You Freeze?

Freezer cooking can definitely save money and time in your household, but do you know which food freezes well? Understanding what you can freeze and what you can’t will help you avoid loss of food. Plus, if you know that something will freeze well, you can then stock up on that item or the ingredients to make it, saving even more money. Here is a list of food stuff that can go in your freezer and be enjoyed later. Baked goods, such as muffins, cakes, brownies, cookies, rolls, bread, buns, pie crust and pizza crust. For best results, frost cakes … Continue reading →

Freezer Cooking without Effort

Today my freezer is somewhat stocked with meals that are ready to go. This really comes in handy on those nights when you just don’t feel like making dinner or the times when you want to save money and reduce your budget. Forget the elaborate all day plans that keep you in the kitchen morning until night cooking away. There is a reason that these methods encourage you to do it with a friend. It is a lot of work! While there may be a time and a place to do these massive freezer cooking sessions, I find that our … Continue reading →

Freezer Cooking for the Lunch Box

Yesterday, I shared some general ideas for saving money on school lunches. To take it to the next step, let’s talk about preparing lunches ahead of time and freezing them. Not only will this make preparing school lunches so convenient, but it will also make them even cheaper. You can use items that are on sale or inexpensive and take advantage of low prices. Plus, you can create these lunches from scratch, making the cost per lunch go way down. Here are some of my favorite freezer cooking ideas for the school (or work) lunch box. Homemade hot pockets These … Continue reading →

How to Lose Money with Your Freezer

You know that I am of freezer meals and once a month cooking recipes. In fact, as soon as I finish writing this post, I plan to marinate some chicken that I got on sale this week, and prepare it into an easy freezer meal that can be pulled out and quickly thrown on the grill. This saves time and money, since chicken should be going up a bit in price in the next few months. But, as the title suggests, you can actually lose money with your freezer. There are several ways to do this easily, so be careful. … Continue reading →

More Ham Freezer Cooking

Today I woke up knowing that I had to do some freezer cooking. Remember all of that inexpensive ham I have been telling you about? Well, it was time turn the last ham deals into some freezer meals. I’m still in the process of finishing up actually. In the oven now, excuse me when the timer beeps, are the second batch of ham and cheese hot pockets. These will be great for quick out-the-door lunches or take-to-work lunches. I tried a new dough recipe this time. The previous one, using bread flour and a pizza dough recipe seemed to make … Continue reading →