Lowering costs of the Starch Solution

[lucidguppy]

I know that the SS is low cost - but what are your tips for making sure you're not wasting money?

Mine so far:

[list=]Frozen fruits/vegetables so you don't waste fresh produce that goes bad if you don't eat it in time.[/list]
[list=]Cooking dry beans vs canned beans[/list]
[list=]Not drinking coffee or tea (don't want to give this up )[/list]

Those are the items that jump out to me. How much do you save chopping your own lettuce vs getting it in bags? Do you spend a lot on fat free salad dressing? You have to balance out cost with convenience - but were there any big wins on keeping costs down?

[VegSeekingFit]

Hi,

I keep shelf stable foods stocked - like canned NSA tomatoes, beans, certain veggies --- and rice, dried beans / peas / lentils, whole grain pasta, oatmeal.

When I do weekly grocery shop, it is usually for perishables. However, I look for sales -- and stock up on the shelf stable when there is a sale.

Also, I don't usually buy pre-cut produce. I have found that it is fresher (and cheaper) when I cut it myself.

I also will use frozen - as you said - no waste.

Best,
Stephanie

[Ejeff]

I don’t buy bagged salad as it doesn’t last. Definitely cheaper to cook your own beans. I recently calculated this and beans from raw are approximately 1/3 the cost of using canned beans. As for tea, I buy bulk loose tea which is much cheaper than buying a box with bags.

I do buy some frozen veggies, but I also shop the sales for fresh. Fresh never goes to waste as I make soup and freeze it if I have too much.

I buy a big bag of brown rice at Costco whenever it’s on sale so I have it on hand.

I don’t buy salad dressings, I make my own always. It’s likely cheaper as when you buy bottled fat free dressings you are paying for a lot of water I would assume.

Erin

[lucidguppy]

I don’t buy bagged salad as it doesn’t last. Definitely cheaper to cook your own beans. I recently calculated this and beans from raw are approximately 1/3 the cost of using canned beans. As for tea, I buy bulk loose tea which is much cheaper than buying a box with bags.

I do buy some frozen veggies, but I also shop the sales for fresh. Fresh never goes to waste as I make soup and freeze it if I have too much.

I buy a big bag of brown rice at Costco whenever it’s on sale so I have it on hand.

I don’t buy salad dressings, I make my own always. It’s likely cheaper as when you buy bottled fat free dressings you are paying for a lot of water I would assume.

Erin

What salad dressing recipes do you recommend? I'm horrible at making them myself.

[Ejeff]

lucidguppy, I don’t really follow a recipe. I normally use my magic bullet to blend the dressing. I put in some warm water, tahini, white beans like navy or kidney, lemon juice, salt, garlic powder. Then I just adjust to taste. If it’s too thick I add more water. Then I just store in a big jar so I have it ready all week. Often I add balsamic vinegar too.

Yesterday I had made a batch of hummus so I took the hummus, stirred in some water and franks hot sauce and that was my dressing. I like anything spicy.

Overall I enjoy dressings that I add tahini to the most. Sometimes I add a date. It’s nice to add beans so the dressing is thicker.

Do you have a certain salad dressing you like the most now? I have a ranch and a Caesar dressing recipe if you want those I will dig them up. I haven’t calculated the cost to make my own dressings so not sure if it’s cheaper than store bought, but at least I make them taste exactly as I enjoy them.

Erin

[SunshineDay]

In a pinch I like to just mix a bit of dijon mustard with maple syrup (thin with water if necessary)-- tastes like a nice honey-mustard dressing.

[ch47gunnergirl]

The best way I've found to keep any costs down when grocery shopping is to make a meal plan for (roughly) a week since I only shop 1 every week or 2. I try to look at recipes by cuisine/ingredients. If one recipe I know I want to make only uses half a large onion, I'll look for a different recipe for another day to use up the remainder. This trick works very well when it is more expensive things like fresh herbs or more exotic veggies. Then I make one huge list of all the ingredients I need for all dishes. I first "shop" my pantry and fridge and cross off ingredients I have, and then only buy what is left on the list. I also try to incorporate planning to use leftovers as lunches to reduce the amount of cooking and waste less.

[squealcat]

One way I save is by having a magnetic small white board that sticks on the side of my fridge. When I make a recipe or cook something, I write the day I made it or cooked it so I know just what is in my fridge and how old it is. If it is close to a week then I make sure that food is combined with something and used up. I use to find things in the back of my fridge and would have to throw it out because I didn't know how old it was. Now it is rare that I have to throw out food and looking at the list of what is there really helps me plan my meals.

Oh, just remembered ! I cooked up some mushrooms today ! I need to add it to the list !

-squealcat

[Jun]

I buy organic spices in bulk .