This article was originally published by Sara Tipton at Tess Pennington’s Ready Nutrition.
Most of us can benefit from learning to live a more simple and frugal life. And there is no reason to bust your budget on food waste or storage! You can take the beginning steps toward frugality and save a lot of money by using these food storage tips we’ve put together for you!
I know just how much money it costs to feed a family. With a seven and an eight-year-old, the grocery bill doesn’t ever decrease. Because of that, food has become a much more precious commodity, and not to be wasted. So it’s important to figure out how to frugally save your food to make sure it ALL gets consumed!
EGGS
Some recipes, especially those delicious baked goods, call for an egg white only. But you shouldn’t waste the yolks. Instead, freeze them. I like the ice cube trays for this. Once they have frozen in the tray, I simply pop them out and put them in a plastic storage container. I used them to make scrambled eggs, and the kids actually like them this way! The flavor is richer than using a whole egg, but preventing waste is the ultimate goal. You will want to use the egg yolks right after they have thawed. I just put the ones I will need in the refrigerator overnight. And…you can do this with egg whites too! If you’ve only used the yolks of some eggs, freeze the whites with the same process and make yourself an omelet one morning!
BREAD
Bread, like eggs, can also be frozen. If you make your own, like I do, and bake three loaves all at once (I don’t like to waste sourdough starter) you can freeze two loaves and keep one out to eat. I just use the same large gallon-size plastic bags to freeze several loaves. When you decide it’s time to thaw your bread, put a paper towel in with the loaf when it’s defrosting. That paper towel will absorb the moisture as it thaws out. This prevents some waste, as you can use the bags until they get a hole in them. Even if the zip part doesn’t stay closed, I will find a rubber band and close the bag in order to prevent from wasting one.
But still, sometimes, bread goes stale. We’ve all been there. But instead of throwing it away or giving it to the birds, I coat it in olive oil, basil, oregano, and thyme, then add a dash of garlic salt. I cut the bread into bite-sized pieces and then put it on a cookie sheet. It only takes about 15 minutes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit to get some perfect salad croutons!
BERRIES
Every summer we buy a flat of strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries. As soon as we get them home, I clean the strawberries and wash all the berries. Then they go in plastic gallon bags in the freezer and I usually have bags I can reuse. The important thing is to let the berries dry a little before freezing them so they separate more easily with less thawing. You should also make sure to get as much air as possible out of the bags to help prevent freezer burn.
Another way to make the most of a surplus of berries is to dehydrate them for adding them to baked goods and cereals. Dehydrating maintains its nutritional content up to a year or longer if properly stored and is an excellent way to make use of the food you have around you, but there are some rules you should follow before starting out. This also holds true for vegetables. Dehydrated vegetables can make delicious soups and even seasonings.
ROOT VEGETABLES
Basements are most often the most temperature-stable places in a home and would be ideal for root vegetable storage. Use a dark and cool corner of the basement to store root vegetables bought on sale. Store produce in mesh bags to allow air circulate and reduce the risk of unwanted pests. A basement stays cool without any electricity adding to your bill!
COMPOSTING
Any time you discard the peel or an eggshell, remember to compost it! Crumbling eggshells in the garden will add nutrients like calcium to the garden and your bank account will appreciate that you are buying less soil and creating less waste. For composting tips, click on the following articles:
5 Simple Solutions For Composting
Turn Trash Into Treasure: The Easy Way To Make A Compost Pile Or Bin
Being frugal and saving money where you can stretch the family budget, as well as, teach essential tips on frugality and zero waste. While these sustainable ideals are a beginning point, they can make a big difference down the line. In what ways do you practice frugality in your home?
When a catastrophic collapse cripples society, grocery store shelves will empty within days. But if you follow this book’s plan for stocking, organizing and maintaining a proper emergency food supply, your family will have plenty to eat for weeks, months or even years!
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Could you be more specific? Provide some more data?
I agree with the Bread part.
Although my wife sneaks out and buys the processed flour crap to make biscuits. Our mill can’t grind that fine.
We make our own flour otherwise.
I haven’t got my sour dough starter going just yet,
but the last bread machine failure is going to change things.
Eggs, we have more eggs than we can eat as we have 14 or so chickens. So we don’t freeze them.
We have not had good luck with berries.
Too many bugs.
We do have LOTS of Banana chips.
Compost is a good idea. I don’t it so much. My animals and chickens consume whatever I don’t.
Relik, been reading that pickles are good for cleaning out cholesterol from your arteries (must be the brine).When I finish one of the jars of pickles (Claussen brand), I boil up around eight eggs (what the jar will hold) and drop them in the brine, leave them alone for a few days and then snack on them. My chickens are still growing (new batch) so I’ve had to buy from the market for now.
Eggs [animal] and bread [aka cake]… might as well throw in some sugar pops and lard, fat fucks.
What an ignorant statement.
Eggs are protein, they don’t make you fat. Neither does Lard which is far better for you than margarine – which, after all, was invented to make use of cottonseed oil. Nasty stuff.
Stew,
You ever show up on Hawaii island and are in Hilo,
My treat at cafe 100 for a local moco.
egg, lard gravy, rice, and meat.
Just for Bert.
I’m still within weight limits for my height,
but certainly not as trim or as in shape
as I was when I was 50 years old.
For those, who carry buckets, fattening would be the opposite of wasting.
Relatively few gardeners can support animals or grow staple foods.
Blueberries will not freeze well. The water inside them expands and breaks the cell walls. Upon thawing all you get is mush.
all that mush is great in oatmeal.
we freeze most of ours.
some are canned. the juice goes into teas and the berries into the oatmeal.
yummy 🙂
The mush is what you want when making wine. Thats why you freeze berries before making it.
You don’t have to freeze berries before making wine. You don’t freeze grapes either, do you?
Still eatable, even if they don’t look appetizing.
Mix them with yoghurt or fresh cheese. Or use them in a smoothie!
Composting is important, much more than woud seem from the comments which seem to talk about anything but the material the article is treating about.
Composting is easy, free, and requires minimal labour, but may be essential for helping you make things grow.