Recommended Cooking Accessories when on a Budget

Are you looking for ways to save money on food? There are lots of standard tips that will help you stay within your budget when grocery shopping. Here are some top tips and cooking accessories that make it easier for you to stay within your food budget in tough economic times.

1. Buy in bulk to save money.

Buying in bulk is a great way to save money on purchases that you will use over time, but you need a way to break down your purchases and store them. One of the handiest items to have on hand is a Burger Maker Set that lets you turn 3 pounds of ground beef into 12 hamburger patties and store them in airtight trays in your freezer. You can easily pull out one patty at a time for use, or take out a whole tray. A 6-piece Burger Maker set lets you pick between full size patties or 9 sliders for each tray of burgers.

1. Grind your own meat.

Speaking of hamburger, you can save even more money by buying whole cuts of meat and grinding your own at home with an Electric Meat Grinder. Take advantage of sales on pot roast and other cuts, and grind them yourself at home for higher quality ground meat at bargain prices.

1. Slice your own sandwich meats.

Why pay a premium for deli-sliced roast beef, turkey, corned beef and other deli meats? Why pay for plastic packaging for name brand sliced meats? Invest in a deli slicer and you can slice your own sandwich meats at home and save up to $5 a pound on ham, turkey and other deli meats.

1. Make your own salad dressings at home.

With salad dressing costing up to $2.50 a bottle, you can save a nice chunk of change by making your own salad dressings at home. For about the price of two bottles of dressing, you can buy a salad dressing carafe and emulsifying mixer that lets you whip up your own dressings in seconds. Pick up a few and you can keep several different salad dressings in your fridge for easy use.

1. Make use of portion control.

Store dry cereal and snacks in a handy set of snack dispensers, reminiscent of retro gumball machines. You can set the dials to deliver measured portions, which makes it easy for kids to grab a bowl of cereal without spilling (and wasting) half the box on the table. It’s also a handy way to limit the amount of snacks that kids take at once, which is good for their health as well as your pocketbook.

1. Save money by making your own yogurt.

Are you paying a premium price for little plastic tubs of yogurt full of preservatives and additives to make them “appealing”? Save big bucks by making your own yogurt at home. You won’t believe how easy it is to do with a Yolife Yogurt Maker. Just pour milk into a jar, add yogurt starter (which you really only need once) and cover with the domed lid. In less than 12 hours, you’ll have the freshest, best-tasting yogurt you’ve ever eaten at a fraction of the cost of store bought products.

1. Leave the microwave popcorn on the shelf.

Microwave popcorn is a favorite snack because it’s so easy to make – but a buck a bag can really put a crimp in your budget. You can still pick up a bag of popcorn for less than a dollar, and a Microwave Popcorn Popper makes it just as easy to pop the corn as dropping a bag in the microwave.

1. Pack your own lunch.

How much does it cost you to grab lunch at work each day? Even if you eat off the dollar menu, you can save hundreds of dollars a year by bringing your own lunch to work each day. Investing in a good set of thermal storage containers like the Smart Portion Container Set can make it easy to bring delicious and nutritious lunches to work or to school each day.

1. Stop throwing food away.

Do you end up throwing away fruits and vegetables that have spoiled before you get to use them? Do you have to pass on great bargains because you know you won’t eat them before they go bad? One of the hottest products to come along in years, Green Bags keep your produce fresh for days, even weeks longer. Other fresh storage options to look at include FreshVac Storage Containers and the Produce Keeper which lets you store up to three vegetables or fruits in one container and keep them fresh up to two weeks longer.

1. Grow your own herbs.

Fresh herbs are a delight in your cooking, but buying fresh herbs at the supermarket gets expensive quickly. Growing your own basil, thyme, oregano and other herbs is surprisingly easy. A set of Herb Pots is a wonderful way to add some green to your kitchen and flavor to your meals, all while keeping the green in your wallet.