Money-Saving Food Prep Tips: Stretching Your Food Budget
Today, I want to share my tried and tested methods for saving money and making the most of my food budget. By prepping in advance and being mindful of how I use ingredients, I can stretch my resources and ensure nothing goes to waste. Let’s dive into the details!
Flavorful Chicken Broth for Multiple Meals
- Overnight Crockpot Chicken ($6):
- Place a whole chicken in the Crockpot.
- Add chunks of onion, bell pepper, tomato, garlic, and a serrano for extra flavor.
- Season with salt, pepper, cumin, and smoked paprika.
- Deboning and Saving the Broth:
- In the morning, remove the cooked chicken from the Crockpot and debone it.
- The chicken produces a rich and flavorful broth that can be used for tonight’s dinner.
- Additional Chicken Broth:
- On a different occasion, boil a rotisserie chicken carcass to make regular chicken broth.
- Freeze the extra broth for future use.
Cheese Preparation for Versatile Use
- Shredding Cheese:
- Using a food processor, shred 3 pounds of cheese.
- Storage:
- Refrigerate a portion of the shredded cheese.
- Freeze the remaining shredded cheese for later use.
Maximizing Lunchable-Style Boxes
- Affordable Lunchable Box:
- Purchase a lunchable-style box from Sam’s when available (cost: $2.43).
- The box typically contains two types of cheese, pepperoni, and crackers.
- Stretching the Contents:
- Divide the cubed cheese in half to make it go further.
- Place the cheese and pepperoni in a separate bowl for easy snacking.
- Store the crackers in the pantry for later use.
Refilling the Lunch Meat Drawer
- Separating Packages of Ham and Turkey:
- Divide packages of ham and turkey to refill the lunch meat drawer.
- Freeze any extras for future use.
Easy Access to Healthy Options
- Keeping Convenient Options:
- Arrange everything for easy access and grab-and-go convenience.
- By making healthy options readily available, it ensures that food gets eaten, reducing complaints of “There’s nothing to eat.”
- Note: As my kids are older now, they handle grabbing fruits and veggies themselves.
These money-saving food prep tips have proven to be valuable in stretching my food budget without compromising flavor or variety. By utilizing homemade broth, prepped cheese, maximizing lunchable-style boxes, and ensuring convenience, you can make the most of your ingredients and minimize waste. Stay tuned for more budget-friendly ideas!
