Well, maybe not necessarily secrets... but certainly great ideas that can save you money! You know the expression "waste not, want not," right? Do you practice this by being frugal at home? Do you use items to their fullest, or do you just simply throw them away without thinking about if they could still be useful to you and your family? Either way, check out these super frugal household 'secrets' for the kitchen that can help you save a little money and be environmentally friendly at the same time! 1. Reuse Freezer and Sandwich Bags - I know, they are plastic, but seriously, they really make storing things simple! Food stays fresh, and other items are easily viewed in the bag making them easier to find. But because they are plastic I make sure I re-use them over and over again (Only first-time-usefor food!). Simply turn inside out, wash and rinse, then let them thoroughly dry. Keep the used bags in a special spot so you know they have already been used once or more. I keep them in a bin near the kitchen for easy access. The used baggies, no matter their size, are great for so many purposes! When you have absolutely worn them out or broken the zipper, then be sure to recycle them right along with your other plastic bags! 2. Don't throw leftover bread away! Save all those ends and leftover pieces nobody eats. Also save the leftover pieces that are already going stale! Break or cut them up into crouton size pieces, put them in a container, and cover with cheesecloth so nothing but air can get in. I use a giant rubber band around the outside to hold the cheesecloth in place. Keep it accessible and give it a shake every now and then to keep the air circulating. When the pieces are completely dried out, put them in a baggie for storage. When you are ready, use them as stuffing or crush them up and season them to use as breadcrumbs. Check out how I used them in my Apple Stuffing Recipe! 3. Freeze brown and bruised bananas that nobody wants to make awesome banana bread! Simply put them right into the freezer with the peel on. When you are ready to make the bread, take them out, let them defrost, peel the end off, squeeze out the banana and use it to make this yummy simple Banana Bread Recipe! 4. Save butter wrappers in a baggie in the freezer to greese pans with. That's right, don't throw those wrappers and small scraps of butter out! Save them in the freezer and when you need to grease a pan before baking in the oven, simply take one out and grease up that pan! This is also a great way to save and use those little pats of butter you get at the diner! 5. Freeze small amounts of leftovers for the best homemade soup you ever made! We have all had times when we had leftovers that were not quite enough to save for another meal. I am not talking about leftovers on someones plate, those are great to share with your pets or chickens. This is for those leftovers nobody touched. Most people just throw them out, but I save every little bit in a freezer baggie, date it, and freeze it! Then I make a soup that they can all be thrown into! Check out this simple Homemade Soup Recipe that you can add all those great bits of leftovers to! 6. Reuse Aluminum Foil - if its not ruined or super dirty, wipe it off if necessary and reuse it! This stuff is expensive, and sometimes it is necessary for baking or cooking. I don't use plastic wrap so aluminum foil is usually what takes it's place just to cover things in the fridge. It usually doesn't get dirty doing that job, so depending upon what it was used for and if the foil is in good shape, I save it and reuse it. It is that simple. 7. Use rubber spatulas! I love my rubber spatulas! I literally use them every single day for multiple purposes. Bottom line though, they are great for getting that last drop of mayonnaise, soup, batter, etc. out of the container with! Why throw money literally down the drain by wasting good food that you left in the bottom of the container? I have a set of multiple sized spatulas so that I can get into any size jar, but the smallest one is my absolute favorite! (Note: affiliate link). 8. Stop buying coffee filters! Buy a metal coffee filter than can be used over and over again. I actually bought two so when one is being washed I have an extra! (Note: affiliate link). 9. Save those scraps! All those egg shells and fresh produce peels and scraps? Compost them and then use them to make your garden soil amazing instead of buying special compost! Read more about easy composting at Mother Earth News! 10. Keep your coffee in a carafe. Why waste money keeping your coffee warm in the pot you cooked it in? Why have to reheat a cup in the microwave later in the day when it never tastes good that way anyway? However, keep it in a carafe and it stays warm and tasty all day long and you are not wasting money by throwing that expensive, cold and stale coffee away! (Note: affiliate link). Thank you for visiting! For more frugal ideas check out my Pinterest board Everyday Ways to Save Money! Sincerely,
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Hi there! I'm Kathie, the author behind Creating A Simpler Life blog. I'm excited to share our longterm projects (and planning) toward building our future retirement homestead in the Adirondack Mountains of New York. In the meantime I will be sharing all the other little things we do that are part of creating our simpler life!
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