There are so many money saving hacks for your kitchen that can save you hundreds if not thousands of dollars every year. We spend so much money on food and kitchen supplies every year that we could be saving and putting toward something more fun….like your summer vacation! Start using some of these life changing money hacks and see a major difference in your monthly budget.
Use Quality Trash Bags: I know it is tempting to buy the store brand trash bags because they seem cheaper. The reality is that I usually have to end up using two each time instead of one because the bag leaks or breaks so easily. To save myself time and money, I go with the quality trash bag that is at an affordable price, Hefty Ultra Strong.
Not only is it durable and saves me from cleaning a huge mess from a breaking bag, but the scents are amazing. They use Arm & Hammer odor neutralizers with fresh scents. There is Citrus Twist and Lavender Vanilla. There is also and unscented version if that is more your style. I like the scents because it keeps my kitchen smelling fresh without me having to use any kind of air freshener or spray.
To help you save even more money, Swagbucks has a limited time offer where you can earn a $10 Walmart gift card when you purchase 2 or more boxes of Hefty trash bags at your local Walmart! That’s like saving $5 per box! I did a quick search and see that the bags are selling for around $7.82 so less than $3 per box after the gift card. That is a bargain!
Plan your meals around weekly sales: I like to plan my meals for the week by looking at the weekly ad of my local grocery store. Only use ingredients that are on sale or that you already have in your home. Even better if you have coupons available! I highly suggest finding a Deal/Coupon blog that does store match ups. They do all the hard work for you! My personal favorites are The Harris Teeter Deals and Hip2Save. You can check out my Coupon Resources at the top of my site for more suggestions.
Stock up on frozen produce: Frozen produce is just as healthy as fresh produce but a lot cheaper. This is especially true for fruit like berries. They are cheaper frozen and they last a lot longer so you don’t have to worry about them going bad before you can use them. Once defrosted, they are just as easy to cook with as fresh.
Use the whole rotisserie chicken: I love getting a rotisserie chicken for an easy meal. They are so versatile. You can use the meat as a main dish, in casseroles or stews, etc. Don’t forget about the bones. Once you have eaten all the meat, throw the bones in some water, add some onion and garlic and make your own chicken stock. Considering a carton of chicken stock can cost over $3, this will save you a lot of money throughout the year. Just make the stock and freeze it in individual resealable bags and you will have chicken stock whenever you need it.
Grow your own vegetables: You don’t need a lot of room to do this. I have a small vegetable garden in my backyard and I grow zucchini, tomatoes, peppers, blueberries, and strawberries. It doesn’t take a lot to set up and it gives us fresh produce every year. You can check out the garden section under my DIY tab if you want more gardening tips. If you don’t want to mess around with a full garden, you can always regrow vegetables from leftovers. You can regrow celery and green onions right on your window sill. There are a bunch of tutorials online that will show you how to do this.
Keep your berries fresher longer: Wash your berries in a bath of 1 cup white vinegar to 8 cups water. Move them around to get some of the dirt off and then dry them in a salad spinner or just on some paper towels. Put them in a paper towel lined container and leave the lid opened slightly so that there isn’t any moisture build up. This should make your berries last longer so you won’t have any food waste.
Make our own cleaning products: You can make a quick kitchen cleaner using this recipe: 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon dish soap, and 2 tablespoons vinegar into your spray bottle. Give it a stir/shake. Let it sit for a minute, now fill bottle with warm water and shake it up.You can also use my recipe for Natural fruit and vegetable wash.
Use old produce as air fresheners: If you have some produce that is about to go bad before you can use it, make a nice all natural stove top fragrance. There are a lot of recipes online but you can just throw some lemon, rosemary, and cinnamon in a pot of water and let it simmer. It will smell amazing. Apples, oranges, limes, and cranberries are great too!
Stop using so many paper towels: Instead of using paper towels to clean, use a rag or sponge. I like keeping a hand towel by my kitchen sink so that every time I wash my hands, I use that instead of a paper towel. This helps me save my paper towels for big messes when I really need them and save me from buying new ones every week.
Use up what you have. Throwing away food is like throwing away money. If you are stumped as to what to do with the ingredients that you have in your fridge or pantry, use sites like MyFridgeFood or Supercook. You put in the ingredients you have on hand and it will give you some recipe ideas.
I like using these money saving hacks for my kitchen because they are so easy to do. They save me money and they are good for the environment and my family’s health. Share some of your money saving hacks for your kitchen.
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
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