12organicfoodsworthbuyingtoavoidpesticides
Apples
Grapes
Potatoes
Bell
Nectarines Raspberries
peppers
Celery
Peaches Spinach
Cherries
Pears
Strawberries
12organicfoodsnotworthbuyingwhentryingtoavoidpesticides
Asparagus Cauliflower Onions
Avocado Corn
Papaya
Bananas Kiwi
Peas
Broccoli Mangoes
Pineapples
BOTTOMLINE:Payingdoubleforsomeorganicfoodsmaybeworth
the added cost because their conventionally grown counterparts
tendtobeladenwithpesticidesevenaftervigorous washing. But
sticktoconventionalforotherfruitsandveggiesifyou’relooking
tokeepyourbudgetinline.
Learntoloveleftovers. Cookingmealswhileplanningforleftovers cansaveyoubigdollarsthroughouttheyear.Cookinglargermealshelps youtakeadvantageofeconomiesofscale;onebigbatchoffoodcantake lesstimeandcostlesstopreparethanseveralsmallermeals.Preparing largerportionsalsosavesonenergycostsassociatedwithcookingfood.
Plannedleftoversareadvantageousforbusyfamiliesbecausetheycan
betakentoschoolorworkforlunches,savingoneatingout.Cookingon weekends and freezing portion sizes for future meals can cut costs by hundredsayearandsaveyoutime.Seethefeature“LovingLeftoversfor Less.”
BOTTOM LINE: Learn to love leftovers and make larger meals to saveyouprecioustimeandmoney.Preparingtwomeals’worthof
foodeachtimeyoucookcansaveuptohalfofyourcookingenergy
needs.
Cookwithlessenergy. Sometimesasmallercookingappliancecan do the job of an energy-hungry oven. Because they consume less electricity, smaller appliances like slow cookers, toaster ovens and microwavescancookafamilymealforalotless.Useatoasterovento
heatamealinthesameamountoftimeasanovenandsavearound$50
per year in energy costs. When boiling water in a kettle, only boil as muchasyouneed.Toreduceyourcookingenergyconsumptionfurther,
consider adding more raw foods to your diet. Foods like salads, fruits andrawvegetablesaregoodforyouanddon’trequireheating.
BOTTOMLINE:Switchoffyourovenandusesmallerappliancesto
reduceyourenergycostsbyatleast$50ayear.
Sackplasticbagsbyusingreusablebags. Manygrocerystoresnow charge2to5centsperplasticshoppingbagatthecheckout.Spendinga few bucks on bags per month may sound like nothing today, but the costscanadduptohundredsovertheyears.Whilekeepingcostsdown
isaconcernformany,therearemorepressingplasticmattersatstake.
Disposable plastic bags litter our environment, contribute to climate
changeandcanharmwildlife.Buyingaqualityreusablebagmadefrom durableandwashablerip-stopnylon(liketheBAGGUbrandfor$8each,
or less if you buy multiples) can help you save money while keeping disposablesoutofthelandfill.Eventhe99-centversionsforsaleatthe supermarketmakeagreatoption.Manyreusablebagscansquishintoa
smallpackageforeasystorageinapurseorpocketwhenyou’reonthe
go.
BOTTOM LINE: Save money and keep plastic out of landfills by investing in quality reusable shopping bags. For example, by not using10plasticbagsaweek,youcansaveabout$26ayear.
FreezeFoodforBigSavings
Not long ago I remember watching both my grandmother and mom
preserve fruits and vegetables by canning, freezing and dehydrating.
Canningcangetinvolved,butfreezingfoodsdoesn’ttakealotoftime
and is a fantastic way to preserve meals prepared in advance. I often cookalargelasagne,souporstewonweekendsandfreezeportionsfor
mealsduringthemonth.Makingmealsinadvancenotonlysavesmoney
butsavestimeonweeknightsafterabusydayatwork.
Mostfoodsfreezewell,withtheexceptionofleafygreensandsome
produce with a high water content. Stick to freezing fruits and vegetables like apples and tomatoes. Before starting upon a frugal freezing adventure, organize your current frozen food situation by discardingvintageparcels.Knowingwhat’scurrentlyonhandanddating
packages saves the cost of buying duplicates and replacing perishable foods.
Chopandfreeze. Tomaximizefreezerspace,chopawkwardlyshaped fruitsandvegetables(likebananas,asparagusorkale)intobite-sized
pieces before freezing. Cut larger items into handy single-serve portions.
Squeezetheairout. Removeasmuchairaspossiblefromthefreezer bagtosaveroominthefreezerandtopreventfreezerburn.Buyinga
vacuum sealer to remove excess air from freezer bags costs around $50,butusingastrawandsuckingtheairoutofthefreezerbagis
free.
Markthedateandkeeptrack. Beforefreezingfreshproduce,besure to write the date on each bag or container. Even in a freezer food won’tlastforever—sotoavoidthawingsomethingfromtheIceAge,
be sure to keep track of what you have and rotate your food
frequently.Keepingalistofyourfreezercontentsinthekitchencan
alsohelpyouplanmealsandrememberwhatyouhaveonhand.
Freeze in flat packages. Use freezer bags and reusable containers to freeze food flat and save room in the freezer. Stacking food in an organizedmannerkeepspackagesfromburstingopenandhelpsyou
findfoodfast.Ifyouhavestore-boughtpackagesthatareanawkward
fit, take the food out and divide it into smaller containers to save space.
Maintain your refrigerator and freezer. A well-maintained
refrigeratorandfreezercansaveyouhundredsofdollarsinlostenergy costs over the year. To keep your older unit running as efficiently as possible, regularly inspect and clean the refrigerator door seals and heatingcoils.Doorseals,alsocalledgaskets,candeteriorateovertime, leavingyourfridgeleakingcoolairandcoldcash.Replacementgaskets
couldcostaslittleas$30butrequire$60inlabourcosts.Cleaningthe dustfromyourrefrigeratorcoilstwiceayearisfreeandmakesiteasier fortheunittodisperseheat,thusmakingitmoreefficientwhencooling food. A final tip for maintaining your refrigerator and freezer is to defrostatleasttwiceayear.
BOTTOM LINE: Regular maintenance of your older refrigerator
gaskets,coilsandfrostlevelsisfreeandcanextendthelifeofthe appliance,savingyouhundredsinreplacementcosts.
Unplugthesecondrefrigeratororfreezer. Secondrefrigeratorsand freezers are often underused appliances and tend to be older, less efficientmodels.Ifyoursecondunitisrunningconstantlyjusttocoola fewperishables,thenunplugit.Usingalargerrefrigeratororfreezeris moreefficientandcostslessthanrunningtwosmallerunits.
BOTTOMLINE:Unpluggingunderusedrefrigeratorsisfreeandcan
saveyouover$100ayear.
Replaceolderinefficientrefrigerators. Keepinganolderrefrigerator running in your kitchen can cost you. Compared with newer models, ancient units can use up to double the amount of energy to operate, costingyouhundredsinadditionaldollarsayear.Recentimprovements
inrefrigerators,rangingfrombettercompressorstoimprovedinsulation, have increased energy efficiency dramatically. Replacing an old fridge withanewmodelcan
keepyourfoodcoolforlessandmaypayforitself inafewshortyearsgiventhedramaticcutstoenergyuse.Ifyou’rein thepositiontopurchaseanewmodel,shoparoundandfindaunitbig
enough to suit your family’s needs. Don’t be afraid to take along the productsorfoodcontainersyouoftenrefrigerate.Refrigeratorsareused differently by everyone, so finding the right-sized door compartments andcustomizabledrawersisessentialtokeepingyourfoodfresh.
BOTTOMLINE:Ifyourrefrigeratororfreezerisoldornotcooling
well,itmightbeagoodideatoreplacetheunitwithanENERGY
STARappliance.Switchingtomoreenergy-efficientappliancescan
save you hundreds a year in energy costs and may keep your perishablesfresher,savingyoumoneyonyourfoodbillaswell.
Dofewerdishes. Ifyoucancutdownonthenumberofdishesyou needtowash,youcansaveonwater,energyandsoap,andyourdish
panhandswillthankyou.Whileweallwouldlovefewerdirtydishesin
our lives, sometimes they seem unavoidable. One easy method is to reusedrinkingglassesbygivingeachmemberofyourfamilyoneglass
andlabellingit.Anothermethodtocutbackonthegreaseistoplanthe mealsyoucookaheadoftime.Usingasinglepotorpantopreparea
meal,reusingcutlerytostirandmixsaucesorservingwithfewerdishes and getting your family to help themselves rather than using serving platescandrasticallyreducethenumberofdirtydishesinyourkitchen.
BOTTOMLINE:Reusingdrinkingglassesandplanningmealsahead
oftimesavesyoumoneyonenergy,waterandsoap—andmayjust
keepyourhandshappytoo.
Wash dishes by hand the frugal way. It’s hard to think fun and frugalthoughtswhenyou’refacingasinkfullofdirtydishes.Butthere arewaystocutthecostsoncleaningupafterdinnerifyouwashdishes
by hand and have a sense of humour about it. Start by limiting the amount of warm or hot water you use to rinse dishes by filling your secondsinkwithclearhotwaterforrinsingandusingyourmainsinkfor soapywashing.Ifyouhaveonlyonesink,useaplasticpailorbigbowl for rinsing dishes. When tackling your dishes, organizing the order in whichyoucleanthemcanpayoffinenergysavings.Saveyoursoapy
sudsbywashingglasswarefirst,thensilverwareandthecleanestdishes andleavinggreasydishesorpotstotheend.Thishelpskeepyourwater cleanlongerandyourdishesgreasefree.
BOTTOM LINE: Save up to 10% on your dishwashing energy
expenses by rinsing in a second sink and organizing the order in whichyouwash.
Openthedishwasherdoortoair-drydishes. Skipyourdishwasher’s heat drying cycle and save on your total dishwashing energy costs by choosingtheair-dryoptionorbyopeningthedishwasherdoortoair-dry dishesafterthefinalrinse.
BOTTOMLINE:Start an open-door policy by air-drying dishes and saveatleast$20ayearonenergycosts.
Maximize your dishwasher. Get the most out of your dishwasher withthesefreequickanddirtytechniquestosavemoneyonhotwater.
Beforestartingaloadofdirtydishes,besureyourwasherisstackedto thebrim.Halfloadsusethesameamountofhotwaterasafullmachine, costingyoudoubletocleanthesamenumberofdishes.Anotherenergy-savingtechniqueistowashusingthelightorquickcycles.Theseshorter cyclescanuseupto50%lessenergythanthoselongercleaningoptions
whilestillwashingyourdishesclean.Afinalwaytosaveondirtydishes while saving dish pan hands is to stop pre-rinsing your dishes in the sink.Mostmodernmachinescanhandledinnergrimeanddon’trequire
apre-rinse—justscrapeawaylargerfoodpiecesandloadwithlesseffort.
BOTTOM LINE: By washing only full loads, using energy-saving
washcyclesandnotpre-rinsingyourdishes,it’spossibletoreduce
yourdishwashingenergycostsby15%.
Savealmost$1,000peryearbyskippingandswapping
Thepriceoffoodandkitchenstaplesatthesupermarketisontherise.
Don’t be held a financial food hostage at the checkout—here’s how to cutyourgroceryexpensesandstillenjoythefoodsyoulove.Byskipping heavilymarketedandpackagedproductsandswappingthemforitems
not featured in flashy displays, you can save drastically on your food costs. Here’s a list of weekly purchases that show how skipping on brand-nameproductsandswappingforinexpensivealternativescansave
younearly$1,000ongrocerieseachyear.
Water
Skip:brand-namebottledwater,6×710mLfor$3.49or$0.81/L
Swap:tapwater—virtuallyfree!
BOTTOMLINE:Save$3.49.Bottledwatercancostasmuchasgasoline.
Switch to tap water to save money while also decreasing your
environmentalfootprint.
OrangeJuice
Skip:brand-namefrozenconcentrate,1canfor$1.48makes1.4L,or $1.06/L
Swap: generic frozen concentrate, 1 can for $1.18 makes 1.4 L, or $0.84/L
Skip:brand-namefromconcentrate,1.89Lfor$3.87,or$2.05/L
Swap:genericfromconcentrate:1.89Lfor$2.97,or$1.57/L
BOTTOM LINE: Save 90 cents. Buying cans of frozen orange juice concentrate and adding your own water saves you 50% over buying premixed frozen juice from concentrate. The frozen juice can also be storedmuchlonger.
Pasta
Skip:brand-namepasta,375gboxfor$2.99,or$0.80/100g
Swap:bulkpasta,$0.39/100g
BOTTOM LINE: Save $1.53. The savings from buying bulk over
packagedpastacanbeupto50%.
Rice
Skip:brand-namerice,500gboxfor$4.99,or$0.50/100g
Swap:bulkwhitelonggrainrice,$0.22/100g
BOTTOMLINE:Save$3.89.Packagedricecancostuptofourtimesthe priceofbulk.Save75%bybuyinginbulk.
Oatmeal
Skip:brand-nameoatmeal,375gfor$2.89,or$0.77/100g
Swap:bulkoatmeal,$0.24/100g
BOTTOMLINE:Save$1.99.Bulkoatmealisathirdthepriceofoatmeal inprettypackages.
HEALTHBONUS:Oatmealboughtinbulkcostslessanddoesn’tcontain all the added sugars, preservatives or spices found in the brand-name single-servingproducts.Ifyoulikeyouroatsflavouredwithcinnamon,
justaddsometoyourmorningbreakfast.
PeanutButter
Skip:brand-namecrunchypeanutbutter,1kgfor$8.10,or$0.81/100g Swap:bulkcrunchypeanutbutter,1kgfor$4.90,or$0.49/100g
BOTTOMLINE:Save$3.20.Thebrandnamecosts1.7timesmorethan bulk.Switchingtobulkpeanutbuttersavesyou35%.
HEALTHBONUS:Notonlydoesthebulkpeanutbuttersaveyoumoney, it’shealthierforyoutoobecauseit’snothydrogenatedlikethebrand-name.
Lettuce
Skip:brand-name,1head(ina216gbag)for$3.98
Swap:1headofgreenleafylettuce,$1.28
BOTTOMLINE:Save$2.70.Preparedlettuceinabagcostsmorethan twice the price of a whole head of lettuce. Switching to lettuce heads
savesyou50%onhealthyleafygoodness.
Carrots
Skip:brand-namebaggedpeeledcarrots,$1.68/pound
Swap:bulkcarrots,$0.68/pound
BOTTOM LINE: Save $1.00. Switching from bagged peeled carrots to bulk ones sold in the produce aisle saves you 60%. You pay a huge premium of 2.5 times for the marketing and convenience of prepared carrots.
TOTALWEEKLYSAVINGS:$18.70
TOTALYEARLYSAVINGS:$972.40
LovingLeftoversforLess
Therearethreety
pesofleftoversyoucanpreparetosaveyoubigmoney on your grocery bill: planned-overs, unplanned leftovers and mixed meals.Learningtoloveleftoverscansaveyoufoodpreparationtimeand money.
Planned-Overs. A planned-over meal is a fun definition for making enoughfoodforadditionalmeals.Byplanningaheadwhenpreparing
onemealandmakingextra,youcantakeadvantageofeconomiesof
scale;onebigbatchtakeslesstimetocookandcostslessthanmany
smallermeals.Youcanalsosavetimeonpreparingfuturemealsand
saveenergyfromconstantlycookingnewrecipes.Thebestplanned-
oversaremealsyoucansaveandfreezeforanotherdayorrefrigerate
for the week. Meals that make incredible planned-overs include
lasagne, stews, soups, casseroles, chili and presoaked and cooked beans.Beansarepossiblythebestingredienttohaveonhandinthe
frugal kitchen because they can be added to most dishes and they blendwellwithmostflavours.
SurpriseLeftovers. Ifyou’reluckyenoughtohavealittleextraleftover afterameal,don’tscrapeitintothetrashandthrowitaway.Package
those leftovers in containers and refrigerate for tomorrow’s lunch.
Sometimes a meal just tastes better the second time around, and taking a homemade meal to work or school for lunch can save you moneybecauseyouwon’thavetoeatout.Ifyou’vegotenoughleft
overforanentiremeal,thenfreezeorrefrigerateforuseinthefuture.
It’s-a-Mix Meals. Meals combining ingredients from previous dinners requirecreativityandasenseofadventure.Sometimesthebest-tasting
mealsarethoserepurposedfromanothermealorextendedbymixing
inrice,pasta,vegetablesorquinoaorputonflatbreadtomakepizza.
Addingleftoversaucesorvegetablestomakeacasseroleisadelicious
waytosaveonyourfoodbudget.Mixcoldleftoverslikechickeninto
asaladorheatthemupwithbeansandrice.Feedthefamilyonafew
dollarsbymixingcannedtunaorsalmonwithpastaandvegetablesin
acasserole.TheInternetcanbeagreattoolhere—justsearchforall
397 Ways to Save Money: Spend Smarter & Live Well on Less - PDFDrive.com Page 9