I am getting ready to take a 10 day vacation. I have cut way back on grocery shopping leading up to the trip. However, I still had some perishable items that I didn’t want to go to waste. I thought I would share a couple of tips!

I had a whole bag of carrots that would have been spoiled by the time we got back. I did a little research and found that you can blanch and freeze carrots easily.I sliced some and kept some whole. For the sliced carrots I boiled them for 2 minutes to blanch. The whole carrots required 5 minutes. Then I immediately cooled them in ice water. I do not have a food saver. Ziploc freezer bags did the trick while I expressed as much air as possible. The carrots were packaged according to serving size for my family.

I happened to have extra orange juice too. I learned a trick from my friend Julie some time ago. What you do is pour the orange juice into an empty ice cube tray. Place it in the freezer until the orange juice is solid. Kids love the frozen orange cubes! It is kind of like a popsicle only in a bowl with a spoon! Place extra frozen orange cubes in a ziploc bag for future treats.

1. Freezer Cooking
2. 5 Tips to Save Money When Packing a Lunch
3. Beat the Heat: Grilling with Marinades

Handi Vac by Reynolds may be just the thing. It’s no Food Saver, but it does provide a little more protection than plastic wrap or a standard freezer bag. Because air contributes to freezer burn and degrades your food, it is important to store items in air tight containers. This low cost version of a vacuum sealer will do just that.

The Reynolds Handi Vac requires the purchase of their brand freezer bags as they are made specifically for the tool. You will fill the freezer bag to the line, then zip closed as you squeeze as much air out as possible. Next, fit the handi vac over the air seal and turn it on. The tool is very loud and often requires just the right fit over the seal in order to work. It doesn’t really work well when the bag is mostly empty and the two sides of the plastic are already touching.

Because the bags are finicky, we can’t full recommend this product. The Handi Vac is, however, the least expensive option we have found so far for vacuum sealing foods. It definitely isn’t a perfect solution to your food storage needs, but when the bags are sealed tight they do a great job with freezer protection.

1. Tried It Tuesday: Laptop Lunch Box
2. Produce Storage for Winter
3. Tried It Tuesday: Babycook

As long as you follow the rules for purchase with each coupon, you can use more than one of the exact same coupon. For example, if you have a coupon for $1/1 product X, you may use 1 coupon for each product X you buy. If the coupon is for $1/2 product X, you may use 1 coupon for every 2 products you buy. There are no limits to the number of coupons you can use to stock up on your favorites. However, each store will set its own limits on coupon use, such as only doubling 1 like coupon per visit or limiting the number of like coupons you can use at one time. Talk to the manager at the stores you frequent for their guidelines.

When your stockpile begins to grow, the problem is no longer how to afford the food you need but where to put it. Having too much food is a problem many people would never even dream of. If you are purchasing multiples each week when the items are on sale, you may actually run into this.

First, donate what you won’t use! There are so many people hungry and it doesn’t have to be that way. Second, many perishable items are freezable so you can store them longer—bread, meat, cheese and butter, to name a few. Third, convert a linen closet to an extras pantry or use storage totes for canned goods. Linens can easily be stored in the rooms they will be used—slip tablecloths in a kitchen drawer, keep towels in the bathroom, and store your extra sheets under the mattress they will be used on.

Shop smart, then get creative to keep your shelves stocked inexpensively.

1. Art of Couponing: Matching Coupons
2. The ABCs of Couponing
3. Art of Couponing: Store Coupons

Planning ahead is the basis of most cost savings. It is never more true than dinner time. When we don’t have a plan, dinner becomes an expensive meal out, pizza delivery or unhealthy fast food. Set aside a few minutes each week to decide what you will have for dinner. Don’t forget to plan breakfast and lunch, as needed.

Knowing what you are going to cook will help you make a defined grocery list. Buying only what you need to prepare your meals will save time and money at the store. For even bigger savings use the sales, and the contents of your freezer, to plan your meals. It is easy to let the stores dictate what you have for dinner. When you find a good deal on carrots, work them into your menu plan. If you stock up on potatoes, find a variety of ways to prepare them for dinner all week.

This week, chicken breasts have been on sale at almost every grocery store. This opens up a world of possibilities for the week: grilled chicken, baked chicken, fried chicken, chicken tacos, chicken chili or chicken salad could have been included in your menu. If you stock up on your favorite cuts of meat, you can even freeze them for use in next week’s meal planning.

In addition to basic meal planning, there are a variety of fun ways to select your family’s meals. Our series continues with some creative ideas for planning your family’s menu:

Menu Planning Part 2: Calendar Cooking
Menu Planning Part 3: Meal Rotations
Menu Planning Part 4: Creative Solutions

1. Menu Planning: Calendar Cooking
2. Menu Planning: Meal Rotations
3. Menu Planning: Creative Solutions

A well-stocked pantry is essential to making meals on a budget. Who hasn’t made a last minute run to the store in the middle of a recipe only to pay way too much for the ingredient you need? Keep your pantry (and refrigerator) stocked by buying often used items—and family favorites—when they are in season and on sale.

The following is a list of items essential to cooking or baking that are frequently on sale in your grocery store’s ad circular. Buy them when they go on sale, and store them until they are needed. Here are a few basics for your shopping list to get you started:

Bread and buns*
Butter or Margarine*
Canned broth
Canned cream soups
Cheese*
Dried egg noodles
Eggs
Family favorite condiments
Family favorite cuts of meat*
Family Favorite Vegetables
Flour*
Ground beef*
Onions
Pasta sauce
Peanut butter
Pepper
Potatoes
Quick Oats
Refrigerated biscuits
Salt
Sugar
Teriyaki and/or soy sauce
Tomato sauce/soup
Worctershire sauce

*These items can be stored for extended periods in your freezer. Be sure all packages are sealed tightly.

1. Art of Couponing: Stocking Up
2. Food Bank Shortage
3. No Time to Cook: Emergency Supplies to Avoid the Drive-Thru (Plus Betty Crocker Giveaway)

As gardening season comes to a close, many people are left wondering what to do with a bushel of tomatoes in October. You might also be interested in stocking up on your favorites before the Farmer’s Markets come to an end. Different types of produce should be stored in different ways to last through the winter. Books on food preservation (canning, blanching and freezing) are readily available, but what does all that mean?

Blanching is an easy technique that partially cooks the food and then prepares it for freezing or canning. Boil the food for the required time, depending on the type of produce. Take the food out of the water and place it into ice water. This stops the cooking process so that your food does not overheat. From here, you can freeze or can the foods for long term storage.

Many types of produce can simply be frozen for later use. Be sure to use containers that are designed for this purpose as they are thick enough to prevent air leaks and freezer burn. Another way to preserve for long term storage is to can the produce. This allows items to be stored at room temperature.

Each vegetable has its own special process for canning so I won’t go into details here, but I can give you some general tips. Use clean and dry jars, in good condition. You will need a fresh lid and seal each time you use a jar, but these can be purchased separately to save money.

Once you have prepared the food and poured it into the jars, run a knife or spatula along the sides to release air bubbles. Carefully clean the threads of the jar so food does not get trapped into the band. Cook or pressurize the cans, as per each food’s recipe.

Carefully remove jars and place on a towel. This will help to prevent breakage due to temperature differences. Leave jars undisturbed for 24 hours. Test the seal on each jar before storing. If it did not seal completely, reprocess or refrigerate.

These tips can save money all winter long as you enjoy farm-fresh prices in the off season.

1. Canning and Preserving Produce
2. Storing Fresh Produce
3. Food Storage Friday!

There is a concept out there called Once A Month cooking that focuses on the freezer. The idea is exactly what it sounds like—you spend one weekend per month cooking 30 meals to store in the freezer. I don’t go quite that far, personally, since I actually enjoy nightly cooking, but I do like to keep some frozen meals on hand just in case.

Some things freeze better than others. For example, pasta freezes well, potatoes don’t. Casseroles and ground beef both work great for freezer cooking. If it’s lasagna night, make 2—1 to cook and 1 to freeze for another night. This concept works well with casseroles as well.

If you don’t have extra pans that you can lose to the freezer for weeks on end, line your casserole dish with freezer paper before preparing the recipe. Put it in the freezer until it is frozen, then pull out the freezer paper and wrap the meal. It will hold its form in the freezer and the paper slides right off to put the frozen meal back into the appropriate dish for cooking.

Flash freezing is helpful with freezer cooking as well. Meatballs or chicken tenders are great things to use with this method. Once the food is cooked, line a cookie sheet with freezer paper and spread the food on top. This will allow the foods to freeze individually instead of as one unit. Now you can remove the cookie sheet from the freezer and add your items to a freezer bag to be used as you need them.

Another, simpler version of freezer cooking is to season your meats before you store them. Add marinade to chicken breasts, shape hamburgers and season your roast. When you move them to the fridge for cooking, the meats will marinade as they thaw. These quick, easy preparations can be done when you get home from the grocery store rather than at night when you are struggling to get dinner on the table. When you have a rough day and don’t feel like cooking, you can say “Dinner’s on ICE” (In Case of Emergency).

1. Menu Planning: Calendar Cooking
2. Menu Planning: Basics
3. Beat the Heat: Summer Cooking Without an Oven