Saving Even More Time And Expense In The Kitchen

Once you have mastered the "menu planning" you may want to try some other time and money saving tips.

*Buying in bulk from wholesale clubs and warehouse stores (Sams Club, Costco, etc) or when items are on sale. Some have membership fees but you can always share the membership with a family member or friend.

*Invest in a FoodSaver and package bulk items into usable portions and freeze them. One more economical option is Reynolds® Handi-Vac Vacuum Sealer, just plain freezer paper or freezer bags. Items last longer when you seal with the FoodSaver.
Remember to label with item name and date.

Another thing you can do, since you are cooking anyway, is to double your recipes and freeze half. This is a time saver when you don't have time much time and just need to heat something up. You can freeze just the main dish and even the sides if they are freezable. If it is a roast cooked with vegetables in the same pan, I freeze it together. If I make meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and broccoli, I put the meatloaf in a freezer bag and mashed potatoes in a freezer bag. Then I put the two bags in a larger labeled bag. Since I usually buy the broccoli frozen in bulk I always have that on hand. But you can put some broccoli in a separate freezer bag and add to the larger bag with the meatloaf and potatoes for a complete meal.