I need to spend less.

[yardwork]

For various reasons, over the past year or so my spending has increased and is now eating into savings. I also have two kids in college, so I need to reverse this trend, and start saving every month.

I've identified several ways to save money:

1. Eat out less.
2. Drop cable TV (which I never watch) and my land line.
3. Drop Netflix (never use it).

I need to start cooking at home more and bring my lunch to work more often. These are probably standard practices for most of the people in this group, so I'm asking for help. Recipes, suggestions for cooking at home?

Thanks in advance.

[Ruby the Liberal]

1. Crock pot.

I live by mine. Toss in a 2# eye roast and let it cook off. Put it in the fridge to cool off, then chop it up into slices (or diced) and you can make yummy sandwiches for days. I also put the diced meat on salads and homemade pizzas, noting that I am not vegan/vegetarian, but there are entire crockery cookbooks for that.

Remembering to use my crock has saved me a fortune because the food is already cooked off and I can't justify being lazy as easily - it takes mere seconds to pack a homemade lunch.

[yardwork]

10. Great idea! I am vegetarian but eat fish and sometimes chicken. I'll look into this. Thank you.

[Flaxbee]

41. We eat out too much, too. I've spent this weekend investigating

vegetarian menus so I can make lunches and dinners at home, with eating out once or twice a week as a treat.

Martha Stewart has a nice list of recipes, though some of the ingredients are $$$ - here are 100 vegetarian recipes: http://www.marthastewart.com/362260/quick-vegetarian-main-course-recipes/@center/852566/vegetarian-recipes

Here's a vegetarian meal planner: http://www.myrecipes.com/quick-and-easy/1-list-5-meals/vegetarian-meal-plan-week-10000001911766/page2.html

I don't eat eggs unless I can verify the living and care conditions of the hens. I guess I'm mostly vegan, but I have a huge weakness for goat cheese and feta ...

Study what you need for a well-stocked pantry - spices, etc. - and you'll have more versatility with cooking. Here's another Martha list (I had no idea what a resource she was until this weekend!) of tasty "gourmet" ingredients that add a punch of flavor even in small amounts: http://www.marthastewart.com/334135/good-for-you-gourmet-ingredients

Here's another pantry list: http://teriskitchen.com/pantry.html#vinegar

Good luck! It isn't an easy habit to break (eating out) but in the long run it's definitely healthier and more efficient / frugal to eat at home!

[maddezmom]

2. depends on what you like to eat, but I do a lot of salads and was getting

lazy and brought the prepacked ones. Now I just buy 3 heads of Romaine, spin it and store in my salad spinner and have for 3-4 lg salads a week. Need to have tomatoes, cukes, etc on hand but it's so much cheaper than buying the pre made. Actually, I've quit buying pre made stuff all together for the most part.

Also suggest making items and freezing portions to cut down on the take out food calls. I always have homemade sauce, soup, ziti, chili etc in the freezer to either micro or stick in the oven. I only freeze stuff I know I love and will eat. Another thing I do, is when I grill chicken/beef...do two. Then you have one for the next day for dinner or lunch to reheat quickly.

I've always felt I was frugal person but now after my divorce I need to be a frugal person. I've got my $$$ coming in and going out now and it's pretty much fixed, so I've put myself on a budget with the goal of always ending up in the black.

One more thing I'd suggest is keeping a diary of every item from coffee at your local to dry cleaner items, etc to see if you can cut back there anyway.

Good luck.

[yardwork]

11. Good suggestions, especially the part about freezing things I know I like and will eat.

I'm in the same fix as to "used to like being frugal" and now "must be frugal."

[Little Star]

3. I make and freeze my own spagetti sauce by the buckets full..

It is good, it is cheap and it is easy to cook and freeze. We have it once or twice a week because my hubby loves him some pasta.

I also do this with chili and beef stew and soups during the winter.

Anytime we have one of these things, in the next day or two, my husband brings the leftovers to work for lunch.

[yardwork]

12. Do you have a good recipe for spaghetti sauce? Do you use canned tomatoes? What brand? Thanks!

[Little Star]

21. Well....

I use what ever canned brand is the cheapest.

After sauce has cooled I divide it up into meal size containers and freeze.

Here is my easy, peasy recipe...

Ingredients:
4 28 ounce Cans Crushed or Ground Tomatoes
2 Large Yellow Onions (Diced)
1 Head of Garlic (Diced)
4 Tbsp. Dried Italian Seasoning (Heaping)
½ Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese (Heaping)
1 Empty Tomato Can Full of Water
Olive Oil
Salt (to taste)

Directions:
In a 12 Quart Stainless Steel Pot (SS because of acid)
Brown onions and garlic in olive oil.
Put a heat diffuser under pot.
Add tomatoes, water, Italian seasoning and salt.
Watch carefully, stirring often until good and hot.
Turn heat down to low and cook 8-10 hours( stirring occasionally)
to reduce water content and to thicken the sauce.
Add the parmesan cheese in approx. the last hour.

Notes: Some people use a pinch of baking soda to reduce acid.
Some use a few Tbsp of tomato paste to thicken.
I do neither.

Sometimes I will cook up meatballs or sausage in the same pot
while I'm browning the onions and garlic. I divide and freeze
them right along with the sauce.

[canoeist52]

4. Whole chickens are the best meat for your dollar.

Bake a large whole chicken with many baked potatoes. Remove chicken from bones and simmer bones for chicken broth for soup the next night. Add any left-over chicken and veggies to soup (crock pot?)
Have chicken sandwiches for lunch and/or make a chicken casserole or pie next day.
Freeze some of the soup. You can make home-fries with the left-over baked potatoes for breakfast.

That's four meals and a half of a breakfast from one chicken dinner.

[cbayer]

7. Absolutely. I can get three meals out of one chicken.

[yardwork]

13. That sounds fantastic! Do you put the potatoes right in the baking pan with the chicken?

Do you freeze things in those little rectangular plastic bins?

[canoeist52]

26. Pierce the un-peeled potatoes with a fork so they don't explode in the oven.

Place them right on the oven rack above the chicken. They're usually done when the chicken is done.

Those small plastic containers work well for freezing as you can pop the frozen items out easily for microwaving later. I don't microwave ANYTHING in plastic anymore. Too scary what I'm reading about that.

[yardwork]

28. Thanks. This sounds delicious. I sometimes cook small potatoes and carrots in pan with the chicken.

[Viva]

39. Good Plastic Containers

plastic that (allegedly) transmit no known chemicals into food

numbers 2, 4 & 5
My freezer is pull of reused yogurt containers.

[NMDemDist2]

29. i have found those containers work great, they stack and if you buy the right size, you have

automatic portion control

the one thing i always do is lay a piece of plastic wrap on top so there's no air touching the soup/sauce/casserole so it doesn't get freezer burned

[BR_Parkway]

27. We boil the chicken with onions, carrots and celery in a large stock po - then strip it off the bone

and use some of the meat for an entree with BBQ or another sauce. another meal later in the week will have chicken as main course. One night we'll do chicken & pastry (dumplings depending on where you are from) and then put the stock pot into the fridge and dump most any other leftovers for the week into it, simmer it all down on Friday or Saturday for a really tasty soup

[Irishonly]

5. Great ideas

I eat a salad almost every day for lunch. I have been lucky in that my cucumber and tomato plants haven't realized that they are not supposed to be producing anymore. We cook at home most every day and freeze portions. When you don't feel like cooking it's great to go to the freezer and choose a dinner.

I would check the Cooking and Baking group. DU has a lot of great cooks and since DU2 is still open there are great recipes over there also. I go online for recipes-just remember you can freeze food. When my husand and I were first married he used to take dinner left overs for his lunch the next day. We are both at home now so now we freeze.

[yardwork]

14. How do you thaw and/or cook the frozen portions?

I've never done much freezing, mostly because I'm not sure how to get it back after it's been frozen.

[Irishonly]

18. If you have a microwave...

put it on defrost for minute at a time. Keep doing it until it is thawed. If it's something that can be put in an oven you can put it in there or a lot of times frozen cooked meat will thaw in a couple of hours.

[Irishonly]

23. Sorry about the meat

I just saw your reply

[yardwork]

24. I eat chicken and fish. I'm a kinda-sorta vegetarian.

[cbayer]

6. I get a lot of ideas from the cooking & baking group.

I also use the epicurious weekly menu planner.

http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/everydaycooking/weeklydinnerplanners

By using this, I can make an accurate shopping list, go to the store and stick to my list. That, I think, saves me a lot of money. The meals are varied, generally very good and healthy to boot. FWIW, I rarely follow their dessert recommendations, preferring a little cheese after dinner. You usually have leftovers which are great for lunch the next day. Going out to eat is a treat and doesn't happen very often.

I buy some new clothes about once a year and never just go shopping to go shopping. Other than for groceries, I really don't like shopping.

We live very, very inexpensively - about $2000 a month (including cell service, netflix, hulu, NYT subscription, car storage and various insurances). We would spend less if we didn't enjoy wine so much!

And it helps a lot that we spend most of our time in a place where there is just nothing to spend money on! Starbucks alone can eat up a whole bunch of money a little bit at a time.

Good luck to you. It actually feels good to have less, go simple and feel that you need nothing.

[yardwork]

15. That's my goal. Right now, I spend too much money eating out, and I don't even enjoy it.

Most mornings at work I walk across the street to get coffee and a pastry. Expensive and unhealthy. I eat out at lunch every day. I often eat out or buy carry out for dinner. It's ridiculous. Eating out is no longer a treat for me. Instead, it's become an expensive grind. Yes, I work long hours. No excuse.

[RebelOne]

33. Like you I just go shopping for groceries.

And fortunately, my expenses are low, utilities, insurances, phone, cable, Internet, etc. I never go shopping for clothes any more because I don't need new clothes as I have been retired for 2 years now. And I am a vegetarian and do not buy meat, so my grocery bill is low. I support me and my 2 dogs on $1,400 a month. And, yes, if I didn't enjoy wine so much, I would spend a little less.

[cbayer]

34. I am not a vegetarian, but I find that I am eating less and less meat.

Part of the reason is that I have very little capacity for freezing and need to buy about 3 weeks worth of food at a time. Another is that it just seems too heavy these days - age related, I think.

Same with me for the clothes. I have started buying things from the REI outlet site about once a year. For a couple of hundred dollars, I can get some very high quality clothing that I use to replace clothes that really need to go.

My fondness for wine and for cooking means that many of my shirts are stained badly. I have recently gotten an apron, but I never remember to put it on until after I have already splashed myself with something.

[Curmudgeoness]

8. Probably the first thing you want to do

is keep track of everything you spend money on. This gives you a baseline on where your money goes and is the starting point to see where the holes in your pockets are. Then you will have to set up a reasonable budget. (This works just like a diet would, if you say you will lose 10 pounds a week, you will fail from the start.)

You are right, dropping expenses that are not important or are never used is a given. Eating out does cost a lot more than cooking in. I have no recipes, and it really depends on what you like to eat. The internet is full of recipes that would suit you and what you enjoy. I suggest that you do not go into a deprivation mode though. If you enjoy a steak, don't go without---but maybe don't have one a often as you would like.

After you have determined where you can save money, we can talk about the real fun---like buying at yard sales/Goodwill. But I don't want to scare you away now.

[yardwork]

16. My mom taught me to buy at yard sales and Goodwill! She didn't teach me to cook, though.

Very good advice about not going into deprivation mode or setting unrealistic goals. Thank you.

[freshwest]

9. I've done all that, too. My suggestion, simplify your diet.

Think about what you really need and don't expend any money on more than that. Drink a lot more water and eat smaller amounts. Maybe that sounds kinda dumb, but it helps to keep you from being hungry. If you have the time and space, grow your own.

[yardwork]

17. Good advice. Simplifying is my plan.

I live in a condo that doesn't get much sun, even though I have a patio. I managed a few tomatoes last summer. There's just one little spot that gets a little sun. I grow herbs, too. We have wonderful farmer's markets here - though they aren't particularly inexpensive!

[freshwest]

19. I've only had one summer with sufficient sun at my place to grow anything at the window.

But I do sprouts and green them under a lamp.

I think your best bet would be to grow greens if you have enough sunlight for more food value. If you grow a good variety, you will find they have every taste, sweet, bitter, salty, green, bland. I found going from vegetarian to raw was very good for my health and finances.

When I've had friends complain about the cost of the buying raw vegetables, I have to remind them that you cannot afford both. Or as in their case, because they wanted to continue to buy meat, processed foods, etc. and eat raw.

It's liberating to not have to cook, clean the stove, cooking utensils, much in the way of dishes, when you eat everything essentially the way it came from nature. And it's cheap, you just have to convince yourself you can survive that way.

I'm not sure if you want to go that far to simplify, but some people are doing it and it's working well. I'm not getting rid of a lot of media related items and coming to some hard choices about what I am most likely to ever be able to use. Most of it, I'm just giving away.

I hope that gives you a few ideas.

[Sherman A1]

20. Agreed

Those are all good things to do. I would love to drop cable, but my spouse enjoys it so that is out. I switched to Magic Jack for a landline a year ago. It is far from perfect, but it served as a compromise as she simply did not want to be without a landline & our daughter who calls frequently can't seem to figure out how to use a cell phone, even though we provide one for her.

I will be turning down the thermostat a bit after the first of the year, just a degree or so but it does help.

We have resolved to try & use up some of the pantry stockpile this year. Made a good start in the Autumn. I have a thing about grocery shopping & sales that can cause us to get a little overstocked from time to time.

Wife has rediscovered the library & is getting audio books for her commute there. She also has a Nook which she likes & the E books seem to be a bit cheaper.

More crock potting & home cooking are great ideas. There are a ton of online recipes available as well as online coupons for all sorts of things.

[Little Star]

22. Reading for entertainment can be frugal..

I have a Kindle. I have well over 200 free books on it. It has "more" than paid for itself. I love the library but don't like having to return books in a timely manner.

Now the more I read to entertain myself the less money I spend. This is the website I use to help find free books on Amazon and it doesn't cost me a penny:
http://ereadernewstoday.com/

I have become a Kindle book hoarder! LOL

[yardwork]

25. I've thought about getting a Kindle.

[getdown]

30. farmers market.

find the organic or unsprayed. better flavor and nutrition.

[maddezmom]

31. just got an email and found some good ideas here

http://blog.foodnetwork.com/healthyeats/2011/10/24/wrap-sandwiches-5-ways/?nl=EATS_010412_P3-Text3&sni_mid=21649&sni_rid=21649.314.605844

http://www.foodnetwork.com/healthy-eating/healthy-lunch-recipes/pictures/index.html?nl=EATS_010412_P3-Text&sni_mid=21649&sni_rid=21649.314.605844

some other good ideas as well if you look around.

[annonymous]

32. You have made a good start by identifying ways you can save money

I would try to track your spending for a month to get a better idea where you are spending the most money. I would also try to cook a few meals in advance so you can have them available for days when you don't feel like cooking. Google Once a Month Cooking for some ideas for freezer meals.

Try to have a short term goal i.e. I will bring my lunch to work every day for a week.

[Curmudgeoness]

35. Hey, yardwork, how's it going?

Are you saving money? Are you cooking at home? Have you accomplished anything you want to share?????

You have to keep us notified. Support groups need to follow up, and besides, we are nosy.

[yardwork]

36. LOL! I made some homemade chicken soup.

It's been an unusual couple of weeks. Special circumstances. But, I'm not off to a good start on cooking at home. Yet.

[Curmudgeoness]

37. Well, don't give up.

As soon as things calm back down for you, try again. Maybe this is like quitting smoking----it takes several tries before you succeed.

[yardwork]

38. Thanks. My life has been a bit upside down lately. It will settle down, though.

[eShirl]

40. homemade 2 liters stevia-sweetened iced tea

water
8 tea bags (black and/or green tea)
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 to 3/8 teaspoon of NOW brand Better Stevia extract powder, "to taste" (careful, it's super potent)

I suggest brewing the bags in a large mug, covered, letting the tea cool awhile or overnight, then adding the cooled tea along with the lemon juice and stevia to a jug and adding enough cold water to bring it up to 2 liters.

[safeinOhio]

42. Old fashion oatmeal.

[cedric125]

43. Heating

Reduce your heating bills by lowering wearing a sweater and reducing your heating.