Making It Last

What item is it for you and your family that always needs a ‘trip to the store’ between shopping trips?  Milk?  Cereal?  Eggs?  This week we want to explore ways to make those things last and by getting creative if they do.  Trust me, with a three and six year old, we don’t fully promote the concept of rationing.  However, we do understand that when we ‘run out’ of an item, we won’t restock until our grocery day.  That calls for creativity, Kitchen Friends!  Here are some ways that I have learned to make our groceries last, and you may be implementing these things as well:

• Use extra hotdog and hamburger buns to make garlic bread or cheesy bread.
• Cook the items that are about to spoil-don’t let that grocery money be thrown out with yesterday’s garbage (literally)!
• Use shelf milk for recipes so that you can save the regular milk for drinking.
• Remember that if you meal plan, you will know exactly what you need and how much you will need-this will eliminate extra trips to the grocery store between shopping days.
• Have a running list of things you are low on BEFORE you go shopping-I know that personally, I am prone to forget those small items like baking powder and mustard if I don’t write it down beforehand.
• Keep a pantry stocked with basic staples-if you have the basics, you can create a ‘from scratch’ meal-and always try to stock up when those staple items are on sale!
• Egg salad sandwiches and boiled eggs-they might not be a favorite, but they make great lunches and breakfasts when you’ve run out of everything else.

These are just a few ways to make your food last and avoid the urge to make a midweek trip to the grocery store-where you will usually walk out with more than you came for…and is it really worth the gas money for that additional trip?  Next week we will toss out some ideas for ‘Made from Scratch’ cooking…who has the time, right?  Maybe it’s easier than you think.  Until then, spend wisely!