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Thursday 16 January 2020

Ways To Save Money In The Kitchen And Save The Planet !



"Looking to reduce your impact on the environment and save money? Making your kitchen more eco-friendly helps both the planet and your bank account! Use the tips below to save money in the kitchen and help save the planet.

Plan Meals in Advance
A little planning goes a long way! Set aside time each week to plan your meals. List exactly what ingredients you’ll need for each meal and add them to your grocery list. This step alone will help you avoid unnecessary purchases at the store. Having a weekly menu also reduces the temptation to order take out or go out to eat. 

Eat Leftovers 
A little planning goes a long way! Set aside time each week to plan your meals. List exactly what ingredients you’ll need for each meal and add them to your grocery list. This step alone will help you avoid unnecessary purchases at the store. Having a weekly menu also reduces the temptation to order take out or go out to eat. 

Re-use Kitchen Scraps 
Many kitchen scraps can be re-used and re-purposed for different recipes. For instance, you can use leftover vegetables or chicken bones to make homemade broth and stock. Look for ways you can use foods that you would otherwise throw out for different dishes. Check out the Zero Waste Chef for more ideas on how to reduce food waste.

Make Homemade Sauces and Condiments 
Buying common sauces, and condiments like mustard and salad dressing can add up. Plus, most of these items come in single-use plastic containers which are awful for the environment. Instead of buying condiments at the store, try making them from scratch. There are a ton of homemade recipes online that are fun and taste better than the bland sauces you’d normally buy!

Skip the Dry Cycle on your Dishwasher 
Kitchen appliances are no doubt convenient, but the energy they use has a negative impact on the environment… not to mention makes your electric bill shoot up! Thankfully, there are ways to enjoy these items while minimizing their negative side effects. One way to do this is to skip the “dry cycle” on your dishwasher. When it’s time for your dishes to dry, simply open your dishwasher door or grab yourself a drying rank and let the dishes dry off naturally.

Don’t Store Hot Items in your Refrigerator 
Like your dishwasher, your refrigerator zaps up a lot of energy in the kitchen. There are a number of ways to reduce the amount of power your fridge uses. For a quick win, a great tip is to ensure your fridge or freezer temperature isn’t set too high. The most efficient temperature setting for your freezer is -18°C and your fridge between 2°C and 5°C. It’s also important to leave some space around the back of your fridge or freezer for air to circulate. Another quick win is to stop putting hot food in the fridge. Warm items increase the temperature in your refrigerator. This causes your fridge to use more power to bring the temperature down to normal. Next time you want to store hot leftovers, let them cool down first before putting them in your fridge.

Unplug Kitchen Appliances that aren’t in use 
Keeping items plugged into an outlet uses energy; even if they’re not turned on. How many kitchen appliances do you keep plugged in when they’re not in use? While you may not be able to power off your refrigerator, there are many smaller appliances that you can unplug. Look around your kitchen and see what appliances you leave plugged in. You’ll be surprised at how many you find. Some common ones I’ve noticed are microwaves, coffee makers, and toasters. This may sound trivial, but little steps like this can add up to significant savings.

Stop Using Paper Towels 
How often do you buy paper towels? When I crunched the numbers, I was shocked to learn how much I spent. Removing paper towels from your kitchen saves you a ton of money. Plus paper towels are one of the most wasteful single-use products you can buy! Instead of cleaning your kitchen with paper towels, invest in a set of kitchen towels. If you’re really looking to go green you can also cut up old clothes or bed sheets and use them as DIY kitchen towels. Leave a basket of rags on your counter and re-use them over and over.

Bulk Bin Shopping

Shopping at the bulk bin section of your grocery store is a great way to save money. You can get discounted prices on items like rice, spices, and dried fruit when you buy in bulk. Bulk bin shopping also helps you avoid the plastic packaging that many of these items come wrapped in. Most stores offer plastic produce bags to use for the bulk bin section, so by grabbing some re-usable bags you can avoid contributing to the plastic bag problem. 

Start a Garden 
Gardening is a cheap alternative to buying produce at the store. It also limits the negative impact shipping produce has on the environment. Not only that, it feels great knowing you are cooking with fresh, organic ingredients. If you don’t have space for a garden in your home, try looking for community gardens in your area. I can’t recommend community gardening enough! It’s a sustainable way to grow food and helps you connect with the people in your neighbourhood.

Saving money and saving the planet go hand in hand. Use one of the suggestions above to help the environment while cutting down costs in your kitchen!"

Related Posts
Herbs and how to grow them - see here
Eggshell Herb Garden, with low carb herb recipes - see here
Some cost-effective vegetables to grow in your garden - see here
Ways To Grow Your Own Food From Scraps - see here 




Have you any tips to save money in the kitchen? Please share them with us in the comments below!

As regular readers know, this blog is presented in a magazine style - we hope something for everyone. You will find a variety of articles, studies, thoughts, photographs, music and recipes! 

However, not all the recipes ideas featured in this blog may be suitable for you. If you may have any food allergies, or underlying health issues these must always be taken into account. If you are a diabetic and not sure how certain foods may affect your blood sugars, test is best, i.e. use your meter. 

As always thanks for reading, and if you have left a comment, thank-you.
We hope you come back and visit again soon.

All the best Jan

36 comments:

Elephant's Child said...

Great tips - thank you.

mxtodis123 said...

Great tips. I do a lot of these. Never throw any leftovers away here. Always something that can be made with them.

Maria Rodrigues said...

Thanks for your great tips.
Hugs

Blue Grumpster said...

So true. Paper towels cost a fortune.

I find that having little money is the best way to reduce the temptation to order take out or go out to eat. Believe it or not, I can't cook to save my life but lately I've been trying, Let's see how that works out for me.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope you're doing fin.

Blue

Christine said...

Great tips I am trying to use leftovers up, mainly by better cooking haha.

Sue (this n that) said...

Lots of good tips here Jan, thank you!
The only thing I think about is waiting for leftovers to cool down and I often end up putting them in the frig beforehand- in our warm climate I don't like to leave things for too long... you've made me think of alternative ways though, perhaps esky with cool blocks, hmm might work. Cheers! xx

Valerie-Jael said...

Good advice! Nothing gets thrown away here, I don't buy much, and I'd rather have less variety than more waste. Valerie

CJ Kennedy said...

Good tips

Tom said...

...some are doable.

Susan Kane said...

I do many of this ideas. When I use paper towels just to wipe the counter, I let them dry so I can use them again.

NCmountainwoman said...

Great suggestions. We all must do whatever we can. While none of us alone can do much, many of us can indeed make a difference. But we must think and plan ahead and follow tips like this one. Thank you.

Rain said...

I do most of these. The biggest habit I've changed that helps save money is to do monthly shopping. I use the car less, so less gas, hopefully that contributes to saving the planet. I was shocked at how much paper towel I was using too...I've cut that down drastically. I thought about cutting it out completely, but I'm not there yet!

happyone said...

Good advice. I try to plan meals but then when that day comes around I don't feel like eating what I planned! : )

dellgirl said...

What a great list of tips and ideas for saving money. I learned something new here. I didn't know about Unplugging Kitchen Appliances that aren’t in use. Thanks for the advice.

Wishing you a Happy Friday, Jan!

The Joy of Home with Martha Ellen said...

Good tips here, Jan. I try my best to never waste food. Number one I don't like to waste money, but more important I was taught it was sinful. We must all do our best to protect the environment.

Rose said...

Before Roger's stroke, I like to make enough of certain foods on purpose to have as a leftover later. His likes have changes so much that I cannot do that now.

Sandi said...

I am happy to do my part, but if the environment depends on my lunch I think we may be in trouble...

Lori Miller said...

If you want pasture-raised meat, eggs or cheese, buy them from a farmer. Here's a place to look if you're in the US, Canada, or a few other countries. http://www.eatwild.com/products/index.html

Use basic appliances and tools. I used to be a prep cook, and we didn't use any fancy gadgets at the restaurant.

Catarina said...

I am going to copy and print these suggestions so I never forget!!!

Iris Flavia said...

"Skip the Dry Cycle on your Dishwasher" made me grin. I am the dishwasher...
People put hot food in the fridge?!

Jo said...

Some great tips there. I must admit that I'm guilty of keeping the microwave and kettle plugged in and turned on at all times, I must rectify that.

diane b said...

Lots of good tips here. I do see of them.

Evi Erlinda said...

Love the suggestions!
I always try to finish my foods, use all part of the vegetables, and plant some herbs.

Nadezda said...

Good abvice!
Love cook my own sauces.

Lorrie said...

Great tips. It's interesting that now, in the interest of saving the planet, we are told to do what our grandparents and parents did for generations, and we got out of the habit of doing - reusing, making from scratch, etc.

Divers and Sundry said...

Excellent ideas! I do some, but I'll look at adding some of your other suggestions to my routine.

handmade by amalia said...

Thanks for the great tips, Jan. My best tip is not to go grocery shopping when I'm peckish :-)
Amalia
xo

Jeff said...

Good types. Making stuff from scratch is always best (flavor wise, too)

Crafty Green Poet said...

great advice!

Caty said...

Indeed, we must all become aware that we can recycle, so to speak, the remains of our food, helping the environment and our planet.
Thank you very much for this interesting article Jan.
I wish you a very happy weekend,
Big hugs, Caty

My name is Erika. said...

This is an interesting post. I love how eating leftovers is a green thing. And one of the yummiest things to do. Thanks for the post as we all need to be more conservative, don't we? Hus-Erika

Martha said...

Some really great tips! Thanks for sharing them.

Teresa said...

Muy buenos consejos, muchos los cumplo. Besitos.

eileeninmd said...

Hello, great advice. We usually always plan meals and eat leftovers. My hubby is the dishwasher, I do the cooking. Enjoy your day!

Debbie said...

really great tips and advice. we do not enjoy leftovers, but it breaks my heart if i have to throw out food!!

William Kendall said...

Good suggestions!