Medical expenses can accumulate after endless doctor office visits, countless emergency room visits, necessary special diets, and the ever-flowing river of medicines that a chronic health condition brings to a person or family. Being frugal can ease these expenses, so here are some tips for cooking in the kitchen.
Frugal Living Tips for the Kitchen
You can save money in any part of your home or on the go. Last week I gave over 11 tips on how to to be frugal with laundry. Here are frugal living tips for the kitchen.
1. Wash dishes by hand when you can. I know this can be painful for people with fibromyalgia and similar conditions. Ask a loved one to help out if you can.
2. When using the dishwasher, turn off the drying with a heat option and let the clean dishes air dry when the cleaning cycle is complete.
3. Even if the dishes in the dishwasher are dirty, avoid using the ‘heavy load’ cycle to save water and electricity.
4. Only run the dishwasher if there is a whole load to save electricity and water.
5. Make homemade dishwasher detergent.
6. Prior to running the dishwasher, run the hot water in your kitchen sink to prevent the dishwasher’s heating coils from overworking to get the water hot enough to wash the dishes. This will save on electricity.
7. Use vinegar as a rinse aid in the dishwasher.
8. Make your all-purpose cleaner for the floor and countertops.
9. Check for leaky pipes and faucets to save on water.
10. Make your liquid soap detergent last longer (it can be used to wash your hands or dishes).
11. Turn off the lights in the kitchen when not in the room.
12. Make your seasoning packets.
13. Cook meals in a slow cooker to save electricity and use fewer pots and pans.
14. Make your bread crumbs.
16. Use freezer cooking to save money and time.
17. Plan your meals and use coupons in addition to sale items. (Swagbucks is a free website where you can get coupons!)
18. Store your produce the right way to make them last longer.
19. Reuse yogurt cups as single fruit servings.
20. Have quick and easy meals to avoid eating out or ordering in.
21. Make your own dips.
22. Buy in bulk and store in large clear containers
23. Reuse clear containers for bagged food items to keep them fresher and longer.
24. Instead of discarding a used lemon, dispose of it in your garbage. This will freshen up the disposal the next time you turn it on.
25. Use rags instead of paper towels whenever you can.
26. Create an all-purpose spray that you can use all over the house instead of multiple sprays. A great one I use is the Thieves Household Cleaner.
27. Buy produce in season (mainly fruit) and freeze large portions to enjoy all year! Frozen fruit is also great to throw into a smoothie beverage!
The tip for reusing the yogurt containers for singe servings is a great idea. It would work great in school lunches.
Yes, it does! I put them in my daughter’s lunch bag and it works great!
I know it’s like “THE” cheapo thing to do, but I wash Ziplock bags, and it’s not a kitchen thing but I make my own laundry detergent and spend about $20 a YEAR on detergent now with CLEANER clothes. I also buy reusable kitchen sponges from Paperless Kitchen so that I can wash them vs throwing them away. They last for months. I also use their kitchen clothes to clean up with instead of paper towels since those are also washable. It’s a little more expensive at first, but the savings over the long run are well worth it. And I can’t use chemicals to clean with, so my cleaning solution is similar to yours. I don’t remember the last time I bought any sort of chemical cleanser that wasn’t ammonia-free window cleaner or furniture polish. I don’t miss spending money on that stuff.
Reusable kitchen sponges? Yes, please! I need to check that out! I can’t remember the last time I bought any detergent or cleaning solutions either. The only thing I buy are the glade air freshners and even then the coupons and rebates make them practically free. Thank you for reading and recommending the Paperless Kitchen products! Searching for it now…
What great tips! I just made our own window cleaner and bathroom cleaner today. Thanks for linking up to the Bloggers Brags Pinterest Party! I’ve pinned you post to the Bloggers Brags Pinterest Board.
Thank you for reading! And thank you for pinning to the Pinterest board!
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I also use reusable kitchen clothes n toss in the washing machine when needed even my steel wool you can put in dishwasher too ( i dont have one) i use a spray bottle with diluted dish detergent n vinegar as my go to cleaning sprsy i use for everything
I want to get cloth napkins and cleaning rags to cut back on the paper towel costs. Those little things add up to big savings!
I reuse containers and have my kids help with shores.
Those are two of the biggest tips for a parent! Thank you for commenting!