Even if you only go through a litre of milk a week, buy the 2 L cartons for the better price. Freeze milk in cleaned out, recycled 500 ml bottles (eg. water or sports drink bottles). Move one from the freezer to the fridge the day before you need it. Once thawed, just shake it well and it’s just like the day you bought it!
When eggs go on sale, buy extra. You can freeze eggs in portions to use later. You can’t freeze them whole, but crack them and whisk them in two-egg portions, perfect for baking or making scrambled eggs. Pour the portions into resealable plastic bags and lay them flat in the freezer so the bags can easily stack. When you need eggs, thaw the bag under warm running water. Use eggs the same day you thaw them; they don’t keep any longer than that.
Don’t throw out overripe bananas! And look for stores to sometimes sell off their blackened bananas for cheap. Freeze them whole. When thawed, they’re easy to mash into cake and muffin recipes or smoothies. (Baker’s tip: You can use one medium banana to replace 1 whole egg or 1 cup of butter or oil in most baking recipes.)
Save your stale bread. As long as there’s no mould on it, you can grind your stale bread and/or loaf ends in a blender and freeze it in a resealable bag, or freeze the slices whole and grate them later (it’s easier to grate when it’s frozen stiff), to make dressing (stuffing) or casserole toppings such as for macaroni and cheese.
Got any money saving tips or handy kitchen hacks? Share them with the rest of us! Email your tips to editorial@downhomelife.com, or write to Downhome, 43 James Lane, St. John’s, NL, A1E 3H3.
