Frugal Cooking Tips For Moms

Frugal cooking is something that most moms have to practice at some point. Whether you're dealing with lowered income or higher food prices or simply have a teenage boy in the house, there are times when you'll need to cut costs on what you make for your family.

Ideally, frugal cooking will be food that not only leaves a minimal dent in your wallet but also provides quality, nutritious meals thatyour family will enjoy. If no one eats, you're not really saving money.

Where to Start

The first thing to do is cut back on what you spend on the food you regularly use. This can be done in a number of ways.

Using store brands or no name brands of things like rice, cereal, etc. often is unnoticeable, but can save you quite a bit of money. Switch thingsyour family won't notice first, like the rice or beans.

Look for coupons, then use them on double coupon day at your local supermarket. You can also stay on top of sales and use coupons to get extra savings. Just be careful not to do this with foods you wouldn't normally buy, since this isn't a savings, at all.

Making your own biscuits, cookies and bread may be a little more time consuming (though many are surprised to find that it's that hard!) than simply buying them, but homemade will keepyour family fuller, give them better nutrition and help you save money. And, if you make a large batch each time, you spend the same amount of time and freeze the extras for later. Advanced Frugal Cooking

Making filling meals will cost you less in the long run than if you provide your family with food that tastes great but leaves them hungry shortly afterwards. Rice, potatoes and other starches make excellent bases for meals.

Use less meat by cutting it into smaller chunks and mixing with fried rice, pasta sauce, or something else that will help spread it out a bit more without anyone feeling deprived. For hamburger meat, you can mix in breadcrumbs, oatmeal, or textured vegetable protein to make it go further when making meatballs, meatloaf or hamburger patties.

Add flavor by using your bacon drippings in the mashed potatoes, etc. A little goes a long way and fat is the best way to add flavor to a simple dish. It also makes you feel fuller and more satisfied, so it's a very good way to go.

These frugal cooking tips are all very easy to implement and can have a drastic impact on how much you spend on feeding your family.