Let's talk saving time and money...

Just some random savings thoughts I had today while talking with a friend on the phone....

How do you save time in the kitchen??
How do you save money while saving that time in the kitchen??
How do you make it healthy in the process???

So, tonight while I had this mad dash in the kitchen I thought I'd share some things I do to make life easier...

1) Cook more than what you need.
        Tonight, I browned 2 pounds of ground beef even though I was only using one.  I just removed the extra browned beef to a separate bowl to cool and freeze back for another meal.  Really didn't take any extra effort since I was cooking the meat anyway.

        Of course, you can apply this to complete meals, like soup!  It's just as easy to make a whoppin' big pot as it is to make a small one.  Then you have another meal or bowls to take for lunch.

2) Beans are cheap.  Dried beans are really cheap!  Go ahead and put them in the crockpot at night before you go to bed.  Really!  Just put them in there with some water on low and tomorrow you will be glad you did!   I use them for whatever recipe that day and freeze back in family serving size bowls for other meals.

3) Buy things on sale.  A lot if you can.  I typically buy things when they are as close to 1/2 price as possible.  And I buy a LOT!  The freezer and a storage shelf in my pantry keep them handy.  One tip though.... don't buy a LOT of what you don't typically eat a LOT of.... trust me, I learned that the hard way.

What I did today:

Crock pot the pintos this morning (2 pounds of pintos!  That's a lot of BEANS!)
Lunchtime... rice and pintos... because they smelled soooooo divine at that point of the day. (I noticed my neighbors tend to come by more often when my crockpot has been on most of the day... hmmm...)
Dinnertime.... those same beans purreed (or just smooshed) in with beef and seasonings for soft tacos. 

I put back 1 pound of browned ground beef in the freezer for another meal.  I put back 2 more family size bowls for 2 more meals on the pintos!  Woohoo!  Half of 3 more meals already done!


Do you have any savings (time or money) tips????  I'd love to hear about them!