Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Frugal February Tip #3

Tip #3 - Buy in bulk and freeze. Yeah, yeah, yeah, this is something everyone knows. It's cheaper per unit to buy big. Most remember this when buying non perishable items, but when it comes to produce it seems to end up being wasteful. You buy it, and it goes bad if you don't use it that week.

I wish I could remember what blog I learned this from way back when I first started to read blogs, but alas I can't. I used onions, but you can do pretty much any veggie, celery, peppers, whatever. I bought a 3lb bag of onions, chopped them and froze them.
It takes time initially, but it saves so much time when you are cooking. I cut up all the onions and spread them out on a large cookie tray. I then stuck the tray in the freezer for an hour or two. That way when I put them in the baggies to freeze, they will be frozen individually and not in one massive clump. You can then measure how much you put in each bag (ex. 2 cups/bag) or just fill the bags. I then put the bags into a big freezer bag just to guard against freezer burn.

Whenever you need it for a recipe, just grab what you need out of the freezer and you're done! No more dragging out the cutting board, crying, and having more to clean up. Plus, you don't have run out and buy one (more expensive then the bag) every time a recipe calls for it (or go without.)

1 comment:

Serendipity said...

I'm really digging your frugal tips girl. Good job on being creative too!