Cooking with Susie Q

Editor’s note: The “Cooking with Susie Q” column will occasionally offer money-saving tips under the heading Common $ense.
    With the economy headed in the direction it is headed, we need all the help we can get. Most of the tips I have are and will be ones that many of us, as young/middle aged people have heard about over the years. As older folk, perhaps they are things that you either did as an adult, or remember your parents doing when you were children.
There are very few “new” money-saving tips. Many times bulk buying isn’t the answer. Many times a buying cooperative (co-op) is a smart move. Many times storage is an issue. We need help and we can help each other.
How many have heard the tale of the Aunt who used the same tea bag for several days, or the one where you keep a can by the stove and save bacon grease for cooking? These are just a couple, and maybe those aren’t ones we, as consumers, are ready to do. I do believe, however, that there are many ways to save money and sometimes time. I would like to share with you the information I can get from family and memories and I hope you can help. Many things we come up with are common sense, really, you will roll your eyes and say, ‘yeah, I knew that.’ But really, how often do we actually do the common sense things.
We all need all the help we can get from (and give to) each other if we are going to get through these trying times. I look forward to hearing from you. Enjoy the ride!
• It’s a proven fact that you will buy more if you shop on an empty stomach, and even more if you don’t use a grocery list.
• Yes, we all lead busy lives, but prepared foods, ounce for ounce, are the most expensive items you can buy in a grocery store. They are one of the easiest ways to throw money down the drain. If you must buy prepared foods, at least buy them in bulk to help keep the cost down.
Perhaps the best reason to avoid prepared foods is that you can control the ingredients. Eating healthier should be everyone’s goal.
• Instead of buying expensive baby food, make your own. You can use fresh vegetables such as peas, green beans or corn; run it through the blender; and then freeze individual servings in ice cube trays. When it comes time to feed the baby, pop out a cube of food, defrost, and you have an instant meal.
This is a real time and money saver. In fact, most foods can be frozen. If you make family meals like spaghetti, soups, even meats, simply make a smaller portion with less salt and spice, puree, and freeze just like the vegetables.
• When you grocery shop, look for bargain items that can be frozen. Most people do not even think about shredding block cheese and freezing it. Did you know you can even freeze eggs? If you find apples on sale, make your own apple pies and freeze them or make applesauce.
Whenever you see a great bargain, think about freezing. You can even create your own frozen dinners.
• Although it will take some time initially, after you have planned a week’s menu once, it will become much easier. And best of all, it will save you money.
Knowing exactly what you’re making helps you to shop for foods that can be used more than once. As an example, if you are going to have spaghetti on Tuesday, you could buy bulk ground beef at a better price and then use the other half for tacos on Saturday. Another option would be buying round steak and have Salisbury steak one night and a few days later use the leftovers for steak and cheese subs. This will help you stretch meals and avoid last-minute impulse buying.
These are just a sampling of what you will find here with Common $ense, I hope you find a few helpful hints that you can use. As always, you can reach me at susieqcooking@ainop.com, or Susie Q Cooking, c/o Houlton Pioneer Times, P.O. Box 456, Houlton, Maine 04730.