I sometimes do batch cooking, but I want to make an effort to become better organized and do it more often. I recommend gathering a bunch of recipes you like or want to try that use some of the same ingredients or that some ingredients are on sale and set aside an afternoon to cook and store the food (and clean). I love soups and casseroles for batch cooking!
No, we don't. There are a couple reasons. First, we really don't have the freezer space. But the real reason is that almost all of our dishes are grilled,seared , or roasted and the quality is just so much better fresh. If you are going to go to the trouble to prepare something, it should taste delicious.
Photos. In addition to the 7 hints above, their Photo Shop is generally open to non-members, which gives you good photo processing service and prices for everything from snapshots to whole photo albums and X-mas cards. While in the store nobody is likely to call you out for a bit of browsing, but you are still going to have to bide by their purchasing processes if you stumble on that item that you absolutely need at the price you are willing to pay. Just remember to account for that $55 membership fee in the cost comparison...unless you find a few more must-have items..!
No, I don't do batch cooking. I want to but I have an apartment-sized fridge with very little freezer space. I do try to cook meals that provide me with lots of leftovers.
I do! Nearly every Sunday I cook for most of the week. At the very least, I take care of food prep to make weeknight cooking easier. I also buy in bulk and freeze items. I also just started meal planning which has helped me eat the food we make. I waste much less. I highly recommend it!
My wife and I have never merged accounts, we've been married for 20+ years. We haven't really ever had an argument about money either.
Her car is in her name and there are some bills in the house that are only in her name. We did this b/c I had a neighbor that had her husband die at an early age and everything was in his name. She had a HARD time with things after his death b/c she had no real credit history because everything was in his name.
I batch cook but not every week - sometimes it's just one thing like a whole bag of dried beans, using what I need right now and freezing the rest in freezer zip lock bags...other times I double what I'm making for supper and freeze the other half for a busy day.
Buy good zip lock bags. Fill to the top of the bag, but in a single layer. Freeze them laying flat in freezer and then store upright in the freezer. Also label the bags with contents, amount, and date. Sometimes I write a use by date.
So many foods can be frozen. If you're not sure, just do an online search. I love to do dry beans, pizza sauce, rice, soups, casseroles, and cooked meats such as ground beef and chicken. A really easy soup to throw together from separate frozen items is Stuffed Pepper Soup...I even dice up green peppers and freeze them for later.
I find that my dire financial circumstances have chipped away at my usually fiscally responsible behavior and turned me into this being intent on deepening the ditch. These are some great tips and I think writing down my purchases will force me to try and curb this destructive habit.
No, I prefer to have my meals trail into each other. The few things I have leftover from one night get used as a side or included in a main for following evenings. We can only handle the same meal so many times in a week before we give up on it.
Thanks for your advice regarding marketing costs and their value to small businesses. As I am still considering attending the seminar, the value of self-promotion is something I should definitely add into the equation.
Thank you for your input! The dinner was so annoying because I really felt like I was being talked down to by someone who is a financial wreck. There are few things that annoy me more than expert advice from people who lack expertise. Thanks for backing up my suspicions.
I have actually been debt free and it is liberating! It's one of the reasons why I am so motivated to get back in the black. I feel like my life choices are limited by debt and that is the worst feeling.
Good luck in your debt-crushing journey! It's worth it.
Thanks for your thoughts! I think you verbalized something that has always been a nagging thought in the back of my head: no job is every truly steady. Often times, it's these little, weird, side jobs that led to the biggest opportunities for me. That said, I also like your steady but flexible job strategy. It's definitely something to aspire to. My job track has been 100% flexible, but that is a double-edged sword.
I roast sheet pans of vegetables, and it took me quite a while to learn what temperature, how long, and in what order to do them--but now that I've got it, it saves me tons of time and lets me eat well every day.
I generally cook a large portion of meat (grilled chicken, crockpot pork) on the weekends and then use it for lunches (rice bowls, salads, etc.) during the week. I am also a fan of breakfast casseroles, sliced into individual portions, and frozen. They can be reheated for a quick breakfast!
The day I spend $150 on shoes is the day I... errr, can't think of what to say next. The Goodwill and Salvation army are the only place I've bought shoes for the last 15 years. You can get name brand higher end shoes in great shape for peanuts. I own Clarks, Born, Merrill, Bostonian, Johnson & Murphy etc. Good quality shoes for $5-$15 a pair, and I only buy them if there almost new condition. Harbor Freight Tools (many not all) are of very high quality and much cheaper than name brands. I wouldn't keep buying the brand if they didn't last.. and I use my tools a lot. Cars? I never spent over $2,500 for a used car, there are deals to be had out there. My last car, a Saturn had 60K miles on it when I bought it for $1,600 and 269K when I sold it seven years later for $300 bucks. I paid $2,000 for my SX4 with 230K on it, it's been three years and I have 310K on it and it still runs and looks like new.
Yes, I try to cook in batches. I also do most of my cooking on weekends, when I'm not too exhausted from work to care what I eat. And I do some crock pot batches that go in the freezer, too.
I sometimes do batch cooking, but I want to make an effort to become better organized and do it more often. I recommend gathering a bunch of recipes you like or want to try that use some of the same ingredients or that some ingredients are on sale and set aside an afternoon to cook and store the food (and clean). I love soups and casseroles for batch cooking!
No, we don't. There are a couple reasons. First, we really don't have the freezer space. But the real reason is that almost all of our dishes are grilled,seared , or roasted and the quality is just so much better fresh. If you are going to go to the trouble to prepare something, it should taste delicious.
Photos. In addition to the 7 hints above, their Photo Shop is generally open to non-members, which gives you good photo processing service and prices for everything from snapshots to whole photo albums and X-mas cards. While in the store nobody is likely to call you out for a bit of browsing, but you are still going to have to bide by their purchasing processes if you stumble on that item that you absolutely need at the price you are willing to pay. Just remember to account for that $55 membership fee in the cost comparison...unless you find a few more must-have items..!
I do cook in batches often. It's a great time saver and it is also great for cutting costs.
No, I don't do batch cooking. I want to but I have an apartment-sized fridge with very little freezer space. I do try to cook meals that provide me with lots of leftovers.
Sometimes I will make a casserole or giant meal in the slow cooker but I typically don't take an entire day to make meals ahead.
I do! Nearly every Sunday I cook for most of the week. At the very least, I take care of food prep to make weeknight cooking easier. I also buy in bulk and freeze items. I also just started meal planning which has helped me eat the food we make. I waste much less. I highly recommend it!
with just two of us -no-with four dogs -i pull out the slow cookers and let them do the work-chicken or turkey with vegetables work well .mb
My wife and I have never merged accounts, we've been married for 20+ years. We haven't really ever had an argument about money either.
Her car is in her name and there are some bills in the house that are only in her name. We did this b/c I had a neighbor that had her husband die at an early age and everything was in his name. She had a HARD time with things after his death b/c she had no real credit history because everything was in his name.
I batch cook but not every week - sometimes it's just one thing like a whole bag of dried beans, using what I need right now and freezing the rest in freezer zip lock bags...other times I double what I'm making for supper and freeze the other half for a busy day.
Buy good zip lock bags. Fill to the top of the bag, but in a single layer. Freeze them laying flat in freezer and then store upright in the freezer. Also label the bags with contents, amount, and date. Sometimes I write a use by date.
So many foods can be frozen. If you're not sure, just do an online search. I love to do dry beans, pizza sauce, rice, soups, casseroles, and cooked meats such as ground beef and chicken. A really easy soup to throw together from separate frozen items is Stuffed Pepper Soup...I even dice up green peppers and freeze them for later.
I find that my dire financial circumstances have chipped away at my usually fiscally responsible behavior and turned me into this being intent on deepening the ditch. These are some great tips and I think writing down my purchases will force me to try and curb this destructive habit.
Honesty is the best policy with everything.
Thanks for these tips. I learned something new :) I sometimes use "seriously" when I am being sarcastic with a very close friend or family member.
No, I prefer to have my meals trail into each other. The few things I have leftover from one night get used as a side or included in a main for following evenings. We can only handle the same meal so many times in a week before we give up on it.
Hi Jen2--
Thanks for your advice regarding marketing costs and their value to small businesses. As I am still considering attending the seminar, the value of self-promotion is something I should definitely add into the equation.
Hi Modernized Mrs.!
Thank you for your input! The dinner was so annoying because I really felt like I was being talked down to by someone who is a financial wreck. There are few things that annoy me more than expert advice from people who lack expertise. Thanks for backing up my suspicions.
I have actually been debt free and it is liberating! It's one of the reasons why I am so motivated to get back in the black. I feel like my life choices are limited by debt and that is the worst feeling.
Good luck in your debt-crushing journey! It's worth it.
I do not do batch cooking, but may try it in the future.
Hi Amanda!
Thanks for your thoughts! I think you verbalized something that has always been a nagging thought in the back of my head: no job is every truly steady. Often times, it's these little, weird, side jobs that led to the biggest opportunities for me. That said, I also like your steady but flexible job strategy. It's definitely something to aspire to. My job track has been 100% flexible, but that is a double-edged sword.
I roast sheet pans of vegetables, and it took me quite a while to learn what temperature, how long, and in what order to do them--but now that I've got it, it saves me tons of time and lets me eat well every day.
I generally cook a large portion of meat (grilled chicken, crockpot pork) on the weekends and then use it for lunches (rice bowls, salads, etc.) during the week. I am also a fan of breakfast casseroles, sliced into individual portions, and frozen. They can be reheated for a quick breakfast!
The day I spend $150 on shoes is the day I... errr, can't think of what to say next. The Goodwill and Salvation army are the only place I've bought shoes for the last 15 years. You can get name brand higher end shoes in great shape for peanuts. I own Clarks, Born, Merrill, Bostonian, Johnson & Murphy etc. Good quality shoes for $5-$15 a pair, and I only buy them if there almost new condition. Harbor Freight Tools (many not all) are of very high quality and much cheaper than name brands. I wouldn't keep buying the brand if they didn't last.. and I use my tools a lot. Cars? I never spent over $2,500 for a used car, there are deals to be had out there. My last car, a Saturn had 60K miles on it when I bought it for $1,600 and 269K when I sold it seven years later for $300 bucks. I paid $2,000 for my SX4 with 230K on it, it's been three years and I have 310K on it and it still runs and looks like new.
yes, we package up and freeze individual servings for lunches and/or quick dinners
We take turns cooking. It would take a lot of planning on everyone's part to do batch cooking. So, we don't.
Yes, I try to cook in batches. I also do most of my cooking on weekends, when I'm not too exhausted from work to care what I eat. And I do some crock pot batches that go in the freezer, too.
I batch cook. A tip is to freeze in single servings.