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Setting my house/kitchen up for frugality....

1K views 32 replies 24 participants last post by  rainy32 
#1 ·
Hey mamas.....I need some ideas of types of equipment my house will need to run frugally.....most specifically, the kitchen......What does my kitchen need to help me curb my spending? Do you have a list of most used items that save you money in your kitchen/house? TIA
 
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#2 ·
Kitchen-One thing I love, love, love is my electric griddle. I can live without it but it makes it so easy to make pancakes, grilled cheese, quesadillas.

I think appliances might depend on personal preferences though. Some people prefer different things.

I got a Kitchen Aid mixer as a gift and it makes baking extra easy. It even kneads bread dough. A bread machine would work as well.

I got a food processor at a rummage sale for a dime. That's my other favorite appliance
.

A freezer would be great. I don't have one but I'd like to get one someday. It would be wonderful to be able to freeze prepared meals and buy in bulk when stuff is on sale.

One thing I've found about kitchen stuff is that IME it is really easy to find stuff secondhand. All my dishes are secondhand. Now you may not want secondhand dishes
but you get the idea. A lot of people get rid of appliances FE.

A well stocked pantry is very helpful also. You don't have to spend a ton but if you stock up on ingredients that you use a lot you'll have them on hand and it's a lot easier to make something of what you have.
 
#3 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by mykdsmomy View Post
Hey mamas.....I need some ideas of types of equipment my house will need to run frugally.....most specifically, the kitchen......What does my kitchen need to help me curb my spending? Do you have a list of most used items that save you money in your kitchen/house? TIA

The main thing I need in order for my kitchen to run frugally is a separate freezer and storage shelving in the basement, so I can buy food in quantity and have space to store it!

In terms of equipment and tools, I get a lot of use out of my crock pot, rice cooker, stand mixer, and food processor. Also, having the right size pan is a big plus. :)

What kinds of things are you considering?
 
#5 ·
Ummm... a pantry?

What exactly are you looking for?
Ways to organize the kitchen so you're more tempted to make food from scratch rather than eat out?
How/where to stockpile stuff while it's on sale until you can buy it again at the sale price?
Or appliances that kick serious butt?

I've got big dreams of redoing our awful 70's kitchen, but that's a few years and $5000+ off. More counter space, better organized shelving and counter space, a few built-in appliances and pot hanging stuff, etc. I've even got it all planned out in the Ikea kitchen planner I downloaded.
But until then, I do what I can in our perpetually messy/unorganized kitchen.

For appliances, I *love* my hand mixer (cried when I thought it was dead last week), really like my heavy kitchen aid stand mixer (I have to haul it in and out of the cabinet every time, otherwise I'd love it) the electric hand-me-down wok from my mom for easy stir-frys, crockpot, always need the waffle maker on hand, a good vegetable steamer setup... garlic press, hanging baskets for fresh fruit and veggies (apples, onions, bananas if we don't have enough for the hook, lemons, tomatoes, whatever I throw in there to use up). Oh, a big skillet and a good roasting pan. I'm already planning out our to-be-belated Thankskgiving...
We don't do the breadmaker, I never liked 'em (easier and yummier for me to just use our mixer and glass bread pans). I haven't used our cast iron stuff in forever because we have a glass-top and it *would* shatter in our house...

My pantry downstairs (I could go take photos if you'd like, dh just redid the shelves this summer) where I have canned goods, noodle-stuff, baking supplies, cereal I snag on sale, canning supplies and home-canned goodies, my old dorm fridge which houses dh's beer...

And a 4 cubic foot freezer in the laundry room (in addition to our side-by-side in the kitchen) where I store ice cream I've gotten on sale, frozen chicken/turkey/beef/pork/prepped meals, butter, cheese, frozen veggies, juices, etc. I hit the sales - got 14 pounds of spaghetti for a few dollars just the other day.
Now if I could just figure out a root cellar to store fresh carrots/potatoes/onions/etc...

One other good planning tool is to double or triple recipes that you're already making for dinner one night and freezing the extras. For example, when I mix up Italian Turkey Meatloaf, I double the recipe and divide into 3 (we're a family of 2.5 on solids, I plan portions accordingly), freezing 2 portions. When I need something relatively easy to make, I thaw one brick of the meatloaf, throw in the oven, steam some (frozen) broccoli, and open a can of applesauce (from the pantry). If that makes sense...
In fact, tomorrow I'm making a giant double batch of my MIL's spaghetti sauce. A double batch will last us up to 4-6 months (last batch I made was before ds2 was born!) - I freeze it in baggies in a mini-loaf pan (each loaf of sauce is about one serving) then once it sets up I stick into a labeled gallon baggie. Takes an afternoon, but it's worth it to me, and then it's *so* easy to make dinner later on. That recipe takes at least 120oz of tomato sauce plus tons of other fresh ingredients, and I estimate it makes about 15 meals worth for us.

Geez, sorry about the rambling, I think I need to get out away from the kiddos and talk to adults sometime soon...


Lanna
 
#6 ·
Thanks for all the great ideas, mamas! I think I'm definitely looking for ways to make cooking easier. I dont currently have a crockpot
shocking, I know.
I also only have one mixing bowl and one 2 quart pot. I know I need to add to my kitchen some pretty basic items but I guess I was wondering what things you have that "keep" you frugal.....like if you didnt have xyz you would definitely eat out more or spend more money...yk? (i really hope i'm making sense
: )
 
#7 ·
I found quality stuff no matter what is was to be the best investment.

I had a hand mixer and gave it away becuase it just didn't do what I wanted it to do...so really, it wasnt worth the money.

I buy heavy duty cutting boards, good knives and anything that is used daily.

good knives are big plus to me. for yrs I bought junk and ended up throwing them out becuase they never sharpened well.
 
#8 ·
As far as saving me money (keeping me from eating out more) the deep freeze/chest freezer is the biggie. This way I can make extras of something than on those nights when I am wiped out I can pull something out of the freezer rather than eat out. Which is always more expensive and WAY less healthy
And I second the buying quality apliances and knives, etc. This generally saves you money in the long run and a lot of wasted energy.
 
#9 ·
Well, what keeps us from eating out lately is that I can make the same thing, sometimes better, from scratch at home. And say so when looking at menus, sometimes right in front of waitstaff. Like cookies. Alfredo sauce. Spaghetti sauce. Bread (if I have the 3-4 hour block to hang out at home). Lasagna. Apple onion soup (which, in all fairness, I got the recipe from one of my favorite local restaurants). Hamburger/turkey burgers (whatever ground beast you've got). Roasted turkey breasts (fresh from the oven is great, leftover turkey for sandwiches is even better). Blah blah blah.

I do easy recipes. If it calls for too many fancy ingredients or stuff our family just doesn't eat (curry comes to mind here), it ain't happening. But it's also taken me a few years to get where I am, so it's definitely a journey/sliding scale.

What *do* you have in your kitchen and what kinds of foods do you typically eat/make/etc.? Then I can make some fun suggestions.
 
#10 ·
The single best tool I have now is my dishwasher. I know it may sound silly to call a dishwasher frugal, but I have never had one before now and it has made preparing meals tons easier. We've eaten all our meals at home for 3 weeks now, and it's been darn near effortless because washing the dishes was always the biggest pain in the butt in the whole process.
 
#11 ·
Don't assume fancy electric tools automatically make things easier. Most people have tons of appliances that just clutter their cabinets and countertop. You'd be amazed at how little you can get by with as long as you learn basic cooking skills and get equipment that can multitask.

I cook 2-3 times a day for me and DP. I put the greatest value in the things I touch daily:

1. Knives. You don't need a fancy "set." Instead buy yourself the best quality chef's knife you can get, one smaller knife, and a paring knife if you prepare a lot of vegetables. Oh, and some kitchen scissors. Keep them sharp. Beyond that, invest in your skills, not your equipment. Get a friend who cooks for living to show you how to cut correctly and efficiently. I don't find that machines are any faster than my hands at this point and I don't have to deal with cleaning up a chopper afterward.

2. Cutting boards. I have two -- one large, one small. They're white plastic. I bleach them when I handle meat on them.

3. Dishtowels. I keep paper towels around for some tasks, but having a stash of absorbent cloth towels on hand keeps me from wasting them for things like drying my hands or dishes.

4. Cookware. I have a set of copper pots with tight-fitting lids. I picked them up on eBay, for about half the price of regular retail. I also have a cast iron skillet that was my great-grandmother's. For baking, I have one large cake pan, a muffin tin, a loaf pan and a pie pan. For Christmas, I'm asking for new cookie sheets because the two I've got have about had it.

5. Teapot. We use it for tea and making coffee in a french press. I have this fancy Cuisinart coffee maker, but I only bring that out when we have house guests and I need coffee for 3-4 people.

6. Storage containers. I buy in bulk from the co-op a lot. I don't have matchy-matchy jars for stuff, though. Big plastic containers hold flour, sugar, rice, etc. I put my bulk spices in the small jars that once held the grocery store version of said spice long ago. Beans are in clear glass jars that used to hold spaghetti sauce, pickles, etc.

7. Microwave. Not sexy or attractive, but it makes it easy to reheat leftovers. A cheaper model is fine, IMO.

I don't have a breadmaker, but if you want one, look for one secondhand. People are always getting rid of them at yard sales. Same for nice crockpots. Mine came from a yard sale several years ago and I use it at least once a week. Not bad for $2!

I have a chest freezer that allows me to stock up on meat and frozen vegetables. Right now, it's full of homemade prepared meals (lasagna, gumbo, et al) so we don't have to cook after baby comes next month.

I mix everything by hand, unless I have to beat egg whites, in which case I bust out the small electric handmixer. I have a rotary cheese grater which I (and my previously ravaged knuckles) adore.

Hmmm. That's about it.
 
#14 ·
Ok the things I can't live without... my pots, with tight glass lids, I have 2 smaller (2 and 3 quart?) ones, one stock pot, one sautee pan, one larger saucepot. And a cast iron griddle. We have removed all things teflon from the house.

2 cookie sheets, 2 loaf pans, 2 muffin tins. A good set of measuring cups and spoons.

Crock pot ($30, has worked for 7 years now), actually wish I had 2 inserts since I'd use it every day if I didn't have to wash the pot by hand and store hot food the same day.

Toaster oven. Can't live w/o it. We did stop using the microwave, though it's here, I hope it goes away soon.

Good knives. A great bread knife, and 2-3 good knives for chopping. One serrated for meat.

Lazy susan in the cabinet for the spices and such.. saves space.

Mason jars. I don't can, but we do freeze and store leftovers in them. The wide mouth ones are great, you can dump a jar of spaghetti sauce frozen out with just a few min. of thawing.

Dishwasher, yes! I would loathe cooking if I had to wash dishes.

Things we have and don't use often that I still LOVE and can't live w/o are my stand mixer (I have 2 bowls for it), coffee pot, Cuisinart food processor, and air popcorn popper.

Things we have that I can live w/o are the mini food chopper thing, elec. knives, bread machine (stand mixer does dough fine, I prefer the breadmaker to just mix the dough, I put it in my own pan). We got rid of the elec. griddle (teflon) and rice maker (didn't use it), as well as the elec. frying pan (though it was nice for parties to keep food warm), and hand mixer (the stand mixer bowl goes in the dishwasher just fine).
 
#15 ·
Well, I think it mostly comes down to being prepared to cook from scratch. The specific things that you need equiptment-wise will depend on what you like to cook. I second the pp who said buy quaility. I have knives (Whustof) and pots (All Clad) that are almost 20 years old and still like new.

Also - for my frugal kitchen it was essential that I figure out how to cook things that I get cravings for that lead to eating out: Thai yellow curry and Korean Bi Bim Bop. Then make sure that I have the spices on hand to make those things. (Neither dish is difficult, BTW, but it did take time to find good recipies.)
 
#16 ·
I think the crockpot and the microwave save me from eating out very often. I also think a sharp set of knives helps. I buy Rada cutlery (you can do a Google search, and there are several sites that sell them). They're cheap, but they are SHARP, and I've never had to sharpen them (probably wouldn't, they're cheap, like I said, I would buy more). We have to have a coffee maker and toaster, too. At one time, we downsized our appliances, and got rid of those, but ended up buying some back.

Other than appliances, I think a good supply of spices is a great thing to have, because with them you can whip almost anything into a great dish. Before our spice cabinet was well-stocked (and also before we were comfortable cooking with all the spices), we kept our bottled sauce shelf stocked. I was always able to make a good main dish just by putting some meat and a bottled sauce in the crockpot. Now, I prefer to have milk, vinegar, cheese, flour, oil, and spices on hand, and I can make most sauces myself. I like to keep some frozen or canned veggies around for side dishes, too. I usually just stock up on those we like when they have them for a good price.

Oh, and a sort of embarrassing thing: a frozen pizza being in the freezer has many times saved us from going out. We eat one about every couple of weeks.

Something else I do that REALLY keeps me from eating out often is that I keep a running list of main dishes that we have all the ingredients for. Some are quick, some aren't. So, I just pick from the list in the morning for dinner (or sometimes later, occassionally right before dinner). I'm not real big on planning menus for the whole week at the beginning of the week, because I just don't know what I'm going to feel like on a particular day. It's much better for me when I can just pick from the list that day.
 
#17 ·
A crockpot is very frugal because you can buy very inexpensive cuts of meat and tenderize them or cook casserole type dishes that are cheaper. If you have a number of small cooking appliances such as a George Forman Grille, waffle iron, toaster, toaster oven, crockpot, sandwich maker etc., when gas prices go up, you can revert to using these electric appliances to save money.
 
#18 ·
Mmmm! You don't need a lot in the kitchen! We have been very very frugal by situation for years now. I really appreciate a couple of items like really good pots, one good knife( didn'''t buy it actually. It was given to me and I use one of those cheapo knife blocks with a built in sharpener. I use a spice grinder( make curry pastes, grind my own spices for everything because they taste better that way!)), hand blender( blends soup, smoothies, has a whisk and mini chopper attatchment) and a food processor often too. Everything else I have slowly accumulated through thrift shops , freecycle etc! I dont own a crockpot either... I do have a nice set of cast iron cookware though that I got off of the freecycle, including a dutch oven. I do all of my fermenting in a huge old bean pot that I found at a antique store. I did buy a good garlic press because I was breaking all of the other ones after a month or so, but most everything else I have is somthing funky I found second hand. I would love more storage space with a proper cold storage spot for winter veggies. We dont have a dishwasher or a microwave or handmixer... It can be done VERY frugally!.... a freezer that we got from freecycle has been such a huge bonus to have!
 
#19 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by lmonter View Post
What *do* you have in your kitchen and what kinds of foods do you typically eat/make/etc.? Then I can make some fun suggestions.

hmmmm well I have a microwave, dishwasher, kitchen aid, toaster oven,
hand mixer


As far as what we typically eat....well...........I tend to go for quick and easy ...we really like to bbq our meat and i'll usually make a veggie with it (or a salad) and some sort of rice or potato
I'll also make spaghetti, burritos, eggs, sometimes a casserole for dinner.....

I HATE to cook and I think it shows in my cooking because I dont like to take the time to find new recipes and try them (I usually wind up ruining new recipes).

My kids have turned very very picky with what they eat. It's becoming harder and harder to accomodate everyone and still remain frugal

I guess those are my main obstacles .....I think I would do really really well with a master shopping list of foods to buy and some mock menus......
 
#20 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by mykdsmomy View Post
I guess those are my main obstacles .....I think I would do really really well with a master shopping list of foods to buy and some mock menus......
check it out: http://www.savingdinner.com/ I've never tried it but I hear good things... although I think there may be an upfront cost of some sort
 
#21 ·
I'd have to say that a bread machine is my saving grace. I don't just make our loaf bread - I make rolls, twists, rustic loaves, etc. by using the 'dough' cycle. That way, I'm not tempted to buy those frozen rolls and canned garlic sticks and such. I'm an accomplished hand-made breadmaker, but I find that I simply don't have the time to make loaf bread and rolls and the like. I can let the bread maker do the mixing, kneeding and rising, and then I can take it from there with a quick kneed and an extra rise, then shape and bake myself. Also, you can make dough ahead of time and freeze it or refrigerate it.

I recently found that there are a couple of good bread machines that make a 'traditional' horizontal loaf and cakes in 1, 1.5, and 2 lb sizes. I may upgrade to that so that I can make our loaf bread completely in the machine - I never let my bread bake in our current bread machine because I really dislike those vertical 'loaves'.

zojirushi makes a really excellent one, $199; breadman has one for $99.

Oh - also, I used saving dinner and liked it but my meals are more frugal when I plan them myself. There is also a fee to use their services.
 
#22 ·
We nearly never eat in restaurants unless in a cool city or on vacation. There are two things I use every single day that make cooking a pleasure rather than a chore. The firs thing (and I travel with this lol) is my large stainless steel All Clad skillet. I can make nearly anything in it. From stews to soups to sauteeing anything. It has a tight fitting lid and I can put it in the oven and I have put it on my grill. I can't cook without it. The other thing is my Japanese chef's knife.

Other very helpful items-- my Anternum pressure cooker, my KA mixer and my Vita Mix.

I don't use my mircowave all that much, nor a blender or food processor. I find the Vita Mix is good for anything but very small amounts.

I also have lots of large glass jars to store all my flours and grains etc. I can easily see what I have.

Are you also looking for the sorts of foods you 'should' have in your pantry?
 
#23 ·
I've been thinking about this some more, and I think you really need to think about what you LIKE to eat first. Then, plan your kitchen around what's going to make it easiest to prepare those things. That's pretty much what all of these posts have been pointing to, I think. Also, think about your normal schedule and habits. Are you a morning person? Then, a crockpot might be really helpful, because just a little time invested in the morning will net you a meal at night. Or, are you the kind that doesn't want to think about it closer to dinner time? I would think good skillets and a microwave would help you out the most in this case.

Anyway, when I started thinking about it more, I realized it's such a highly individualized thing, and maybe it would be best for you to start out with a quick summary of the foods you like and how you would ideally be cooking to give us a good start for suggestions.
 
#25 ·
Good tools-we have two Wusthof knives and the rest are cheapos. I find that a good chef's knife and a good paring knife can handle most tasks.
-Pyrex for food storage/freezing
-well-stocked pantry. With rice, pasta, grains like quinoa/couscous, canned beans, etc. on hand, there's always something we can whip up for dinner in a pinch.
-crockpot, standmixer, grain mill, hand mixer, Cuisinart food process all get a lot of use
-cast iron to cook with primarily. I recently picked up a huge rectangular cast iron pan (I think it is actually called a "fish pan" (??) but it works well because I can roast two chickens side by side in it.

-setting up "centers" for things. In one of my cabinets I have a dishpan (cheap for organizing, easy to clean) filled w/ whisk, hand mixer, measuring spoons and cups, baking types of spices (cinnamon,nutmeg, cloves, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla extract) all in one place. It makes it easy to pull out the whole thing when it is time to bake.

-cooking ahead. Double recipes you know your family will eat to start. Stock your freezer gradually. For inspiration, google OAMC (once a month cooking), Feed the Freezer, Freezer Cooking, etc. A lot of those sites used processed ingredients, but once you get the idea, you can accomodate to your own cooking style and your family's tastes. Not sure if your family will eat these things, but I like buying a bunch of say...hamburger...at one time, and then doing a batch of related things. So into the bowl goes 2 lbs of hamburger and i mix up ingredients for meatballs, cooking on the stove. While that's cooking, I mix up a meatloaf or two (same bowl since ingredients are basically the same). Since the pan is already dirty from cooking meatballs, I'll brown some ground beef and add in taco seasoning to it, and /or brown some ground beef plain as well (pull out before you season w/ taco mix). That way you are only cleaning up about as much mess as you'd have from prepping one dinner, but you've prepped a whole bunch of dinners, kwim? Flash freeze meatballs (put on a cookie sheet or plate in the freezer for an hour, and then bag so they won't be stuck in a huge clump and you can pull out as needed. Wrap and freeze meatloafs (some people like to cook in advance, some freeze raw and cook later). Bag/package the taco meat (keep shells in the pantry, shredded cheese freezes just fine). The plain ground meat can be a great starter to add to spaghetti sauce or make a quick chili. Oh, there's a meal planning forum here that has threads on foods that freeze well.

HTH
 
#26 ·
It's so individual! We are starting to plan a house, and the Kitchen and laundry rooms are IMO, the most important rooms in the house b/c you work so much in them! I'd say the most important things in my little kitchen right now are a microwave (defrosting is quick and easy), my 3qt. pots get used every day (I have 2) and my skillet I use everyday, too. I got Le Creuset skillet b/c we got rid of the teflon a year or so back. This was the only one I could find that I felt fit my needs, I didn't like the other cast iron skillets, and Ihave a glass cooktop. It was expensive, I think $85 for that ONE skillet, but I use it everyday,and it works great! I also use my Rada cutlery knives (I think they are pretty cheap) and for a handheld chopper, I have just a round biscuit cutter looking thing that is very sharp and will dice something in seconds! Just put whatever you need to chop in a glass bowl and start chopping. It's easy to clean and cheaper than a handheld chopper. And lastly I would say my kitchen aid brand wisk and silicon spatula/scraper. I also have 2 large pots good for making soup and beans, ect. and use them at least weekly. I had only one, but kept needing two, so I got a cheaper one that I use when I have to. I think the key is to look at what you are making on a daily basis, what things to you constantly use, and make sure you get a good brand in those items. If it's something you use once a month or so, then go a bit cheaper and make sure you really need it. I keep all the stuff I only use once a month or less in my basement b/c my kitchen is so mall w/ no extra space.

Some things that are not really "frugal" but I plan to do in my new house are to have a cabinet made for the KA mixer that just pops up. I think this would be so handy! I also plan to have 2 refrigerators (on in the kitchen, one in the basment) b/c I buy in bulk usually once a month to 6 weeks, and an extra fridge would be great! I could only keep what we need in a given week in the fridge upstairs, keeping it clearer. RIght now my one fridge is always full Always. Leftovers, milk, veggies and a month's worth of yogurt :p I could also store my bulk wheat, oats, ect. in the extra fridge instead of he freezer. We have a deep freeze, and it is great for freezing meals. If you are looking to stop eating out, I think a frozen meal or two is a must! We rarely eat out, as we are a long ways from any decent places to eat. It would take us longer to get dressed and to a restaraunt that it would to just fix something. I usually have a frozen pizza or hashbrowns or somthing I can fix fast in the freezer.

Last year I started doing the grain grinding/ making my own bread, and when I did, I decided to not be frugal and I got the best for my needs. A nutrimill grain grinder, and a Zojirushi bread machine. I have never regreted it! I know those 2 items added up to about $500! But in the last year I have rarely even bought bread. If I depended on just my KA and doing it by hand, I know I would not have been able to keep up. I do still make bread by hand if I want (did just last week, yummy dinner rolls!) but since I wanted to make all my own, I got the Zo which is supposed to hold up to full grain breads better than other machines (I read tons of reviews, and did searches here on the food forum). I can easily make a loaf whenever we get low, and the grain grider does a 5 lb bag of wheat in just minutes, which nets me usually 3 loaves of bread, plus a little extra to keep in the fridge. I know my family is eating healthier, and that's what's important.
 
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