Inflation is currently at 8%, and it’s hitting us all right in the groceries — and sending us searching for ways to keep a frugal kitchen. Take a look at my must-have kitchen gear that enables me to keep my food costs down.
1. Stove-top espresso pot
Frugal rationale: Espresso at home without a $2,000 price tag
Get mine Bialetti Moka Express 6 cup
Do you love espresso-based coffee drinks? Same. I might buy a gorgeous espresso machine after I make my first million… but probably not, because there’s just no reason to. An Italian stove-top espresso pot makes a damn fine cup of coffee and costs around 50 bucks. I’ve been using one of these for about 15 years, and I can promise you I’ll use it for another 15. Every so often, I need to replace the gasket, but otherwise this thing will last me forever. And because they’re cheap, I have one at every house that I visit with any frequency — my parents’ place in Canada, my in-laws’ in Connecticut. Heck, I have been known to pack it when I stay at someone’s house overnight and of course, camping trips upstate. I gave one to my brother for Christmas, and he was able to kill his Starbucks habit overnight.
So, if your love of lattes, Americanos, or any other espresso-based concoction sends you to Starbucks on the daily, try one of these. If you don’t like it, I will personally refund your money.
2. Any bread machine
Frugal rationale: Bread for half the price
Get mine Breville Custom Loaf
It’s no coincidence that my first two priorities are coffee and bread. I’ll happily admit to being a snob in both these categories. If you’re indifferent to either or even both, hopefully we can still be buddies.
I will acknowledge that bread machines are pretty expensive, and this is a blog post about frugality, so what gives? I have written previously about how good quality bread is overpriced. At the time of writing, a loaf (765 g) Dave’s Killer Bread is an atrocious $6.99 at Stop & Shop on Avenue Y. Yeesh. Considering that the ingredients are just flour, sugar, water, salt and yeast, should it really cost that much? In my machine, it takes 4 cups of flour (580 g) to make a two-pound loaf of bread. That quantity of fancy-pants organic bread flour is worth less than $3, and I know because that’s exactly what I use. Adding in trivial amounts of sugar, salt, and yeast, and your homemade loaf is coming in at half the price of a store-bought proxy. Basically a frugal no-brainer.
Of course, you can make bread by hand or in a stand mixer and realize these savings without the machine, but that’s not for everyone. The bread machine is “dump and go,” and requires zero artistry or skill. You can even program it to finish the baking cycle in time for you to wake up to fresh bread in the morning to go with your delicious latte.
3. Vacuum sealer
Frugal rationale: Buy in bulk; maximize freezer space; maintain food quality
Buy your meat in bulk at a store like Costco, then divvy it up into portions that make sense for your household and stash them in your freezer. Hey, Andrea! Can’t I just use freezer bags? Yes, but if you want to avoid freezer burn, a vacuum sealer is the way to go. You don’t want your meat getting freezer burned and potentially going to waste, which would defeat the whole purpose of buying in bulk. What about Tupperware? Skip the bulky containers and maximize your freezer space with flat vacuum-sealed bags.
But don’t stop with meat. Make a big batch of refried beans or marinara sauce and freeze them in logical quantities. Tacos are on our weekly menu, so I’ll make a big batch of taco meat (i.e., 3-4 lb. worth of ground beef) and freeze it in equal portions for fast Tuesday night meals. Today, I bought a 4.5 lb. bag of chocolate chips at Costco and vacuum sealed them in 10 oz bags.
4. Pressure canner
Frugal rationale: DIY convenience meals
Get mine Presto 23 Quart Pressure Canner
Pressure canning enables you preserve foods like meat and vegetables in a shelf-stable way. Full disclosure: This item is probably my one “stretch” out of this listicle. Pressure canning can be a bit intimidating and time-consuming to learn, but it’s a great skill to have. I would suggest tackling it if you get to a point when you’ve exhausted your freezer space with frugal wins. If you ever find yourself eyeing a great sale on ground beef, but realize you simply don’t have room in the freezer for it, you could can up some chili, sloppy Joes, or spaghetti sauce. Then when life gets busy, you can reach for wholesome, inexpensive meals instead of ordering takeout.
I pressure can broth, beans, and meals-in-a-jar. You can really go down the rabbit hole with that last one. From a frugality perspective, choose to make open-and-serve items like chili, Bolognese sauce, sloppy Joes, beef stew, and chicken soup. Your family’s tastes might be different than mine, but I’m willing to bet you can find 2-3 go-to cannable recipes to line your shelves with.
5. Cloth “paper” towels
Frugal rationale: Multiple uses
I don’t think I would ever get rid of paper towels entirely. Some jobs are just too gross, greasy, and awful to contend with via any other means. But I keep a stack of cloth towels folded right next to my roll of paper towel to use whenever the mess isn’t awful. I happen to have sewn mine myself, but I’ve seen these available on the cheap from a multitude of vendors.
6. Saved jars
I’m a jar hoarder. Obviously I have a stash of Ball canning jars, since by now you know I’m a canner. But I also hang on to empty glass jars that come my way. Pasta sauce jars are a great size. I use them to freeze broth, spices purchased in bulk, homemade salad dressings, leftovers… Glass jars are expensive, and saved jars are kinda free and there’s no BPA to worry about.
7. CrockPot
Frugal rationale: Fuel efficient
My favourite thing about the CrockPot is that it’s passive. It just sits there, often overnight, slowly transforming disparate ingredients into loveliness. So much about frugality is efficiency, and the slow cooker scores high points on that score. CrockPot’s can be opened, its contents taste-tested, left to safely simmer while you go about your day — whether that is being at home taking a nap, at the office working, or taking the kids to hockey… The appliance itself is cheap to buy and cheap to run. I would also suggest that the CrockPot does great things for cheaper — often tough — cuts of meat as well as beans, both inherently frugal choices. It’s my preferred way of making broth with chicken carcasses and bones.
8. Souper Cubes
Frugal rationale: Eliminate food waste, batch cook and freeze
Get mine: Souper Cubes silicone trays
These things are so simple and yet so awesome. I can make a batch of freezer-friendly food like chilli, spaghetti sauce, soup, or broth, and freeze it in logical portion sizes for future meals. I also have cut way down on food waste — if I’m down to half a jar of marinara sauce and I know I won’t use it up before it starts to go moldy, I throw it into the Souper Cubes and call it good. Later, I stash them in ziplock freezer bags for short-term storage or vacuum seal them for longer-term use.
9. InstantPot
Frugal rationale: Fast
When speed is the most important variable, the InstantPot really shines. When you may be tempted to order take out because you forgot to plan something for supper, you can toss some stuff in the InstantPot and get a nice stew in a shockingly short amount of time.
9. Vinegar, baking soda, and SalSuds
Frugal rationale: Cheap and clean
I lump these items together because they are the trinity of frugal cleaning, and as such form one entity in my mind. I clean my entire house with these three products. Conventional cleaning products are horrible for your health and the environment. They can also get expensive! Who needs to pay $6 for Windex when good ol’ vinegar gets the job done for a fraction of the price?
Fun fact: You don’t need a separate type of cleaning product for each surface or appliance. You can clean your toilet, greasy stove top, oven, floor, and bathroom sink with various combinations of these three items.