What to make yourself to save money

First, not that I have many followers, but let me apologize for my year hiatus.  I guess raising a two year old and being pregnant will do that to you.  Now that I have a 2 1/2 year old and a newborn I don't have any more time then I did a year ago, but I need a good distraction.  If nothing else a great outlet for displaying recipes I've enjoyed or adapted over the last year.


So let's talk about saving money.  I love to save money.  Today I saved 39.41 on my grocery bill and then came home and saved another 2.50 using the "Snap" app on my phone.  Wahoo! 


So here is a list of the things I make myself at home to save money.  Most, if not all, of these items I make in bulk and freeze:

• Organic Chicken Stock   http://inspiredbyadaptedby.blogspot.com/2014/10/homemade-organic-chicken-broth.html
• Organic Ketchup http://inspiredbyadaptedby.blogspot.com/2014/10/homemade-ketchup.html
• Organic White Bread http://inspiredbyadaptedby.blogspot.com/2013/07/busy-bee.html
• Organic Pancakes http://inspiredbyadaptedby.blogspot.com/2013/08/standard-pancakes.html
• Organic Baking Powder (http://inspiredbyadaptedby.blogspot.com/2013/07/homemade-baking-powder-recipe.html)
• Sunflower Seed Butter (When I am really lazy I LOVE the "Once Again Sugar Free and Salt Free" Sunflower Seed Butter)  My recipe here: http://inspiredbyadaptedby.blogspot.com/2013/06/homemade-sunflower-seed-butter.html
• Blueberry Muffins
• Tomato Sauce
• Vanilla Extract  http://inspiredbyadaptedby.blogspot.com/2013/07/busy-bee.html

You might think that the time invested in making these items isn't worth it, but hear me out. Last week I bought 3 whole organic chickens, a bag of organic carrots, organic celery and turned it into 42 cups of chicken stock/broth that I could freeze in plastic restaurant style soup containers.  Of course I added pantry items like peppercorns, bay leaves, water, and garlic to flavor it.  Three stock pots on the stove all at once, one mess in the kitchen, and 3 hours later I had a years supply of chicken stock.  Sounds like a good deal to me.


Two years ago when my migraines were out of control I decided to go 100% organic and 100% MSG free.  In order to reduce the stress of this my husband bought me a freezer so that I could make the most of my time.  When I make muffins I double the batch and freeze the muffins in the plastic take out containers you can buy in bulk at Costco.  Then I take them out as needed.  When I make my bread recipe I make 10 loaves at a time, cut them in half, wrap in clear wrap and then put them in plastic freezer bags and pull out as needed.  For my vanilla extract I buy my vanilla beans in bulk (see link above) and make a years supply at a time.  This year I made extra so that I could give it away as gifts. 


I could keep breaking down the savings for you, but the reality of it is you have to shop smart, make the best of your time, and choose which things make the most sense to you.  Shop when you have coupons, shop when things are in season, shop when there are sales.  All of the items that I make in bulk and freeze (not the vanilla extract or sunflower seed butter), freeze well and defrost well.


Happy baking, happy cooking, happy shopping and happy savings to you!  Enjoy!