6 Frugal Breakfast Foods

A recently distributed survey got a variety of interesting answers from anonymous users. Here are some great tips on eating a cheap breakfast.

Frugal Breakfast Food #1 - Eat Pancakes

"Pancakes and waffles make very cheap breakfasts. You can mix up the flavors by using instant muffin mixes instead of pancake mix."

A box of pancake mix can easily feed several people at least one hefty meal.  You can also make your own pancake mix with this simple recipe.

Old Fashioned Pancake Recipe INGREDIENTS: 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon white sugar 1 1/4 cups milk 1 egg 3 tablespoons oil 1 teaspoon vanilla (optional) DIRECTIONS: 1. In a large bowl, sift together the dry ingredients. Make a well in the center and pour in the milk, egg and oil.  Mix the ingredients until they are smooth. 2. Heat your pan to medium heat.  You can even preheat your pan. It's important that the heat be medium and consistent.  If it is too hot the cakes will burn and be raw on the inside.  Pour batter on the pan, wait for the batter to bubble up and the bubbles to become firm before flipping. What is the cost of this recipe? The flour costs about 18 cents, the milk will cost about 23 cents, and the egg will cost about 10 cents.  Add up the remaining ingredients and the total cost will easily come in at about 20 cents.  So, you have a meal that will end up costing about 71 cents and has 8 servings.  So, the cost per serving is 9 cents.

Frugal Breakfast Food #2 - Eat Oatmeal

"Per ounce, oatmeal is the cheapest breakfast going.  Don't buy the flavored packets; buy plain oats, store brand, and cook in a slow cooker or on the microwave.  Add your own cinnamon, butter, brown sugar, or bananas!"

Another person wrote,

"Bulk instant oatmeal can be bought from many discount grocery stores. Mix with a little sugar, and some nutmeg or raisins, for a frugal but tasty breakfast."

Oatmeal really is economical. A 42-ounce container would cost you about $3 in any grocery store. If you want to add flavor consider honey, nuts, apple, Cinnamon, and even plain sugar.  Cost per serving is about 10 to 12 cents for a half cup of dry oatmeal.

Frugal Breakfast Food #3 - Buy Old Bread

"For a cheap breakfast, find a bakery that sells the prior days produce at a discount, even the bread is a little hard, you can always toast it."

Homemade bread is likely to be heartier and healthier than a simple loaf of store-bought white bread.  However, if you aren't crafty enough to bake your own bread, buy the good stuff day-old and heat it up.  You can use bread to make french toast too, which is a rich and protein filled breakfast.


Frugal Breakfast Food #4 - Eggs, Potatoes and Bacon

"Breakfast is not only the most important meal of the day, it's the cheapest. Eggs, potatoes, and bacon can be used to make up a plethora of hearty meals on a budget. Eggs are also an affordable protein."

Costing about ten cents for a 70 calorie serving, eggs are truly affordable protein. A simple omelett also takes minutes to prepare.  A frittata takes a little more effort, but is just as rewarding.  A simple Apple Cheddar frittata has about four ingredients, an apple, cheddar cheese, eggs, and butter, all very economical.

Frugal Breakfast Food #5 - Generic Cereal and Use Coupons

"Off-brand cereal is a good way to go."

Another person added,

"Breakfast can be one of the most economical meals of the day. Coupons for cereal can often be located in the Sunday newspaper. Many stores now have the option to load coupons onto their rewards cards or by logging in using a cell phone number."

Even if you buy cereal full price it is economical.  A box of Cheerios can be purchased for about $3.50 (18 oz) and it contains 18 servings.  This puts the cost per serving at about 20 cents.  Add in coupons and sale prices and you can usually cut the price in half.

Frugal Breakfast Food #6 - Fruit

"Bananas are cheap, and fulfill one's need to start the day with some fruit."

A banana is a simple and healthy breakfast consisting of about 100 calories. It comes in it's own biodegradable wrapper.  Most importantly, it costs about 50 cents per pound.  Add granola bar or some other small item and you have a decent breakfast.

Video: Extreme Frugality: Meet the Carters - Gourmet Magazine

Extreme Frugality: Meet the Carters - Gourmet Magazine by Gourmetajuan You've read W. Hodding Carters Extreme Frugality series; now get to know the author and his family in this video. Find out what they like and dislike about their new frugal lifestyle, and learn the authors grand ambitions for the family's garden. http://www.gourmet.com/search/query?keyword=extreme%20frugality

Sustainability and frugality go hand in hand.  This family tries to make enough to live and consume as little as they need.  That's being green.

Video: Money Saving Tips from 'The Frugal Girl' - CBN.com

Money Saving Tips from 'The Frugal Girl' - CBN.com by CBNonline Kristen Cross says she's been frugal all her life and through her blog, "The Frugal Girl," she teaches others how to live on less... The Christian Broadcasting Network CBN http://www.cbn.com

Enjoy being frugal and sharing your money-saving ways, just like the Frugal Girl, if you have the time.  The Frugal Girl got interested in reducing her food waste.  She also bakes her own food, a great way to save money.

Make Homemade Gifts

Make as many gifts as you can. There's no need to spend days on this. Try making up bottles of your favourite salad dressing. Use any suitable old bottle which you've washed and soaked the label off. Add
a new label with something exclusive sounding eg My Very Own Secret Recipe and you're done.

Or make your own Peppermint Stick Cocoa.  Put it in a jar that you've thoroughly cleaned and it is an excellent gift. (Recipe below.)

Other quick gifts of this type are flavoured oils - try chilli flakes, peppercorns and herbs as the flavouring. A good use for all those dried herbs languishing at the back of your cupboard!
.

Peppermint Stick Cocoa Recipe

Ingredients

1 cup powdered milk
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup miniature chocolate chips
1/2 cup crushed peppermint candy


Preparation

Layer powdered milk, cocoa powder, sugar, salt, chocolate chips, and peppermint candy.

Note:
This mix will fill a 1-quart jar (12 servings), but if your containers are different sizes, just keep the ratio of ingredients constant. On the back of the tag, write: "Mix contents in a large bowl. For each serving, place 1/3 cup cocoa mix in a mug and stir in 1 cup boiling water. Store remaining mix in airtight container."

-Allrecipes.com

Turn Your Halloween Pumpkin into Actual Food

Bake Your Pumpkin

This is the first step in utilizing your old pumpkin for breads, cookies, and pies.  Once the pumpkin pieces have been baked in a 350 degree oven for about an hour, they can be easily pureed into a mush that can be used in any pumpkin recipe.  Place the pumpkin pieces into a glass baking dish or onto a cookie sheet.  Layer the bottom of the pan with water to ensure the pieces don't burn.

Once the pumpkin has cooked, remove it from the oven set it aside for a few minutes to cool.  Once cooled, you can slice off the skin.  You should be able to puree the pulp of the pumpkin with a sharp knife.

One large pumpkin should create a very large amount of puree.  Here you can see about 12 cups of puree from one pumpkin.

How much should you use in a recipe?

Lots of recipes call for 15 oz cans.  There are 8 ounces in a cup. So, two cups of puree is about 16 ounces. Use a little less than 2 cups of puree to substitute for the 15 ounce can.  If your puree seems a little "wet", then subtract a little more puree.

Cut Your Grocery Bill By Buying In Bulk

Groceries are one of the major household expenses that families struggle to deal with. Feeding yourself and your family a high quality diet on a tight budget can be very difficult if you don't have the time or effort to put into it. Buying food staples in bulk and cooking from scratch can make any budget work.

Seeking out the best bulk prices is the hardest part, aside from finding the space to store the foods in your home. Many online retailers offer amazing prices on bulk foods and even offer free shipping. Staple foods such as beans, rice, sugars, oats, oils, and vegetables can be purchased and stored for many months. Typically, the bulk purchase will cost less than buying individual items at your regular grocery store. Keeping the foods sealed in air-tight containers is the most important factor in keeping your food fresh and making it worth your while to buy in bulk.

Once you get in the habit of buying in bulk, your budget will slowly start decreasing. Fighting the rising food costs is definitely a challenge, but having a stocked pantry will ensure that you are well fed and remaining within your allotted budget.

Make Food From Scratch

A very effective way of saving money on your grocery bill is to cook much of your food from scratch. Do you enjoy macaroni and cheese? Price it at the grocery store. The more processed the food is the more expensive it is. A box of dry ingredients that is supposed to feed four can cost over a dollar. A single serving of gooey mess that is supposed to be heated in the microwave costs even more. On the other hand, if you buy a bag of macaroni and a box of processed cheese food, it costs a bit more at the outset, but you have enough ingredients to serve macaroni and cheese to a dozen people a couple of times or 6 really big eaters. You don't have to prepare it all at once. Keep the macaroni dry and the cheese in the refrigerator. Both will be good for a month.

Eat Oatmeal, Save Money

Oatmeal is one of the best values you can find in breakfast or snack food out there today. It is highly nutritious, rich in fiber, and can be bought in 13-serving canisters on discount in many places for as little as one dollar. It can also be enhanced by adding your favorite dry fruits, Cinnamon, or honey.

 By regularly using oatmeal for breakfast or when you need a snack, you can easily save a great deal on your grocery bill while also contributing to your long term health.