Save Money With Leftovers

Leftovers are something that everyone who cooks has to deal with. When I found out that many people throw them away, I was appalled. To me that is like throwing dollars bills into the trash can! If you take time to use your creative side a bit, you will find that leftovers can make some of the best meals you have ever eaten.

Food meal ideas from leftovers should be thought of in advance, whenever possible. If you are one of the regular subscribers to Upper Hand Depot, you know that I always make my menu for the week, then make my grocery list from that. Making a list saves you a lot of money because you can go into the store and stick to what your budget is for the week, by only getting things on the list.

You can save much more money if you make your menu from the grocery store circulars for the week. Whatever they have on sale is what you should cook that week. Buying in bulk, what’s on sale, and using coupons, is almost a necessity for most people today. And although times may be hard for many, these money saving techniques should be used by everyone. Just because you may have plenty of money, doesn’t mean you have to waste it. In my case, saving money everywhere I can, allows me to stay at home and do what I love, which is write and publish this blog.

Leftovers Made From Chicken

As I said earlier, if you can plan some of your leftovers ahead of time your menu will be a lot easier to make. For example, when I buy a whole chicken, I know I will get two to three meals from it. In my case, only my husband and I live at home, so a chicken is too large for us.

Sometimes I boil the chicken and use half of it for chicken and dumplings, and the other half for chicken salad. Other times I bake the whole chicken and we eat half, and I use the rest for a chicken and pasta dish. There are all kinds of things you can do with chicken. If you have a large family, then buy a turkey. They are cheap and you can make all the same dishes with a turkey that you can with a chicken.

In the old days creative leftover food meal ideas were a must because it was before airtight containers or refrigerators existed. People wasted nothing. They would use the bones, stocks and broth for the base, and then would add every leftover morsel there was.

Today we are a lot more spoiled, with prepackaged and frozen foods to choose from. But you should know that with all that convenience, you are paying a very high price. Cooking from scratch and using leftovers will make your weekly grocery bills dwindle to an acceptable amount.

A couple of other ideas for leftovers have to do with bread and cheese. If you have some bread at the end of the loaf that has gotten a little dried out, no problem. Just make a bread and butter pudding. It is very easy to make and taste great. You will find a quick and easy recipe right here.

At my house we eat a lot of cheese, and much of that cheese I grate for potatoes, tacos, etc. But usually at the end of my hunk of cheddar cheese there is a small hunk that doesn’t get used. If you take scraps of cheese, grate, and then freeze, you will always have cheese for sprinkling on foods. Cheese stays in the freezer really well, and you just keep adding to it as you have scraps.

Leftovers For Soup

If you have only a small amount of peas, carrots, or any foods left, just add them to a large canning jar, or freezer container. Keep this container in your freezer. Every time you have a few leftovers, just add them to the jar until it’s full. Once the container is full, you have the makings for some of the best vegetable soup you have ever eaten.

Waste nothing, whenever possible. By using leftovers, to create great food meal ideas , you will have your family thinking you just graduated from culinary school. Be creative, have fun, and best of all, save money using leftovers.