I mulled it over for awhile which tip should be number one and it all comes down to preservation methods. If you find a massively good deal you need to preserve it somehow otherwise what’s the point? The two most common are canning and dehydrating. Yes freezing is also an option and super simple but knowing how to do these other two will be better in the long run since they aren’t reliant on electricity to maintain them.
Dehydrating is SO easy. My dehydrator is currently doing a batch of banana chips. It’s a pretty passive food preservation method just slice, put it on the tray, and start it at the proper temp really. There’s also very little equipment involved. I use my grandma’s Excalibur square four tray dehydrator from the 80’s (maybe even older than that). It is a workhorse and has earned its counter space. Plus I can make yogurt in it since it’s square. I highly recommend square for versatility and Excalibur brand because obviously this thing isn’t dying anytime soon.
Canning can be simple or complicated depending on what and how you’re doing it. There’s mainly water bath and pressure canning. The easiest place to start is by doing jam. This was the very first thing I learned at 14 when I asked my aunt to show me how to can. I wasn’t your typically high schooler. After jam move onto things like peaches and tomatoes. Pressure canning has some particulars to it that water bath canning does not but it is better, basically essential, for meats and vegetables.
Learning these two preservation methods and learning them well is essential for relying less on the grocery store. There’s loads of info out there for how to start with either of them.
Fermenting is also an option although less talked about, but gaining in popularity, than the other two. It is fairly passive as well but does require careful watching and some specific gear. It also means you have to like eating fermented foods! I’ve done a bit with this method but admittedly not nearly as much as I’d like to.
That’s it. That wraps up my top ten tips to save money on food. There are of course other ways of saving but I had to limit myself a little bit. Plus I’ll absolutely post more tips in the future.
What was your favorite tip or one you’d most like to implement? Let me know in the comments and as always if you liked this series you can subscribe below and share it with your friends!!
~The Crunchy Cheapskate