Frugality

I'm always looking for good ways to save/reduce what we are spending.

One of my best buys lately has been to get a 100 fl oz. tin of crushed tomatoes from Costco for $3.89. I then add spices to taste, sauteed onion and garlic, and if I want, a package of Italian flavour ground soy for some protein.

I then put it in the small rectangle (2-3 cups??) Ziploc containers and freeze 4-5 of them in the fridge freezer and I have pasta sauce! Instead of spending $3-4 for one jar of sauce, I get 4-5x the amount for $3.89, plus spices and a bit of garlic and onion. The soy, if added is also about $3.89 but still, that equals at least half of what I would pay for the same amount of jars!

Because the crushed tomatoes are really thick and paste like, you can even add a fair amount of water and get even more if you like. I usually run the container under hot water for a couple seconds and then pop it out and into a saucepan with 1/2-1 cup of water, so it won't burn when reheating and so it isn't so thick, although I love a thicker sauce.

It works for homemade pizza, pasta and lasagna recipes.

An even better sauce is Rose (I can't find the French accent for over the "e"). I make a homemade white sauce, which is super easy and do half and half white and red sauces.

White Sauce
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp flour
1 1/4 c. slightly heated milk
~ 1 c. grated cheese of choice
~1/2c. parmesan
salt & pepper to taste

Melt butter and add flour. Cook until bubbly but not browned. Slowly add milk as you whisk it to remove any lumps. Cook over med, stirring regularly, until thick. Add grated cheese and ~ 1/2c. parmesan and s & p to taste.

I make this for the boy and use it as a Mac & Cheese sauce, fantastic over spaghetti and red sauce and then baked until bubbly, and added to red sauce for rose.

Those are my ideas for today.

Anybody had any luck with coupons? I find many of them are for things I don't use. I've found many America sites but not much for Canada.

Next up, super easy homemade pizza dough that requires no rising, is easy to make with either white or whole wheat flour and tastes great!