5 Tips To Saving Money While Baking The Winter Blues Away

While I love being outdoors with the kids and building snowmen, I’d much rather be baking the Winter blues away. Seriously! There’s just something rustic about being in the kitchen, baking delicious treats and watching the snow fall out the window. The kitchen is definitely one of my favorite places in the house, and as such, I have learned some amazing tips to saving money while doing what I love best – Baking!

So you’re probably wondering how you can save in the kitchen right? It’s simple really. 

1. Freeze Herbs in Butter or Olive Oil

If you’re like me, you probably use a lot of herbs – especially in bread and focaccias. I personally prefer fresh herbs over dried herbs, and one of my favorite ways to preserve them is by freezing them. You can chop them up or leave them whole. Fill the ice tray with olive oil or melted butter and place your herbs in the tray. Freeze them, and they’re ready to use when you need them, not to mention that you now have aromatic, herb infused butter or olive oil!

2. Age Supermarket Balsamic Yourself

While the end result is a glaze, the flavor complexity is immense. It saves you a trip tp the supermarket or speciality market, and it can save you hundreds (yes hundreds) of dollars in the long run. Check out this video from America’s Test Kitchen on how you can age supermarket balsamic yourself.

 

3. Grow Your Own Herbs

Growing your own herbs will transform the way your kitchen smells! Seriously! It’s like having a natural and organic air freshener all year long. Not only will this help you have your herbs within an arm’s reach, but you will be saving money all year long. You’ll have the benefit of knowing that they’re organic and fresh. 

4. Reuse Your Husband’s Grains!

If your husband’s hobby is beer brewing like my husband’s is, then I have a great frugal tip for you! You can use the leftover grains for any baked treat you’d like! Spent grain is perfect for making brownies, muffins, buns, macarons, and so much more! I searched all over the internet for a way to reuse them, and I came across the Brooklyn Brew Shops’s Recipe Archive. They have dozens of recipes for spent grains! 

5. Have Energy Efficient Stove/Oven and Energy Plan to Save Money While Baking

The truth of the matter is that we can be as frugal as we want but if we have an older stove, or an energy company with prices through the roof, all of the efforts we’ve made are for nought. If you have an older oven, then you already know that it takes a lot of energy to preheat it. Between heating your home, cooking, and all the electronics running, your energy bill can go through the roof! Updating your appliances can definitely help a great deal. Switching to an energy provider who understands how families work, and how hard they try to save, can help you even more. 

Direct Energy has a great deal for Ohio consumers right now. You can save up to 14%* over DP&L’s electricity rate, and up to 10%* over Duke Energy’s electricity rate. There’s more! Save up to *5% over The Illuminating Company’s electricity rate, and up to 3%* over Ohio Edison’s electricity rate!

*All savings refers to the current difference between Direct Energy’s fixed rate offer and the Utility’s current Fixed Rate for Basic Service as of January 8, 2016, and does not include any other component of the electricity bill. Utility rates are subject to change and there may be no savings following the respective official utility rate change date. Direct Energy’s fixed rates include electricity supply charges only and excludes delivery/transmission charges, taxes, and all other utility-related charges. Offer is limited and valid for new residential customers only.

So start off the new year right and start incorporating these tips so that you can save money and bake all winter long!