Saving money and cutting corners will become second nature. You'll discover more ways to save money and feed your family better than ever before. The way you handle, store, and cook food will lower your grocery costs.

Save Money Growing Food

Even if you don't have a backyard or a small area of land to grow food, you can supplement your budget by growing food. Many plants grow very well in pots, as long as they are well cared for. One tomato plant can yield up to thirty pounds of fresh tomatoes over a growing season. Choose fruits, vegetables, and herbs that can be frozen or dried to preserve your harvest.

You can have a few small pots with some herbs growing on a sunny windowsill in your kitchen. Fresh herbs are one of the most expensive items in the grocery store, and they add fabulous flavor and aroma to foods. Grow them at home!

Save Money Storing Food

Remember to clean out your fridge once a week and your freezer once every three months. Rotate foods, using the oldest first, making sure to mark the dates food was purchased, stored, or frozen. You might want to think about posting a list of the leftovers on your fridge so you don't forget about that bit of cooked chicken or broiled salmon. To wrap foods properly, first be sure they are completely cool. Cool food, unwrapped, in the refrigerator. Then layer waxed paper or plastic wrap on top of foil and either cover the food tightly, or wrap it completely, being sure there are no exposed parts of the food. Squeeze out any excess air, and seal with freezer tape. Be sure to label those packages!

In the freezer, wrap foods properly. Freezer burn is caused by dehydration, which is caused by improper wrapping. The freezer is a very dry place, and unless food is stored in freezer bags or containers, well wrapped (not just the end tucked into a package), it will dry out. Food with freezer burn isn't dangerous, but it is unpalatable.

In your pantry, make sure that you can see all of the food stored there. Wire baskets and shelves will help separate foods so you can see what's on hand. Group the same types of foods together and use older foods first. And again, mark the purchase date on the product and follow use-by dates to the letter.

Save Money Cooking

Undercooked or overcooked food is wasted as much as food that is allowed to go bad in your refrigerator. Be sure that you understand “doneness.” For instance, meats have specific temperatures at which they are safe to eat (see table below). A meat thermometer is a good investment that will help you prevent waste.

Meat Doneness Temperatures

Meat	Doneness	Internal Temperature
Ground Meats	Well Done	165ºF
Beef	Rare	140ºF
Beef	Medium	145ºF
Beef	Well Done	160ºF
Chicken Light Meat	Well Done	165ºF
Chicken Dark Meat	Well Done	170ºF
Whole Chicken	Well Done	180ºF
Pork	Medium Well	155ºF

Learn the difference between “crisp” and “tender” when cooking vegetables and train yourself to recognize when pasta and rice are perfectly cooked. These skills come with experience; when you're beginning, rely on cooking times in recipes.

Watch foods carefully when they are sautéing, broiling, baking, or grilling. Set your timer for a few minutes short of the shortest cooking time in a recipe so baked goods won't burn.

There are many places to save money on purchasing appliances. From eBay to exchange sites like Freecycle, you can find good deals on slow cookers, pressure cookers, toaster ovens, and kitchen utensils.

You can also save money with the appliances you choose to use. Slow cookers, pressure cookers, toaster ovens, and microwaves operate for just pennies. Think about the amount you're cooking when you preheat an appliance. If you only need to toast a few nuts, use your toaster oven or microwave rather than using your large regular oven. Only preheat your oven when necessary. For example, recipes that will cook in the oven for longer than one hour don't need any preheating time.

Save Money with Leftovers

Refrigerate leftovers promptly so they can be used. Remember, any perishable food (that includes meat and dairy) that is left out more than two hours at room temperature MUST be discarded because it can develop bacteria and toxins that will make you sick.

Collect recipes that use small amounts of leftovers. For instance, if at the end of the week you have a cup of ground beef, ½ cup of cooked carrots, some mashed potatoes, and grated cheese left over, combine those for a filling that you stuff into pizza dough to make calzones. A quick stir-fry (just to heat up cooked ingredients) is also an excellent way to use bits and pieces of leftover food.

Plan leftovers too. If you're cooking chicken breasts, cook one or two extra and refrigerate promptly. Then use the cooked chicken later that week in a sandwich spread or in chicken noodle soup. If you're splurging and serving salmon fillets, cook one more and save it to toss with spaghetti, chopped tomatoes, and pesto to make another entire meal.