Did I scare you with making your own cheese? I hope not. What I am trying to get at here is for people to take a chance. I want people to try something new and realize that they can do things with out having to buy them. Once you start this, then you raise your family's standard of living PLUS start to save money in the process.
Is there an investment? Yes! And that investment is in YOU. It is in knowledge and in household tools that can be found cheaply and easily. The knowledge you will gain from reading my blog posts, but as my father says: you need the right tool for the right job.
So you guessed it, today's blog topic is going to be on TOOLS!
What tools do you need in order to save money? Well, first of all put down those silly books that have you cough up $35 for their "system". This is not about a system, its about saving you money in the long run by giving you the structure and the tools to work with in your own life and increasing your standard of living.
The kitchen is the largest area of money savings. The tools you have in the kitchen will empower you to go beyond what is largely available for retail sale for the food industry. Food preparation tools, small appliances, and hand tools are easily found in stores like Williams and Sonoma, Bed Bath and Beyond, and many other retail establishments. Buying tools here can and will create a huge debt mountain in your credit card fairly quickly. This is the problem that we are facing today. "Keeping up with the Jones'" is burying us in debt. Contrary to popular belief, you can indeed wait for that new kitchen set, the deluxe food blender, and the commercial grade range.
Lots of people feel that they have to have the perfect xyz item, have the biggest kitchen with lush counters, and picture perfect decor. To have a good showing in the cul-de-sac society, the competition is with the McMansion next door, giving people the compulsive need to have that dazzlingly shiny Kitchen Aid, Brevilles, or Cusinarts are on display at the neighbors house. But does anyone really use them?
Do they even know how? The more important question is: Did they have to buy them new? The answer to to most of those questions above is: NO. You can have the same functionality of a tool with out shelling out huge money, and save money by actually using rather than having it as an object d' art on your counter.
One place people don't look, but really should, for kitchen tools is in antique shops, thrift stores, used furniture stores, yard sales, and "junk" stores. These places are famous for having odd ball kitchen tools for pennies on the dollar of original cost. Do check in with them regularly, as many places will get incoming stock on a daily or weekly basis. But as with any "hit or miss" shopping experience, you have to make up rules to keep your pocket book under control. My Mom makes it a point to shop once a week at the Salvation Army store near her on half price day. That is the ONLY day she will allow herself to go over there. If she did not do this, she freely admits that any savings that she did gain would be spent on things that were more want vs. need and at a price that is double what she would pay on Wednesday to begin with. Don't think it works? Mom got a breadmaker for $10. I looked up the price on amazon and found it selling USED for $100. That model sold new for $250. That is just ONE of the items she has found at rock bottom prices.
Before we jump on the power tool bandwagon, or er..the small appliance soap box....
Before there was this great thing called electricity, many people did far more with HAND TOOLS. Gasp! Shock! Horror! Say it isn't true! It is folks.
Hand tools are a GREAT way to save money. They may cost you time upfront, but they will save the money for you in the long run.
Did you know that every attachment the stand mixers have, you can get as a hand tool!
-Meat Grinder? Yep
-Pasta Maker? Yep
-Ice Cream Maker? Yep
-Wisk? Yep
-Food Processor? Yep (you have heard of a grater or a knife, right?)
-Dough Hook?.... Well, if you have arms, you can use what God gave you. If you don't this may be the one place you slide the small appliance into the "need" category.
So what small appliance tools do I suggest having in your kitchen?
-Stand Mixer with dough hook
-Hand Mixer (if Stand Mixer is out of your budget)
-Food Processor
-Blender
-Electric Skillet
-Food Scale
All of these can be found, if you shop consistently in the thrift store circuit.
Since the "Pink Slime" scare is currently front and formost in the media headlines, let us look at how we can provide hamburger, meatballs, and other ground meat products with out buying them pre packaged.
When you make something, control is taken away from the middle guy and is placed in your lap. You control the product. You control what goes into it, and what doesn't. You control the salt and fat content. You know if you make it, there is no gluten in there, because you didn't add any bread products.
How to Make Awesome but Cheap Hamburger
Take a stroll through your supermarket meat section. Find the "Manager's Special" (the stuff that is still good, but its at the end of the shelf life to sell), buying it will get you a nice cut of meat for a fraction of the cost, and you will make your own hamburger if you add suet to the mix.
Yes, I said suet. It is fat, and is available from your grocery store in a far corner of the refrigerated meat area. If not on display, ask the folks behind the counter. Please don't make that face. Yes, that one... It is already there in all hamburger products. No pink slime, honest.
Your meat supplier adds suet to all ground meat. This is evident in the % lean statement that is on each label. Add the percentage that you find you like (if it is 90% lean, then just add 10% fat). Still confused? Break the pounds down to ounces. We have 16 oz in 1lb, right? 10% of 16 is?... 1.6oz. So for every pound, you are putting in 1.5 (give or take) ounces into your beef for fat.
To grind the beef, cut into strips that will fit into your grinder and then interchange putting the beef and the fat through the grinder. Mix together evenly in bowl once ground. Patty and grill as normal!
Do note that some grinders have different size "die". The "die" is the disk that extrudes the size of the grind you are looking for. Some people like a fine grind, and some like one that is akin to that of a chop steak. Add some salt and pepper an you have made your own hamburger!
Just be sure to grind, cook (and/or) freeze that day if using "manager's special" products. There is no refrigerator time left on those meat products. Mind the dates on all meat labels and you will be just fine!
In my next post, I will be listing my "Killer Meatball" recipe... Later everyone, I gotta get outside and start working in the garden if I expect to have anything to can (as in canning...as in "canned tomatoes... c'mon folks, work with me here!) in the months to come.
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