We make ourselves promises to exercise more, eat less and even ditch a few ingredients.
My favourite way to begin a new year is to go back into the past, capture the lessons, and bring them into the present to reorient the future. So, what if this year, besides all the regular intentions, we begin our food journey anew with a look at the frugal kitchens of bygone times? From here, we can glean wisdom that can be practised today.
The rising cost of energy and groceries is not new. Both these situations have happened before, yet we collectively forget the lessons learned during those times. As a society becomes more affluent, we lose the importance of frugality, contentment and gratitude. Let’s take the time at the beginning of this year to research the past. We might gain insight into how these old-fashioned frugal tips from kitchens of the past alleviated times of lack.
Use what you have first
Frugal foodies look in their pantry at what they have right now. They don’t go grocery shopping if they can make abundance with what is at their fingertips. If one or two packaged items are missing, they use other ingredients to make them from scratch. This teriyaki sauce is simple to make, and this salted caramel sauce is even easier. Check your own pantry to see what you can make right now. You won’t need to run to the store and spend money unnecessarily. Your grocery bill will be lower because you won’t need to purchase items you already have.
Plan ahead
If you remember Gran’s kitchen, you would recall proper planning was her first measure of success. When we plan ahead, we apply strategic thinking to the preparation of household nourishment and thoughtful care to preserve household wealth. It doesn’t matter how wealthy you may be; if you don’t plan ahead and consider your finances, you’ll soon erode any riches you may have. One way to do this is by organising meals ahead of time. Not only does this give us a sense of control, but it also gives a sense of security that we have things covered, even if it’s only for a little while. This Korean chicken and sweet potato noodle stir-fry and this Moroccan chicken stir-fry are lovely meals to prepare ahead and pop into the freezer. When you’re ready to eat them, simply reheat them!
Take stock of waste
According to Foodbank, almost 8 million tonnes of food are wasted each year, even though most of it is perfectly edible. Plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables are discarded by retailers simply because they aren’t picture-perfect or the correct shape. Shoppers feed into this behaviour by choosing only what looks perfect, then tip leftovers and unused food from their kitchens into the bin.
Folks from bygone kitchens would never do that. Tea bags would be used more than once. Bacon fat would be saved. Baking paper and foil would be cleaned and reused (provided it was salvageable), and stale bread would become crumble. Frugal kitchens would take stock of waste and monitor how they used fresh produce. They would think creatively about what they could do with the food so that it was stretched as far as possible. Try it in your kitchen. Leftover lamb? Turn it into this delicious casserole.
A melange of ingredients in the fridge? Make these stuffed potato cakes or this leftover brekky casserole.
You could even turn them into this brunch slice.
Bread going stale? Make this banana and chocolate bread and butter pudding with it instead of throwing it into the bin.
Simple, old-fashioned tips like these will help reorient your mindset to one of planning and preservation. It will also help you consider your grocery budget and help you develop frugal practices for the year ahead.
More frugal kitchen tips
10 simple flatbreads you can keep in your freezer
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