4Real Forums: Frugal Friday: Frugal Substitutions

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Topic: Frugal Friday: Frugal Substitutions

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SeaStar
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Posted: March 07 2014 at 9:47am \| IP Logged

Years ago I read in "The TIghtwad Gazette" about substituting raw, unsalted sunflower seeds for other nuts (pecans, etc) in recipes where you are wanting a good crunch without using more expensive nuts.

This was a great tip! It really works for breads, muffins, cookies... I will even put them on yogurt (key is to remember to buy unsalted).

They provide a nice crunch, plus the lowly sunflower seed has several health benefits. Added bonus is the lower cost.

Anyway, this has me wondering what other people use as their favorite, frugal subs... and not just for cooking. What do you use in a pinch or in place of when cost is an issue?

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guitarnan
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Posted: March 07 2014 at 10:23am \| IP Logged

This isn't exactly a substitution, but I often cut back on the amount of grated cheese called for in recipes, particularly in casseroles.

I save the heels from loaves of bread and cube them up, then freeze them. I use these instead of bread crumbs in my turkey meat loaf recipe. My children don't like eating the heels in sandwiches or as toast, but they'll eat them this way!

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SeaStar
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Posted: March 07 2014 at 11:27am \| IP Logged

Excellent idea!

I also recently read on a healthy eating blog that for baked goods you can easily cut the amount of sugar in half without affecting the taste drastically.

I think that is something you might have to play around with to see what your family likes- maybe start by cutting back a quarter, and then if no one complains, cut more.

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JodieLyn
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Posted: March 07 2014 at 12:04pm \| IP Logged

I've saved heels and crusts (cut them off before putting on sandwich fillings) toss them in the freezer whole and then run them through a grater (like a salad shooter or attachment to a mixer like a kitchen aid). Gives you the same sort of fine crumb that you'd buy at the store.

I had a daughter that accidentally left out the sugar in zucchini bread (I think it was) but we add chocolate chips which gave it enough sweetness to counter the unsweet bread. So I could see in some things that cutting back would work. Not sure on cookies though

You can use a sharp cheese and use less in a recipe for the same amount of flavor.

Sometimes just cutting smaller pieces than usual can make less feel like more.. like in a soup or casserole. If you cut your meat into smaller pieces you can still get meat in every bite and use less meat to do it.

somethings would just depend on what you keep on hand. For instance if I happened to run out of baking powder in the middle of something.. I have baking soda and cream of tartar that I could use instead without having to make a special trip to the store.

Also keep canned evaporated milk or dry milk on hand for the same reason.

If you save old towels or other things as rags sometimes you can manage things like increasing the padding on an ironing board without going out and buying a specially made one.. just cut old towels to fit under the cover.

Having iron on patches on hand can save a pair of pants. You can catch holes while they're small or even before the fabric is entirely worn out and patch them. I've been getting ready and had an older pair of pants all of a sudden split at a stress point.. but with an iron on patch.. I could fix them in a few minutes at least temporarily.

I don't buy glass cleaner.. if the glass is actually dirty a bit of dish soap in water and then rinsed will get it cleaner (outside windows and such). But most of the time a small sprinkle of water and a dry cloth to rub the glass dry will leave it clean without streaks (soaps including glass cleaners are more likely to leave streaks).

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