This is a place where I share how I've stretched a penny, saved a penny and in many cases spent no pennies.
One of the ways to help meet our financial goals is to have a zero waste, or as close as I can, kitchen. This year you will see me talking about re-purposing leftovers, cooking from the pantry, and making things stretch.
Sometimes there is no need to makeover the leftover. I made a dinner buffet by heating up all of the leftovers from Christmas. I sat everything on the counter and it was a pick and chose meal.
After the leftover buffet there were still leftovers. I added hot dogs to the beans for a beanie weenie dinner and provided the leftover green beans and potatoes as a side. Both Chuck and I ate beans and hot dogs from time to time as kids. This meal was a throw back treat for Chuck.
A choice of turkey or ham for a grilled sandwich lunch. I used turkey and swiss on my sandwich.
The pot pie filling I didn't need was made into a lunch item. It was topped with leftover stuffing and heated in the oven to make the stuffing a little crisp.
I used the last of the macaroni and cheese along with some diced Christmas ham to make a ham and mac casserole. Megan happened to pop in just after I had made this and asked what was for dinner.
It was dinner time, but Chuck and the neighbor were out trying to get the van running. A story for another day. Anyway, Megan cracked me up when I asked her if she wanted it and she said, "are you trying to get rid of leftovers?" Absolutely! Pared with some leftover peas and her dinner was served.
I have two sizes of ramekins that I use often. It helps with portion control and makes an ordinary food item fun.
By this time the leftovers had dwindled and frankly I was tired of remaking things. The rest of Christmas dinner (ham, turkey and gravy)was packaged up and placed in the freezer. In a month or so we will welcome the ham and turkey, but for now we are over them. Oh, and don't worry they were tucked away long before this post. *wink*
Wealth gained hastily will dwindle, but whoever gathers little by little will increase it. Proverbs 13:11
It's a great reminder to tackle our financial goals bit by bit. So there you go. I hope this encourages you to do things to save money. The old adage that every penny counts seems to apply more and more these days. I find it's much harder to stretch my pennies into nickles. *smile* I find it encouraging to hear about other frugal adventures and I hope you do also.