14 Grocery Store Hacks That Will Save You Money
Today, I am sharing how I spent $40 at Aldi with the goal of having food to eat both now and later.
These are my best grocery store hacks that will save you tons of money. I will tell you what kinds of items I buy during the winter season and how I use simple food preservation techniques like a honey ferment, dehydrating, and canning to keep my produce and my pantry items months beyond their expiration date.
Let’s dive into my frugal grocery haul!
1. Freezing eggs
I picked up two dozen eggs with the intention of freezing them in snack-sized bags of single, double, and triple eggs.
Frozen eggs keep fresh for one year, and once defrosted, they cook up just the same as fresh eggs for your omelets and can be used in baking.
Freezing eggs allows me to keep over 30 eggs in a single gallon-sized bag that fits right on my freezer door. It is truly a space saver and an easy way to stock up on an ingredient I use so much.
2. Honey lemons
Honey has an eternal shelf life, making it one of my favorite ingredients to make fruits and herbs shelf-stable. Raw honey is even better because it retains most of the beneficial nutrients and antioxidants that regular honey processes out.
The winter months are citrus season, which means lemons, limes, and oranges are at their lowest annual cost and best flavor.
This month, I used raw honey to preserve Meyer lemons to make an easy and delicious herb that works to soothe sore throats, make vinaigrettes for salads, and glazes for meats.
Meyer lemons are less acidic than regular lemons and mildly sweet. Lemons that are preserved this way retain all of their probiotics, antioxidants, and vitamin C. Feel free to add a few slices of ginger, and the jars just look so pretty.
3. Dehydrating lemons
Once dehydrated and sealed, lemons easily last for up to a year. I love rehydrating lemons to use in my hot or iced teas, baking them with fish, dropping them in pasta water, or using them in my lemon chicken casserole recipe.
4. Apple juice
I use apple juice to make my sweet and spicy onion jam, which is one of my most used pantry items. It is perfect as a sandwich topping, glaze for meats, in stews or for snacking.
This jam only takes 10 minutes to make and I water bath it in jars, making them shelf stable for 12 months.
5. Pickled eggplant
I found these eggplants for just $0.99 each and in great condition with firm skin and deep color, so I decided to make a delicious Italian based pickled eggplant recipe known as Melanzane Sott’Aceto, which can be used as a sandwich bread or pasta and salad topping.
Pickled eggplant lasts for months in your fridge, but will get eaten much sooner.
6. Canned soup
It is soup season, so I picked up several cans of diced, plain, Italian and spicy blend tomatoes to fold into a large pot of taco soup. I will be adding frozen mixed vegetables along with fresh diced peppers.
While nothing beats homemade stock and broth, when I cook large pots of soup, I sometimes opt for store-bought to reserve my inventory for dishes where my home-canned recipes can really shine, such as chicken-based soups.
I like to combine stock and broth so I can get flavor and texture. This soup turned out amazing, and after I pressure canned it, I had 10 quarts of customized flavor on my shelf and dinner for tonight.
7. Spaghetti squash
I just love spaghetti squash. I love how easy they are to prepare, how you can top them with anything, and how they last for months if kept out of direct light, unrefrigerated.
I am still going through my summer spaghetti squash, but I wanted to pick up a few more to get me through the winter season until it is time to plant them again. And at $0.99 a pound, this cannot be beat.
8. Orange marmalade
Making and canning orange marmalade is so fun. I can make it for pennies a jar and use it year round. You can also use it in your cooking like in stuffed pork loin as a bagel topping or to sweeten the cocktail and much more. While oranges are in season, I definitely grab lots of them.
9. Black beans
Beans are a humble food, but they are some of the most amazing foods that we can eat, and black beans are my favorite. They are economical and a great value, especially if you buy dried beans.
While they last for over a year on your shelf, I like to create my own canned beans without all the preservatives of store bought canned beans.
10. Vinegar
I also picked up a large container of vinegar, which is so versatile. I use it as a natural cleaner to keep my cut flowers fresh for all of my canning and as a hair rinse.
11. Crackers
Crackers are great in soups, and can be easily topped with fruit and spreads to make quick and filling snacks. Crackers last three months after their expiration date.
12. Ginger
Ginger will last at its best for one month in the fridge. If I have any left over, I will either preserve it in honey or grate it and freeze it, making it last for six months.
13. Salt
I also stocked up on salt which I will use to preserve several oranges and lemons in jars.
14. Oils
Avocado oil has a higher smoke point than olive oil, which makes it better for high heat cooking, and is perfect if you cook with cast iron. Olive oil is also a natural preservative and is what will slow my eggplant from oxidizing. It is also just a pantry staple.
Grocery store hacks
I hope I have inspired you to try more food preservation techniques this winter. What are your favorite frugal grocery shopping hacks? Let me know in the comments!
Next, check out these 7 Quick and Easy Canned Meal Recipes.
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