I have always been intimidated by the notion of making my own yoghurt. Some of the recipes I found required a double boiler or candy thermometers - too complicated for this girl. Then I happened upon a tip in Mary Hunt's, Everyday Cheapskate's Greatest Tips and it was so simple I gave it a try. I modified it a smidge because it is winter right now and my home might be cooler than Mary anticipated.
Here are the directions: Boil two litres of milk. Allow to sit in a cool place until it is lukewarm. Add 1 Tbsp of Danone Plain Yoghurt (I added two). Stir. Cover. Let sit over night and it's ready the next day. I put the pot on a heating pad set on low overnight. The yoghurt was delicious!
I did the math to see what my savings were.
Commerically prepared yoghurt generally comes in 750 gram containers (3 cups) that can range in price from $2.50-$4.50. So, per cup, store-bought yoghurt costs $0.83-$1.50 per cup.
We can purchase gallon buckets of yoghurt for $9.00, which works out to 56 cents per cup. The only drawback is you might not be able to eat a full gallon of yoghurt before it spoils. And it takes up quite a bit of room in the fridge.
Now some good news! Here, milk costs range from $3.70-$4.99 per 4 litres (about a gallon). So, per cup, homemade yoghurt is a mere $0.23-$0.31 per cup. What a huge savings for very little work.
Plain yoghurt is great for baking, smoothies, tzitziki - lots of options. For breakfast, I like to eat it with museli. You can add different flavourings. One of my favourites is a little vanilla extract with a pinch of stevia for sweetening. My son likes it mixed with a little homemade strawberry jam.
It's nice to be able to control the quality of our foods - the amount of sugar, additives, thickeners, colourings. Give it a try, it's easier than you think!
Friday, December 7, 2012
The Mighty Thrift Store!
Thrift store shopping may not be for everyone, but it is the most popular store in our town. Every morning there are lineups to get in, and on sale days it is difficult to find parking! True, some thrift stores require you to sort through wornout or dirty items, but the tremendous finds can definitely be worth it.
Yesterday our thrift store had a two dollar bag day sale - everything you could stuff into a plastic grocery bag for two bucks! For $4, here is what I scooped:
- 13 pocket books
- 3 audio books on tape (we still keep an audio cassette player and VCR - tapes for these machines are virtually free)
- 3 children's books
- 3 fleece pullovers for my little guy
- 2 pullover sweaters for me
- 1 mens' shirt
- 1 fancy sweater for my daughter
- 1 lace top for my daughter
So, 27 items for $4.00! That's 15 cents an item!!
Some of these purchases will find their way under the Christmas tree. My kids, particularly my oldest, are into recycling and 'green' living. Reducing, reusing and recycling are virtues in our home, which makes gift giving a little easier. I try to find high quality items that suit my child's needs and tastes. Some items will be bought new, but many are homemade or thrift store finds.
I encourage you to check out your local thrift and consignment stores!
Yesterday our thrift store had a two dollar bag day sale - everything you could stuff into a plastic grocery bag for two bucks! For $4, here is what I scooped:
- 13 pocket books
- 3 audio books on tape (we still keep an audio cassette player and VCR - tapes for these machines are virtually free)
- 3 children's books
- 3 fleece pullovers for my little guy
- 2 pullover sweaters for me
- 1 mens' shirt
- 1 fancy sweater for my daughter
- 1 lace top for my daughter
So, 27 items for $4.00! That's 15 cents an item!!
Some of these purchases will find their way under the Christmas tree. My kids, particularly my oldest, are into recycling and 'green' living. Reducing, reusing and recycling are virtues in our home, which makes gift giving a little easier. I try to find high quality items that suit my child's needs and tastes. Some items will be bought new, but many are homemade or thrift store finds.
I encourage you to check out your local thrift and consignment stores!
Saturday, December 1, 2012
Karin's Minestrone
One way to cut grocery bills is to increase the amount of soup in your diet. Perhaps serve soup before the main course to decrease the amount of meat required by your family. Or have a soup night with homemade bread - yum. Years ago, my friend, Karin, gave me her Minestrone recipe and it is superb. This makes quite a large volume. I use glass one litre canning jars to freeze it - just be careful not to fill them too full or the glass jar will break (experience speaking!)
Karin's Minestrone
Saute: 2 cloves of garlic, 2 chopped onions, 1 cup of chopped celery in a Tablespoon of cooking oil until tender
Add: 2 cups of diced carrots, 2 cups of shredded cabbage, 2 (19oz) cans of tomatoes with liquid, 10 cups of beef stock, 1 cup of chopped parsley, 1 tsp each of salt and pepper. Cover and simmer 20 minutes.
Add 2 cups of dry noodles, 2 cups of chopped zucchini, 6 cups of canned kidney beans (undrained), 4 cups of cooked hamburger. Simmer ten minutes more or until noodles are cooked.
Serve garnished with parmasan.
* If you are freezing the soup, add the zucchini and noodles to the container uncooked. Otherwise both will be very mushy when you reheat to serve.
Karin's Minestrone
Saute: 2 cloves of garlic, 2 chopped onions, 1 cup of chopped celery in a Tablespoon of cooking oil until tender
Add: 2 cups of diced carrots, 2 cups of shredded cabbage, 2 (19oz) cans of tomatoes with liquid, 10 cups of beef stock, 1 cup of chopped parsley, 1 tsp each of salt and pepper. Cover and simmer 20 minutes.
Add 2 cups of dry noodles, 2 cups of chopped zucchini, 6 cups of canned kidney beans (undrained), 4 cups of cooked hamburger. Simmer ten minutes more or until noodles are cooked.
Serve garnished with parmasan.
* If you are freezing the soup, add the zucchini and noodles to the container uncooked. Otherwise both will be very mushy when you reheat to serve.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)