With the weather cooling down and the holidays coming up, there’s one traditional hobby that will make your entire family feel the warmth of the season. Without a doubt, that’s baking and as the temperatures grow colder your cravings for fresh baked goods are probably getting stronger. Although baking tends to be a frugal activity, there’s always room for savings no matter what we choose to do, right? With these ten tips on baking, you should be able to cut the costs of this already affordable hobby, so you and your family can enjoy the warmth of the season and the tastiness of your skills in the kitchen.
1. Use Less Ingredients
I’m sure we all have that one recipe that calls for heaps of different kinds of pricey ingredients. Although the recipe tastes out of this world as is, you can make a few alterations to help offset the cost of such a dish. For instance, if you’re making chocolate chip cookies, you don’t have to use the recommended amount to enjoy the delicious taste. Rather, you can half the recipe or add in something that isn’t as expensive to help make the taste even bolder. Sometimes, you run into food combinations that will take your breath away and save you money. Of course, you also don’t have to make the amount that the recipe produces. Simply fire up your math skills to reduce the ingredients in order to save a bit of money. Also, if the ingredient is entirely too expensive, then you may want to replace it all together. There’s many substitute options offered if you’re looking for a similar taste.
2. DIY Ingredients
A lot of people simply go to the store and don’t think twice about buying ingredients to get their baking in. Although this is fine, especially if you don’t want to add time to your baking, there is another solution to the problem which could save you a whole lot of money in the long run. That is, whipping up a few DIY ingredients. There’s lots of great recipes out there that will allow you to make your own common baking ingredients, such as baking powder, powdered sugar, food color and buttermilk. Generally, you’ll already have most of the ingredients sitting around the house, which is perfect if you’re in a pinch or just want to experiment a little more in the kitchen. You may find that this little trick is your new favorite way to add your own special touch to your baking. Some of the tricks are also healthier for you, particularly making your own food coloring out of fruits.
3. Don’t Waste
Baking can be messy, but it can also be wasteful too, which is never good when you’re on a budget. If you’re looking to cut back on your spending in this area, then you may also want to try to cut back on your wastage too. To begin with, if you have excess dough from any recipe, you can easily wrap it up and place it in the refrigerator. This can come in handy later, especially if you find yourself longing for a baked treat when you don’t want to do the excess work. You could also use the extra to try to squeeze in one last cookie or cupcake. Also, mini pies or breads will make your kids feel special, so consider that option when you’re looking at your extra dough. Other items, like parchment paper, aluminum foil and eve toothpicks can be reused at a later date to help keep you from having to rebuy these items again. Plus, recycling these items is better for the environment, so you’ll be doing your part in more ways than one.
4. Bake in Bulk
Although it’s always nice to allow the oven to heat up the home, rather than the heater, you may want to cut down on frequent baking in order to reduce the gas or electric bill. Instead, plan on a day of baking where you make several different things at once. If this seems too time consuming then simply make the dough on different occasions and freeze it until you intend on doing the actual baking. This can really make the house smell amazing and, if you plan accordingly, you can get the entire family involved which will help the kids learn how to pick up this task too. Of course, you don’t have to eat everything you bake at once. In fact, you should only keep out a small amount of food because homemade items tend to mold faster due to the fact that they don’t have preservatives. The rest of the food can be wrapped up tightly and frozen. Of course, if you’re in the mood to bake in bulk then you may want to start considering holiday gifts too. Halloween is right around the corner, which pretty much kicks off an assortment of holidays until the end of the year. So, you may want to start making all of those holiday inspired cookies now.
5. Off-Season Shopping
Even though the holiday season is coming up, October and November tend to be the best times to buy baking supplies. Many baking pans, sheets and accessories will take a great reduction in price, so make sure to browse around to see if you can find that special something you’ve been longing to use. You may not want to wait until Thanksgiving week to grab these deals though, because the price drop might quickly go back to normal or increase substantially to get more from holiday shoppers. All the same, you could find even better deals if you wait until Black Friday due to the huge sales on this day. The next time you’ll be able to save big on these supplies is after the holidays when all of the holiday themed baking items hit the clearance racks. So, it may be best to check out deals before you even think of buying your Thanksgiving Day turkey.
6. Email Brands
Letting your favorite brands know how you feel is a good way to enjoy some freebies. Some coupons that receive emails from their fans will even go the extra mile to reward them with a free product or some great coupons for being such a loyal fan. There’s actually been many stories of people emailing companies to inquire about products that they inherited from family members. Often, these products are hard to find, so when you go to replace them for sentimental value or out of loyalty, it’s a bit of a hassle. Some companies will respond to the emails by actually sending an item to the writer. As you can imagine, this certainly helps keep the loyalty going strong and even makes some customers feel relieved that they won’t have to give up on family tradition. Keeping up with your favorite brands on social media is another great way to add to the amount of coupons or freebies you can win.
7. Second Hand
They always say that products aren’t made the way they used to be. Thus, it’s no shocker that people like to look for old school items in order to improve their baking capabilities. Some companies still make these items strong and durable, but they tend to cost an arm and a leg. So, if you want to get your hands on a few durable products, then you may want to consider asking family members if they have any bakeware they’d like to part with. This may be easier said than done though because most people don’t want to give up these items. Thus, yard sales might be a more plausible option. You can always check around thrift stores too because these items are commonly found in donations. You might want to ask your local thrift store when they get new stock though because often people will come in as soon as they can to see if these pricey items are available.
8. Bulk Buys
When it comes to shopping for baking supplies, the best thing you can do is buy in bulk. Luckily, there’s lots of options when it comes to doing this and you may not even have to go to a bulk store to find the items. Flour is one of the most common items to buy this way though. You can easily find it in ten pound bags, which should last you for quite some time. You might want to find a special container to store it in though, so you don’t have to worry about it spilling or getting contaminated. Sugar is another fairly common item to find in bulk, but you might have to go to a special store to find a larger bag of it. Yeast, baking soda and other components needed to make bread and other delicious treats can also be purchased in bulk, but you may have to look online for a specialty store for these items. Last but not least, when you go to buy the extra ingredients such as nuts and fruits, you may want to actually look for a specialty store or try your farmer’s market.
9. Coupons
There’s no doubt, when it comes to baking, coupons can be your best friend if you let them be. Your local grocery store should put out a lot of coupons that will help you save on all of your cookie supplies. This will come in handy, especially during the holiday months. A lot of coupons actually come from the manufacturer though and these can really make a big difference. The best thing about them is they usually have a prolonged expiration date, which means you can use them when the price is at its best, which will save you even more money. If you have a few favorite products then you might want to sign up for the brands’ newsletters, so you’ll know when these coupons are available. Of course, don’t overlook the countless coupon websites that will give you a bunch of insights on coupons and keep you posted on all of the latest coupon deals and where you can find them.
10. Find Frugal Recipes
When it comes to baking, sometimes the savings are all in the recipe. There’s lots of recipes out there that call for a variety of items that won’t exactly save you money. However, some recipes are designed to make a tight budget flourish. Luckily, there’s lots of websites dedicated to taking delicious recipes and transforming them into an affordable meal plan. You can find basic to luxurious breads, as well as some of the household’s favorite desserts. With the simple changes you may even find you can try a bunch of new things without having to worry about the budget. All in all, if you already have a favorite recipe then you may be able to transform it into a more frugal recipe on your own. There’s lots of communities that can help you get started on this activity, if you’re feeling lost.
Baking is such an amazing part of the colder months, which is why you shouldn’t have to worry about money when it comes to making your baking great. With these simple tips you should find the savings you’ve been looking for as well as a few more you never expected. Without a doubt, this could be your best year of baking yet.
