more from thriftyfun

Stretching Your Food Budget


Trying to make budget meals exciting can be a challenge these days. I use a three-pronged approach:

1. To stretch meals, I use a metal meat tenderizer tool to pound the meat. It tenderizes the cheaper cuts of meat and makes the portions seem larger.


2. To bring some excitement and color to meals I use diced colored bell peppers, parsley, red onions, canned mushrooms: whatever seems to be on hand and is colorful to bring some sparkle to the dish. These additions also help stretch the dish without too much added cost.


3. Adding a little extra seasoning helps to fool my tongue into thinking I'm having a larger portion because the taste is intensified. A happy tongue means a happy tummy.

By Frazzled Leslie from New Orleans LA

Save Seeds From Store Bought Tomatoes

I bought a tomato at the store and squeezed the seeds onto a paper towel. After they dried, I cut the paper around the seed and planted them in good potting soil. Keep damp and you will have tomato plants in about a week. I tried planting seeds immediately after squeezing the tomato and they did not grow, so you must dry the seeds.

By Dajavooi from Independence, MO