There are so many things we buy that can just as easily be made at home, often for much less than the cost of buying them. Since the end of World War II, and especially since the mid 60s, when supermarkets began to take the place of corner grocers, we have been coerced into thinking that buying is better than making. This is especially true of foods, cleaning products and clothing.
When we began living the Cheapskates way, many so-called convenience products had to be cut from our shopping list because our budget would no longer accommodate such luxuries as ironing spray, liquid hand soap, home-delivered pizzas, ice-blocks, biscuits and cakes, snack pack yoghurts and desserts, soft drink – and the list went on and on. Unfortunately we liked all these things and didn’t want to miss out on them and so finding ways to have them without paying the supermarket prices became a hobby.
The easiest and cheapest way was to make our own, or MOO. And so I began MOOing as many things as I could.
Some of the things that are on my MOO list are:
Let’s Put the Supermarkets Out of Business
One of the best things about living the Cheapskates way is the lack of shopping required. Not only do we shop less often, we buy fewer items and yet we live better than ever.
These days my grocery list for a month is smaller than it used to be for a week! I figured out a long time ago that not only was I buying basically the same things week after week, but many of the things I was buying could multitask. There were so many double-ups on my shopping list that when I sat down and went through it, I was sure I’d made a mistake. I hadn’t.
You can shrink your grocery list too. Think about it. How nice would it be to do a whole month’s grocery shopping and only have one full trolley at the checkout? I can tell you it is just lovely. I shop on the last Tuesday of every month and yes, the trolley is full, but it’s not overflowing and it’s not repeated week after week. How often do you go to the supermarket and always fill a trolley? Then when you get home you have to put it all away, finding places for everything in the pantry, fridge and freezer. It’s exhausting but it doesn’t have to be.
The secret to an incredible shrinking grocery list is double-, triple – or quadruple-duty groceries. For instance, plain flour is used in baking. But it can also be used to make pasta (you can cross lasagne noodles and spaghetti off your list) and gravy (put a line through the gravy powder, too). You can add it to casseroles and stews as a thickener. If you add baking powder to plain flour you won’t need to buy self-raising flour (cross it off your list).
White sugar can be used for many things. When you need caster sugar you can make it quite easily from regular white sugar. Just add the required amount to your food processor – or even better, a spice or coffee grinder if you have one. Use short bursts to grind the sugar until it is the fine grain of caster sugar. You can cross brown sugar off your list too. It’s easy to make by adding molasses to white sugar (see p94).
White vinegar – of course it’s nice on hot chips, but white vinegar also makes a good base for many different salad dressings, can be added to milk in place of lemon juice to make buttermilk and adds flavour to marinades. It’s also great for cleaning. And did you know you can double the amount you have by pouring half a new bottle of white vinegar into a clean, empty bottle and then topping both bottles up with clean, cold water? Let them sit for two weeks and you’ll find you have two bottles of white vinegar, just perfect for cleaning, for the price of one.
Powdered milk does much more than quadruple duty. It makes up milk, of course, but it can also be used to make condensed and evaporated milk. Use it to make hot chocolate mix and in baking in place of fresh milk. You can also use powdered milk to make instant pudding and custard mix, perfect for taking camping or to have on hand for quick desserts. Powdered milk is the basis for homemade cup-a-soups and cream-of soups for casseroles. And it makes wonderful, thick, creamy yoghurt.
Those are just four basic pantry items that do the job of 30 other grocery items! No wonder shopping trolleys are overflowing and families are going broke spending money at the supermarket.
And I haven’t even mentioned bicarb soda or rolled oats or rice or tinned tomatoes, salt, lemons or ginger.
Next time you make up your shopping list take a good hard look at it. What do you have on the list that will do the job of other things on your list? Can you cross those unnecessary items off? Remember, you may need to increase the number of the base item, but you are still going to be saving money, time and energy.
If you really want to save money (and put the supermarkets out of business) then as well as using double-duty products, you’ll need to make your own versions of those everyday foods we buy without thinking. It’s easy to make your own, and cheaper and healthier.
Basic Cheapskates Muffin Mix
1½ cups self-raising flour
½ cup sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
2/3 cup milk
¼ cup oil
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease a 12-hole muffin pan, or line it with muffin cases.
Sift flour in bowl and add remaining ingredients. Stir with a fork until mixed. Spoon into 12-hole muffin pan and bake for 15–20 minutes. If making mini-muffins, bake for 9–10 minutes.
CHEAPSKATES VARIATIONS:
Basic White Sauce Mix
2 cups powdered milk
1 cup plain flour
1 teaspoon salt
250g butter
Combine dry ingredients then add butter and place in a food processor. Blend until mix resembles dry breadcrumbs. Store in a large air-tight container in the fridge. This mix keeps for up to two months in the pantry. Can be frozen for up to 6 months. Makes 4 cups.
To make white sauce, combine ½ cup of sauce mix to 1 cup of cold water. Whisk together to remove lumps. Bring to the boil over medium heat. Simmer for one minute.
CHEAPSKATES VARIATIONS:
Brown Sugar
Brown sugar is a common ingredient in baking and cooking and is one of the easiest things to MOO. You can’t beat homemade brown sugar for freshness and economy. At around a third of the price of the bought product, cost alone would be a good reason to make it.
1kg white sugar
2 tablespoons molasses
Put the sugar into a large bowl and pour the molasses over the top. Using a fork, stir the molasses through the sugar until it is all combined and resembles commercial brown sugar. This can take a while so be patient and keep mixing.
Store the brown sugar in an airtight container in the fridge to stop it going lumpy. Use in your cooking any time brown sugar is required.
CHEAPSKATES VARIATION:
Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 cup boiling water
2 cups white sugar
6 tablespoons butter
2 cups powdered milk
Place water, sugar and butter in a blender and whiz until butter is melted and sugar dissolved. Add milk powder and blend a further two minutes. The mixture will be thin, but thickens to the consistency of condensed milk when cool. Keep it refrigerated.
Makes the equivalent of two tins (600g) and can be used in any recipe that calls for condensed milk.
Evaporated Milk
One more thing to cross off the shopping list! Why spend $3 on a tin of evaporated milk when you can make it at home, any time, for around 40 cents!
2/3 cup milk powder
1 cup cold water
Dissolve milk powder in the cold water. This recipe makes the equivalent of one can (400ml) of evaporated milk.
CHEAPSKATES VARIATION:
Chocolate topping
Kids love ice-cream and ice-cream decorated with hard chocolate topping is an even bigger treat, but it can be a real drain on the grocery budget. With this really simple and very easy recipe you can make your own ice-cream topping whenever you want. To stretch the ice-cream, use this recipe to make choc tops – simply put a scoop of ice-cream into a cone and dip quickly in the topping. Voila – instant choc top! Perfect for home movie nights and sleep overs.
185g of choc chips
¼ cup of canola oil
¼ cup of butter or margarine
Melt all ingredients together until smooth and blended. This can be done over low heat in a saucepan or in the microwave. Spoon or drizzle over ice-cream or quickly dip ice-cream cones into the mixture. Leftovers may be refrigerated and rewarmed as needed, just like the bought kind. Makes 200ml.
CHEAPSKATES VARIATION:
Instant Pudding Mix
One of the treat desserts of my childhood was instant pudding. It seemed like a miracle to us that we could watch Mum beat the milk and the pudding mix for a few minutes, pour it into bowls and voila – we could eat it almost immediately!
It’s still around – you can buy packets of instant pudding at the supermarket – and while it may be a little passé as a dessert, it is very handy to have in the pantry. Like most convenience foods, though, the packaged variety contains a few things I’d rather not feed my family. Making it from scratch, I can control what and how much goes into the mix.
Instant pudding mix is one of our camping staples – it carries easily, is made quickly and can be eaten hot or cold. The kids love it as a snack on cold afternoons or as a supper treat on winter nights. This recipe makes 20 serves at a cost of approximately 12 cents per serve.
Chocolate Pudding Mix
¾ cup powdered milk
1 cup cornflour
1½ cups sugar
¾ cup cocoa powder
¼ tsp salt, rounded
Combine all the dry ingredients and store in an airtight container. The mix fits in a 1 litre jar.
To make up: Add 2/3 cup of mix to a saucepan. Add 2 cups milk and stir until blended. Bring to the boil over a medium heat, reduce heat and simmer while stirring constantly until thickened. Cool and serve. Serves 4.
Vanilla Pudding Mix
1¼ cups powdered milk
1¼ cups cornflour
1½ cups sugar
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/8 teaspoon salt
Combine all the ingredients and store in an airtight container. The mix fits in a 1 litre jar.
To make up: Add ½ cup mix to a saucepan. Add 2 cups milk and stir until blended. Bring to the boil over a medium heat, reduce heat and simmer, stirring constantly until thickened. Remove from heat and add ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract. Cool and serve. Serves 4.
CHEAPSKATES VARIATIONS:
Margarine
Who knew margarine could be so simple? Or so easy to make? A good mixer or food processor to do the mixing will save you time and aching arms as you need to do a lot of whisking in this recipe.
3 tablespoons skim milk powder
6 tablespoons skim milk
½ teaspoon salt
375ml vegetable oil
Beat all ingredients except oil together in a food processor until smooth and thick. Add the oil very slowly, beating constantly. Beat until smooth and thick – it should be the consistency of soft margarine. If not thick enough add a little more milk powder but this margarine does thicken when it sets. Store covered in fridge. Makes approximately 500g.
Mayonnaise
Good egg mayonnaise is expensive and is also one of those common pantry ingredients that we have come to believe is hard to make. Wrong! It is so easy to make a really lovely mayonnaise, flavoured to suit your taste. A sturdy bowl, a strong whisk and a clean jam jar are the only tools you’ll need. And all the ingredients are common pantry ingredients – you don’t even need to buy anything unusual. Give it a go – you will be addicted once you have tried your very own mayonnaise.
2 egg yolks
½ tablespoon dry mustard
pinch salt
good grind of black pepper
10ml white vinegar
300ml sunflower oil
30ml boiling water
Beat egg yolks, mustard, salt and pepper together with whisk until well combined. Whisk in vinegar.
Slowly whisk in the oil in a very thin, continuous stream. The mixture should thicken as you whisk. Keep whisking until all the oil is incorporated into the egg and vinegar mix and the whole mixture has thickened to the right consistency.
Add the boiling water and whisk well. This is what makes the recipe turn white.
Pour into a clean jar, seal and store in fridge. Makes approximately 350ml.
CHEAPSKATES VARIATION:
MOO Peanut Butter
Peanut butter is a favourite sandwich spread, loved by adults and children alike. It is also one of the easiest spreads to MOO. The advantages of this are that you know how fresh it is, exactly what is in it – you get to control the salt, sugar and oil – and it is cheap!
2 cups raw peanuts
1 tablespoon vegetable oil (safflower or sunflower)
Preheat the oven to 200°C. Spread the peanuts onto a baking sheet and roast in the oven for 5–7 minutes until golden brown. You’ll be able to smell them roasting by this time.
Remove from the oven, transfer to a bowl and stir to cool. When the peanuts have cooled completely, tip them into the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process until the peanuts form a paste and roll into a ball. With the processor running, slowly add the tablespoon of oil. Continue processing, stopping to scrape down the sides occasionally. By now the peanut butter should be almost smooth. You can continue processing until it is completely smooth or you can stop now for a crunchy peanut butter.
Scrape the peanut butter into a clean, airtight jar or container. Spread on a slice of toast or a celery stick and enjoy! Makes approximately 375g.
Cheapskates tips:
Shake ‘n’ Bake
20 wheat biscuits
4 cups plain flour (can be wholemeal or a mix of white and wholemeal)
4 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
3 tablespoons paprika
¼ cup vegetable oil
Whizz wheat biscuits in food processor until very fine crumbs. Combine with all other dry ingredients. Stir the oil through, being sure to mix thoroughly.
Store in a sealed container in fridge. This mix will last in fridge almost indefinitely (up to twelve months). Makes 6 cups.
To use: Dip meat in any liquid (egg, milk, salad dressing, etc) then in the Shake ‘n’ Bake. Put on greased and lined baking tray and bake at 180°C for 20–30 minutes for boneless chicken or fish strips; an hour for chicken pieces with bones, i.e., drumsticks and thighs; for bone-in breasts, until the meat is cooked through and the juices run clear, about 40–45 minutes.
Shake ’n’ Bake can also be used to coat steak, rissoles, sausages and fish cakes. To cook these foods after coating, heat a little oil in a frying pan and add food to be cooked. Turn frequently to prevent burning.
Worcestershire Sauce
This is a recipe from my mother’s recipe book. It was originally in pints and ounces, but I converted the measurements to metric when I started making it. It really is as easy as mix and let it steep. I like it because it doesn’t have the traditional anchovies in it, but still has a good bite. The longer the sauce matures the hotter it becomes.
2 litres vinegar
30g garlic, minced
30g cayenne pepper
30g whole cloves
30g salt
1 x 850g tin treacle
2 large lemons
Mix all ingredients together in a plastic bucket and stir to dissolve salt. Chop the 2 lemons and add to the mixture (skin and all). Cover with a tea towel or cheesecloth. Stir daily for 6 days. Strain and bottle. Leave at least two weeks in a cool, dark cupboard to mature. I use a 3-litre glass bottle to store the sauce and decant it into a smaller bottle for kitchen use.
Spreadable Butter
Love the taste of butter but hate not being able to spread it straight from the fridge? This spreadable butter gives you the best of both worlds.
3 tablespoons skim milk powder
150ml water
500g butter, softened (not melted)
250ml olive oil
Mix the milk powder and water and gradually add knobs of the softened butter. Beat with electric beaters until smooth. You can also use a food processor, if you prefer.
Slowly add the oil in a thin stream and continue beating until mixture is cream in colour and fluffy. Store in clean margarine containers in the fridge. This quantity makes 2½ margarine containers (approximately 1.25kg) of spread.
Taco Seasoning Mix
2 teaspoons ground chilli powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground oregano
½ teaspoon salt
Mix all ingredients together and store in a small, airtight jar. Makes 1 cup.
To use: 3 tablespoonfuls is the equivalent of 1 packet of commercial taco seasoning mix.
Vanilla Extract
According to Wikipedia, the vanilla bean is the most expensive spice after saffron, which goes a long way to explaining why a small bottle of pure vanilla extract can cost the equivalent of $140 a litre. And yet vanilla extract is the easiest thing to make. All you do is split some vanilla beans and add them to a bottle of vodka.
With vanilla being such a common flavouring in baking and desserts, having a never-ending bottle of inexpensive, pure extract on hand is a good idea. Being the Cheapskate I am, I use the cheapest vodka I can find. Now, not being a drinker, I wouldn’t know the difference between the cheapest and most expensive anyway. I can still remember the look on the young fellow’s face when I wandered into the bottle shop on Melbourne Cup Day a few years ago and asked for the cheapest bottle of vodka he had. I’m sure he thought I was a bit of a wino, dressed as I was in my yard clothes of old jeans and T-shirt. And when I counted out the change in my pocket to pay for it he was starting to look concerned, bless him.
His relief was visible when I explained I wanted to make vanilla extract – his girlfriend did the same thing. We then spent a lovely ten minutes chatting about where to get the cheapest and nicest vanilla beans and the curing time needed before the extract can be used.
To make your own vanilla extract you’ll need:
6–8 vanilla beans
750ml bottle of vodka
Split the vanilla beans lengthwise and drop them into the bottle of vodka. Screw the lid back on, put the bottle in a cool, dark cupboard and forget about it for around six weeks. That’s it. After the six weeks, have a sniff and if it smells like vanilla extract, it’s ready to use. If it still smells a little of alcohol, let it cure another couple of weeks and do the sniff test again. If it smells right and is dark in colour, it’s good to use.
I have an old commercial vanilla extract bottle from back when I bought the stuff that I keep my kitchen supply in. It holds 200ml and I just decant it as needed. When the vodka bottle is about half empty, I top it up with fresh vodka, add a fresh vanilla bean – I leave the originals, they’re still good – and start the curing over again. If I’ve used a vanilla bean in cooking I drop the scraped pods into the bottle too, so nothing is wasted.
Vanilla beans can be expensive if you buy them from the supermarket – around $10 for two last time I looked. There is a stall at the Queen Vic market in Melbourne where they are $6 for four, a much better price. Or you can even buy them on eBay for around $4 for three. However you buy them, try to get certified organic beans. The vanilla bean most commonly used for extract is the Madagascar Bourbon, which is just the name of the place they come from, not what they are made of, but beans also come from India, Papua New Guinea, Tahiti and Mexico.
I started making vanilla extract after doing some research for another project and finding out just what was in the imitation vanilla essence I had always used mainly because that’s what my mother always used – I just carried on with what I knew and it was cheaper. After finding out that imitation vanilla essence can contain, along with other chemical substances, propylene glycol, which is used in brake fluid among other things, I couldn’t wait to change to pure vanilla extract.
Until I saw how much it was going to cost. Which is when I started to research how to make it myself and have been doing so ever since, around nine years now. If you do a lot of baking and cooking, it really is worth making your own vanilla extract. It’s easy, it’s cheaper, it tastes much nicer and it’s a safer option.