SAVE MONEY IN THE KITCHEN

There are a number of ways to save money in the kitchen – from clipping coupons to buying bulk – that can make a significant impact on your monthly cash flow.  We have all heard of the “Latte Factor” and how spending a few dollars on your morning coffee can add up to big money over time.  For example, if you spent $4 a day for five days a week, you would spend over $1,000 in a year, and if you earned interest on your money of say 6% or even 8%, you could be spending well over $1,000 a year…just for coffee!

Historically, Americans enjoy one of the cheapest and most abundant food supplies in the world spending around 10% of their disposable income on food.  In 2006, the median annual household income was just over $48,000.  If we use this as our starting point, the average household spends approximately $4,800 annually on food, which breaks down to $92.30 per week and $13.15 per day.  As you can see, spending your money wisely in the kitchen by saving just few dollars every day can make a huge impact to your monthly cash flow.

One of my favorite ways to save money in the kitchen, without sacrificing food quality, is to prepare one or two large meat dishes per week that I can later use to make meals throughout the week.  Generally, over half of my daily food budget, about $9 to $12 per day, goes directly into preparing dinner, with the large majority being spent on the main dish.  By purchasing in bulk and preparing one or two large meals per week, you can reduce your weekly outgo on food by 30% to 50%, saving the average family $28 to over $46 per week.  That’s an average increase of over $1,900 per year in extra cash.

A few of my favorite meals include slow-cooked pork shoulder, turkey and tip roasts.  Below is one of my favorite recipes for slow-cooked pork shoulder that can later be used for tacos, pulled pork sandwiches, enchiladas or a variety of breakfast dishes, salads and soups.  The dish is almost fool-proof but does require about 5 hours of total preparation and cooking time.  As an added savings, pork shoulder is still one of the cheapest meats you can find with a price tag less than $1.99 per pound.  Enjoy!

1. Large pork shoulder trimmed (8-12 pounds)
2. 1 can orange juice concentrate
3. 2-3 cubes beef or chicken bouillon prepared
4. 3-5 jalapeños sliced
5. 2-3 chopped peppers of your choice (Chipotle, Serrano, Anaheim, Habenero, etc.)
6. 2 small onions sliced
7. 1 bulb garlic
8. Cilantro stems (wrapped together with string)
9. 2 limes