One of the best ways to save money is to make the most of what you have. You can easily do that with this one inexpensive kitchen tool that always saves money.
And just what is that tool? It’s your handy kitchen scraper.
A good quality scraper (or spatula, as some folks call it) will let you get the last little bits of food out of a container. A heat-resistant scraper (often made of silicone) is very useful for getting the last bits of melted chocolate, hot fudge or pudding out of your pan. It’s great for scraping out the last margarine, mayo, or peanut butter from an almost empty jar. And you can use it to spread frosting, too.
See how I use a scraper to save money in the video below:
You can easily get one or even two more servings out of a container with an inexpensive scraper and a few seconds of your time. That little bit you save from the bottom of a jar adds up to savings over time and reduces food waste, too!
What are some of your favorite inexpensive kitchen tools?
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I love my mini-cutting board, my stock of (clean) plastic food containers to send leftovers home with friends/family, glass mason jars with lids to keep all manner of dry and perishables both fresh and visible, and a giant wooden spoon for sticky foods (cookie and muffin mixes, etc). And of course, a good set of glass pyrex with lids—glass can be heated/frozen/room temp and doesn’t leech stuff into your food or stain.
That is a great list! I have many of those same things…. and I think the mini cutting board is one of my favorites!
My favorite money saver is a black permanent marker. I use it to label leftovers with an expiration date. Boxed broth for example gets a date two weeks after opening. Frozen ground beef is dated 3 months out. This has saved me a bundle by dramatically reducing the amount of food that I toss.
Excellent, Paul! I try to write dates on things, too… although if it is a reusable container, I’ll write it on some masking tape and then slap it on. Works great!
I agree. Those are some of my favorite kitchen tools too. Ironically I just bought 3 silicone spatulas for family members to use in their dorm room/apartment. I’d also add Twix It type clips to the list. They are great for closing bread bags, snack bags and more. Ikea sells a bag at a decent price.
A funnel. Am always buying large economy sized spices/condiments and filling smaller bottles.