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Save Money on Canned Foods Copyright © by Michelle Jones, Founder of GrocerySavingTips.com Tip # 1 - My number one tip for canned goods... buy the store brands and stock up when they're on sale! Prices for name brand canned goods have really increased over the years so don't buy them unless they are on sale or a store brand is unavailable (see Tip # 3). Tip # 2 - Most store brands are very high quality and offer a money-back guarantee, don't be afraid to ask for your money back if you're not happy with the product. You may even be helping the company take measures to improve the product! Tip # 3 - Some canned food items do not have a store brand and in this case (if you just can't live without the item), at least buy it when it goes on sale and/or make good use of coupons! Tip # 4 - Don't waste money on dented cans, but if you drop one and dent it yourself, don't put it back on the shelf. Dented cans are safe if used right away, so go ahead and purchase the can and just use it up soon. Really, the only time dented cans are not safe is when the seal at the top or bottom is broken, and in that case, the store will have to throw them away. Tip # 5 - Many canned foods such as green beans, carrots, corn and peas are also available frozen, keep an eye on sales and pack that freezer full when you find a good one! (Use frozen produce within 3-6 months for the best flavor.) Tip # 6 - Wow, soups have really gotten expensive! So as with many products, the best thing to do is buy them only when they're on sale, or save even more by making your own at home. And forget paying 99˘ for a can of chicken stock, every time you boil a chicken you've got free chicken stock!!!
Tip # 7 - Spaghetti Sauce, ditto! Just like the chicken stock, make a large pot of sauce and divide it into airtight freezer storage containers. If your budget is really tight just use a little sauce with each meal so the batch will last longer. Example: Instead of dividing a batch of homemade sauce into two portions, divide it into three or four. Tip # 8 - Buy FRESH grocery items instead of canned, when in season! Tip # 9 - Many canned vegetables, like green beans, baked beans and yams, come in large family-size containers. And often, they are cheaper to buy this way. (Especially when they are on sale!) If you do not have a large family and are unable to use up all the food within a couple of days just pop the leftovers in the freezer. You don't have to have a large family to benefit from large "family size" sales. Tip # 10 - Since I was a young child, my mom always saved small amounts of leftover vegetables in her freezer to make all kinds of delicious (and frugal!) soups. You could also do the same with small leftover amounts of cooked beef, poultry or ham (for added protein), and add pasta or rice for heartier soups. * * * Readers' Tips... Contact Michelle to Submit a Tip "I've gone through countless amounts of tomato paste because my recipe calls for 1 or 2 T. of tomato paste and the rest ends up getting thrown away because I can't use it fast enough. Now I take the unused portion in the can and plastic wrap into 1-2 T. dollops and freeze them. Then when a recipe calls for a tablespoon, I just pop one tablespoon out of the freezer straight into the skillet. I can't say it's saved me a ton of money, but at least I'm not wasting tomato paste!" - Debbi "When I buy canned vegetables, I go to Aldi. They taste just as good as the name brands but they are only 45 cents compared to 80 to $1. Most store brands around the Indianapolis area are around 55 - 60 cents each. So, I go to Aldi and buy 12 cans of each vegetable we like which saves a lot of money over the course of a year." - Julena "Stock-Chicken, beef or turkey, can also be made up in the Crock Pot as well as simmered on the store. I prefer to use the Crock Pot or sometimes the tabletop oven roaster, cooking on low. I just let the bones, water and veggies simmer all night in the Crock Pot. I purchase the bouillon base at Sam's club or grocery stores also carry it, and add it instead of salt. I get flavor and salt at the same time. Remove the veggies, and refrigerate the stock to bring the fat to the top for easy removal. At that point you can freeze it, or now use it as a soup base." - Patricia "When a recipe calls for a small amount of tomato paste or chicken stock (or any other cooking liquid), I take the remaining paste or stock and put it in ice cube trays, plastic wrap and freeze them. When they are frozen, put them in a labeled bag and use as needed. You can always fill up one ice cube section with water and measure the amount beforehand, to know how much paste or stock you get with one cube." - Samina "Tomato paste in a tube is a little more expensive than the stuff in a can, but it lasts indefinitely in your fridge. I have saved a ton of money by not wasting the extra tomato paste from the cans." - Melissa Smith "This tip is
about canned food. Some grocery stores have a room or aisle
towards the back of the store for markdown and scratch & dent
items. The grocery store I worked at a couple years ago would mark
down all the dented cans to 25 or 50 cents. - Abby J.
(Editor's Note: Dented cans are safe as long as the dent is on the
side of the can and not on the top or bottom edge, which seal the
can closed.)
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