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TODAY'S THRIFTY TIP from GopherCentral.com newsletter:
Tomato-based pasta sauces:
A jar of spaghetti sauce typically
runs $2 to $6. The equivalent amount of canned tomatoes is often under $1. Our
suggestion: Make your own sauces from canned crushed tomatoes or fresh tomatoes
� particularly in the summer, when they are plentiful, tasty, and cheap. The
easiest method is to put crushed tomatoes (canned or fresh) into a skillet, stir
in some wine or wine vinegar, a little sugar, your favorite herbs, and whatever
chopped vegetables you like in your sauce � and let simmer for an hour.
Gluten-free baked goods:
If you aren't diagnosed with celiac
disease or a gluten intolerance, keep in mind that gluten-free doesn't
necessarily mean healthy�and gluten-free baked goods like bread, cookies, and
crackers often are packed with more refined flours, artificial ingredients, and
sugar than traditional baked goods. Plus, they can cost up to twice as much as
you'd normally spend.
Powdered iced tea mixes or prepared flavored
iced tea:
Powdered and gourmet iced teas are really a rip-off! It's much
cheaper to make your own iced tea from actual (inexpensive) tea bags and keep a
jug in the fridge. Plus, many mixes and preparations are loaded with high
fructose corn syrup and other sugars, along with artificial flavors. To make 32
ounces of iced tea, it usually takes 8 bags of black tea or 10 bags of herbal,
green, or white tea. If you like your tea sweet but want to keep calories down,
skip the sugar and add fruit juice instead.
'Snack' or 'lunch'
packs:
These 'all-inclusive' food trays might seem reasonably priced (from
$2.50 to $4.00), but you're actually paying for the highly designed label,
wrapper, and specially molded tray. They only contain a few crackers and small
pieces of cheese and lunchmeat. The actual edible ingredients are worth just
pennies and are filled with salt.
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