Instead of starting off the first post of this blog with an introduction that includes absolutely nothing of value, I'll share a few random tips I've discovered about baking and buying. Some of these will come into play later as I share recipes and ingredient reviews, but I believe they can help with just about any grocery shopping trip.
-I like to shop in the health food section, but most of these foods are overpriced. However, I'll be sure to pick up an item with an orange "Manager's Special" sticker! Many grocery stores will sell near-expired items for half off or even more. I can get brand-name health foods for even less than the standard generic comparison. (Of course, this applies to more than just health food!)
-Since so much of what I buy is close to the expiration date, I freeze whatever I can. Freezing food makes it usable for much longer, as long as you double-bag loose items to prevent freezer burn. Of course, some packaging will say not to freeze, but there are some surprising foods that are completely fine to freeze. For example, if I only use part of an egg in a recipe, I'll freeze the rest of it in a small container.
-For those foods where nothing is even close to expired, I compare expiration dates and buy the item that has the longest shelf life.
-Since my freezer can't fit all my food, I store some on the shelves as well. I buy both white and whole-wheat flour, so I have separate containers for each. (To encourage myself to buy the healthier stuff, my whole wheat flour storage container is several times bigger than the white one!)
-Even if I transfer baking ingredients to a storage container, I'm careful not to throw out the original packaging right away. A few weeks ago, I bought some almond milk that specifically said "do not freeze" on the packaging, but when I opened it up, I saw a chunk of ice, courtesy of either the grocery store or the shipping. Although it was still fine to drink, the consistency wasn't perfect, so I sent an e-mail to the company about this experience. After asking for things like the expiration date, UPC code, day I bought it, and day I opened it, they sent me a freebie coupon and a bunch of dollar-off coupons. Now I won't be paying full price for almond milk for the next year!
-Many foods- from pasta sauce, to peanut butter, to salsa, to baby food- are stored in nice glass containers that can easily be re-used for leftover storage. (I even took it one step further and used a plastic lid from an empty vitamin container as a food dish for my hermit crab!)
-I don't coupon. From watching the shows, it seems like most of them coupon as a full-time "job", and I don't have time for that. Plus, since I have limited storage space and don't have a family to feed, there is no need for me to get that much food. I instead spend a lot of time in the store comparing, and will only use coupons if it's for something I would buy anyway.
-I do food product reviews. Some are flops. (I don't know if I'll ever finish those hibiscus-flavored kale chips.) But I've ended up enjoying a variety of new foods, like BETTER kale chips (only the cheddar-flavored and chocolate-covered ones are any good), coconut oil, and even a SodaStream with a variety of flavors. We'll definitely cover more of this later.
-Finally, I make some foods from scratch that many others don't. I can't even remember the last time I bought a loaf of bread! In fact, that's exactly why I started this blog. Many people wanted to know my bread and cookie recipes. This is just an easy way to share those, and more.
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