Saving money room by room: The kitchen

Here are a few tips for saving money in the kitchen. What do you do to reduce costs in the kitchen?

Saving money in the kitchen

* Run a sinkful of water for rinsing dishes instead of running the water.

* Make your own dishwashing detergent. It can be used to clean just about anything, not just the dishes.

* Use baking soda for removing stuck-on food, counter stains, and everything in between.

* Use a diluted vinegar spray for wiping down the counters, cleaning off the stove, etc.

* Mop the floor with a cup or so of vinegar in a sink of hot water.

* Recycle those mesh bags that produce like apples and onions come in. They are great for scrubbing pots and dishes and are much cheaper and cleaner than scrubbing sponges.

* Use your leftover coffee grounds! Just add half the amount of fresh grounds you normally use to the leftover grounds. If you normally use two scoops of fresh, just add one scoop of fresh to the leftover grounds. You can do this at least once with the leftovers.

* Make baby food so much cheaper and healthier with a food processor, blender, or just mashing it up. At first you may want to cook her food separately but later on you can just mash up what everyone else is eating. If she isn't going to eat it right then, freeze it in portions in baby food jars.

* Save chicken stock, meat broth, etc. and freeze it for use later. It's wonderful for cooking rice, pasta, and soup.