Mealtimes: How To Save Money And The Environment At The Same Time!

By Texas Homesteader ~ 

Saving money at mealtime oftentimes goes hand-in-had with helping the environment. Hey if I can save money and help the environment at the same time, how could I not be on board with that?

(Note: Some links in this post will take you to other related articles for further information. But links preceded with * are affiliate links. If you click and buy something I could receive a tiny commission.)

Eco Friendly Living Varies By Family

Of course not every example will work for every family. But you’ve got to start somewhere, eh?

Pick & choose items that might work easily for your home and sit back & enjoy the savings, both environmentally in your bank account.

Cooking From Scratch The EASY Way!

People are often surprised to hear I cook from scratch each & every day. But I employ many simple shortcuts to be able to serve Homemade Meals Daily The EASY Way.

There are lots of tricks I use to make homemade meals every day the EASY way! #TexasHomesteader

Cooking from scratch may be one of the largest money savers in the budget since eating out too often can rack up quite a bill in no time.

If you don’t know how to cook, start small with a beginner’s cookbook or internet search for easy recipes. Here are some quick tips:

Cook-Once, Eat-Twice meals. – Cook lots of an entrĂ©e & freeze some for later.

Planned Leftovers Method – Cook lots of a main ingredient and change it up for different types of meals throughout the week.

That way a homemade meal is as close as your freezer.

The key is to start small, then add to your skill little by little. I promise it will make a HUGE difference in your budget, your health and your sense of accomplishment.

Keeping your dollars instead of wasting money. #TexasHomesteader

How To Lower The Cost of Food

To make that home-cooked meal even less expensive, try buying your staples in bulk. Many people report saving oodles of money purchasing groceries through Amazon.

Be sure to check *Amazon Here  to compare grocery prices, you may be pleasantly surprised.

Home-cooked meal of meatloaf, green beans and fried potato cake. #TexasHomesteader

Using Up Small Amounts Of Leftover Food

Also, make sure all your leftovers are consumed:

Cooked vegetables into Stew

Meatloaf into Quesadillas

Grilled chicken into Fajitas

Leftover grilled chicken and vegetables can be made into chicken fajitas the next night. #TexasHomesteader

You’ve already purchased, seasoned and cooked that food. Now make sure it’s all enjoyed!

Simple Seasoning Blends To Make Yourself

Now that you’ve learned to cook from scratch it’s time to look at convenience mixes.

Homemade taco seasoning is simple to make with standard pantry ingredients. #TexasHomesteader

Easy Taco Seasoning

BBQ Dry Rub

Breakfast Sausage Seasoning

Pinto Bean Seasoning

Salsa Season Blend

Pre-Mix Salt/Pepper Blend

Seasoned Bread Crumbs

Pour them into a recycled spice shaker, apply a label and you’re ready to go! No need to run to the store.

Easy Substitutes For Things You Used To Buy

There are other ways to provide for yourself other than meals and spice mixes. How about these simple homemade goodies:

Homemade Stovetop Yogurt or quicker Instant Pot Yogurt

Homemade Creamy Healthy Salad Dressing in 1 Minute

Healthier Sour Cream Substitute

Chocolate Crazy Cake – no eggs, milk, butter or mixing bowls!

Homemade Cottage Cheese in minutes

It was astonishing to find out how easy it was. PLUS I’ve reduced landfill trash. And don’t even get me started on how much healthier it is without all the preservatives!

Homemade yogurt. Many ways to save money are environmentally friendly as well! I love saving money & helping the environment at the same time! #TexasHomesteader

Disposables Are Costly – Money & Environment

Finally, look at your use of disposables. So many of these things don’t really save you any time and they CERTAINLY don’t save you any money!

    • Use Real Plates And Flatware

Real plates and flatware make even a simple meal seem more special. And there are no disposables to haul to the landfill.

Real plates and flatware makes even a simple meal feel more special. #TexasHomesteader

    • Cloth Napkins An Eco-Friendly Choice

Cloth napkins are Easy to Make. But if you’re sewing-impaired (like me) they are also inexpensive to buy.

I often find whole bundles of like-new (or brand new) cloth napkins for very little money at thrift stores.

Since I throw them in the wash along with a regular load of laundry they literally cost nothing else to use. It seems so much more elegant to use a cloth napkin for our meals.

Cloth napkins. Many ways to save money are environmentally friendly as well! I love saving money & helping the environment at the same time! #TexasHomesteader

And buying things at thrift stores adds a whole new benefit to your new zero-waste meal since you’re buying those cloth napkins used.

No new napkins needed to be manufactured for your use. And you’ve bought them inexpensively too. Win/Win!

Lowering Your Waste When Dining Out

Here’s another easy idea: I have a small covered *Pyrex take-out container that I leave in my car. When we do enjoy an occasional meal out I grab my “take-out container” and bring it into the restaurant with me.

I even made a cute Repurposed Denim Carrier for it so I don’t feel like I’m just lugging a casserole dish through the restaurant. LOL

Repurposed denim dish carrier saves disposable packing for restaurant leftovers. #TexasHomesteader

Since the typical serving sizes at most restaurants are beyond massive I immediately place 1/2 of the meal in my Pyrex container. This keeps me from having to accept the awful styrofoam containers they typically give you (which is not recyclable in my area).

When I get home I pop it in the fridge. The next day I can pull it out and heat & eat from the same dish. Now I’ve gotten twice the value from my one meal out.

When the dish is empty I simply wash the container & put it back in my car. It’s always there when I need it. 

Homemade Fast-Food Dining Kit

Occasionally we go to a fast-food place, but I can even lower my waste there. In the glove compartment of my car I carry a trash-fighting dining out pouch.

No longer must I accept disposable single-use plastic utensils or paper napkins, or even plastic straw.

Many ways to save money are environmentally friendly as well! I love saving money & helping the environment at the same time! #TexasHomesteader

This is a handy, convenient (and let’s be honest, luxurious-feeling) way to fight the trash monster when dining out.

How Do You Save Money & The Environment?

Hopefully this list gives you food for thought. But there are many, MANY other ways to save money & the environment at the same time. What are some of your favorite ways?

~TxH~

This post categorized in    

Tagged in A complete list of all our zero-waste living articles. #TexasHomesteader        A list of all our eco-friendly posts. #TexasHomesteader       

Links Mentioned In This Post

Other Posts About Reducing Household Waste

Reducing Trash

Kitchen

Food

Cleaning

Health & Beauty

Repurposing

…and Many More 

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25 thoughts on “Mealtimes: How To Save Money And The Environment At The Same Time!

  1. Andrea

    I have stopped using a lot of disposables and take a travel mug in the car but hadn’t thought of containers for leftovers/take-out. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    1. Texas Homesteader Post author

      It’s interesting how one little thing over time can have a pretty powerful impact, Andrea. Then when you start adding to your successes? Awesome! ~TxH~

      Reply
  2. Next to Natural

    I love your idea about taking your own container to restaurants and using them as to-go boxes! Sounds super simple and like a great, eco-friendly tip! Thanks for sharing over at Simply Natural Saturdays!

    Reply
  3. Quirky Homemaker

    Great ideas. I love cooking from scratch. We try to use our cloth napkins, too. And we use washcloths instead of sponges for everything else. I have to say I’ve wandered a little from truly trying to not be wasteful since I’ve been so busy. I need to get back to a place where I’m doing as much as I can.

    Reply
    1. Texas Homesteader Post author

      Don’t beat yourself up – we all do what we can in our circumstances. When my kiddos were young I used lots of convenience foods, etc. Now that we’re empty nesters I have much more time to dedicate to living simply and it’s something that’s truly important to me. ~TxH~

      Reply
  4. Marla

    I sure agree with about food and making things from scratch. I have many food allergies & sensitivities so I have to know exactly what I am eating. I don’t trust buying anything from a restaurant or packaged. Anything I buy I like to know the original and that is a company I can trust. I do buy some food off of Amazon but usually its in cases – like a case of Thai coconut milk or other canned things I can’t buy fresh and local. They definitely have some good prices on some food items.
    I think we should all be practicing everyday conserving paper products and anything that helps save the environment I believe we all have responsibility to do our part. Sharing on tweeter & pinning..

    Reply
  5. Karen

    Learned from a friend to use washcloths as napkins for every-day use; absorbant, inexpensive, come in lots of colors, easy to wash.

    Reply
    1. Texas Homesteader Post author

      I’ve heard the washcloth thing as well – especially good for those with children as there’s a little extra “scrub-ability” with those. Thanks for sharing. ~TxH~

      Reply
  6. 'Becca

    NIce article! I also bring my own container(s) for restaurant leftovers and find that it’s really more convenient in many ways. I do a lot of things that save both money and the environment, but reusable feminine hygiene products are one of my favorites because they just work so much better and are so much more comfortable than the disposable ones.

    Reply
  7. Jenny

    I’ve just learned the grocery shopping at Amazon trick. When we lived within five minutes of a store there was no need. Now buying in bulk and having it delivered is so much cheaper.

    Reply
  8. Robert Nelson

    Very Nice Post. You suggested Amazon to check grocery prices…good idea. Turns out, according to this wekeend’s San Francisco Chronicle, buying groceries online is more environmentally friendly than shopping at the store. Check out vine.com, as well, for natural and environmentally friendly products!

    Reply
  9. Hannah

    You ARE clever! We buy from Amazon too.. good prices in a lot of organic staples!

    Reply
  10. Jayne

    LOVE this post! Having a Pyrex container in your car is pure genius!!!

    Reply
    1. Texas Homesteader Post author

      Thanks Jayne – It was my “slaps forehead” moment after cringing over a styrofoam container coming home with us after a rare meal out one night! I’ve never looked back… đŸ™‚ ~TxH~

      Reply
  11. Heather may

    You are exactly right! My family stopped buying prepackaged items and making our own stuff from scratch, we have saved tons of money in groceries….Thanks for your recipes BTW, they are helping a lot!

    Reply
    1. Texas Homesteader Post author

      Excellent Heather – glad to hear. I hate that there’s so much landfill-destined packaging in stuff purchased now. It makes me feel like I’ve won in THREE places when I do it myself – less expensive – more healthy – no packaging. ~TxH~

      Reply
  12. Mary@Back to the Basics!

    Fantastic suggestions! I love your homemade yogurt recipe.

    Reply
    1. Texas Homesteader Post author

      Thanks Mary – I make yogurt about once a week to week and a half. Making it unsweetened gives me so many more options with it! Give it a try. ~TxH~

      Reply
  13. artmusedog and Carol

    Great post ~ absolutely gorgeous photography of that magnificent butterfly ~ ^_^

    Reply
    1. Texas Homesteader Post author

      Thanks for your compliment! As I was walking through the pasture I was astonished at the color contrast of this beautiful butterfly with the vibrant purple flowers and wondered what this plant was that the butterflies seemed so attracted to – Per our extension agent the plant is called Ironweed. I’ll be watching for it in the pastures from now on, butterflies seemed to flock to the blooms! ~TxH~

      Reply
  14. Diane Balch

    You are so right on in this post… have you seen the book “Salt, Sugar, Fat” about the horrible way process foods are designed to make people get addicted to them… plus they are more expensive… crazy.

    Reply
    1. Texas Homesteader Post author

      Thanks for your comment Diane. I always just feel better knowing what’s in my food (and what isn’t) I’ve repeated over & over again that it’s all about balance so I don’t make myself crazy over every little thing, but if it’s just as easy, it’s quick and much less expensive to make it yourself & take out any question, why not?? LOL ~TxH~

      Reply
  15. Michelle

    I absolutely LOVE this post. Had no idea you could buy groceries from Amazon either. Also, I am big in recycling and placing a dish in the car for leftovers from a restaurant IS clever, going to do that too!

    Thank you for this post.

    Reply
    1. Texas Homesteader Post author

      Michelle – thanks for your comment. Like you I was surprised when I first found out you could buy food from Amazon, but you really can often get a better deal having it shipped right to your door. We’ve included an Amazon link on our right-side bar to make it easy for you to compare prices. Give it a try! ~TxH~

      Reply

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