Save a little food, Save a lot of Money.

Saving and Serving Leftovers, to a Family That Hates Them.

In 1929, the great depression began. It was the darkest, bleakest, time in US history… until now.

We, as a country, may not be ready to admit it, but we are in a great depression.

The economy has collapsed, much like it did all those years ago.

And its going to get much worse before it gets better.

People who have never struggled financially, will have to learn to budget.

Those that were already struggling will be looking for new ideas on how survive the economic chaos that is overwhelming our country.

In other words…we are about to learn why Grandma washed her tinfoil.

One simple way to save a significant amount of money is to save your left overs instead of tossing them in the bin.

I know, I know… I also have that family that refuses to eat leftovers.

The trick is, that they do not know that they are eating left overs. If you eat spaghetti four days in a row, they know they are eating left overs. But if you keep the noodles separate from the sauce, you can freeze the sauce for another day. And perhaps make lasagna instead.

Which leads me to my ziplock bag system. I save everything. EVERY tiny spoonful. Because eventually, you will have enough to make something with.

I put everything in freezer bags and freeze them as flat as possible. Because once frozen, I place them upright, in a basket in my freezer.

Once upright in that basket, they are easy to “flip through” to see what you have on hand to work with. No more digging through the dark recesses of the freezer. It’s all right there, clearly labeled and easy to see.

Every spoonful of left over veggies will go into the veggie bag. Later, when I have enough, I will use them in soups, casseroles, or pot pies. Or add them to canned soups or Raman noodles to bulk them up.

Here are just a few of the bags in my freezer:

1) Vegetables (left over corn, beans, peas, carrots)

2) Chicken gravy

3) Pepper gravy/bacon gravy (every Sunday we have biscuits and gravy. Either white pepper gravy or bacon gravy. When I get enough, put it in single servings, in the freezer. My family uses it to make breakfast burritos.)

4) Beef gravy/broth

5)Spaghetti/red meat sauce

6) Homemade Refried Beans (I freeze them in both family size, and single servings)

7) Stew/ misc. soups

Note: for soups and stews, which we have often, I continue to add more left over stew/soup to the bag. Once it becomes full enough for one bowl/serving. I mark it with a star, and start a fresh bag. My kids know anything with a star is a single serve meal. I do this with refried beans and pasta sauce as well.

8) Chicken pot pie filling

9) Taco meat/left over beans/rice. (These all go in one bag, to be used later for taco pie filling.)

*Taco pie- your choice of crust, my favorite is crescent rolls in a tube. Pie crust, crescent rolls, biscuits, cornbread, tater tots etc. Line the bottom of a baking dish with your crust of choice, top with left over taco meat/bean/rice mix, or layer beans, meat, and rice. Top with cheese and bake per crust directions. We can also add enchilada sauce or salsa before baking. I prefer mild red enchilada sauce, but my kids prefer no sauce or salsa. Once baked, top with taco toppings of choice, like lettuce, tomatoes, olives, sour cream, salsa, and or guacamole.

The key to serving left overs, is not serving the same thing two days in a row. That may mean freezing all or part of the meal for another day. If you have a roast one night, make beef stroganoff or pot pie, the next. Or dice up the leftover roast, add the broth/juice, and freeze. You can use that on another day to make a pot pie,stroganoff, or beef and gravy.

Anytime you have pasta, serve the sauce on the side. Then you can freeze the sauce, and in a week you can make a different type of pasta, meatball subs, or chicken parmesan, (you can improvise with inexpensive cuts of chicken, or frozen chicken patties.)

Left-over revival tip: When you reheat anything that has been frozen, you need to re-season. Heat it up, taste it, and season accordingly. This will help perk up your leftovers and get rid of any freezer burn taste that may give you away. Add things like sour cream, garlic, cheese, onions and other strong flavors to help “hide” your left overs.

I have a husband that hates left overs. A son with autism and sensory issue. another son that’s just an annoyingly picky eater, and a daughter that eats everything. Managing a food budget and keeping everyone fed, especially in these economic times, is quite a juggle.

But with some creative disguise, my family now eats left overs, and don’t have a clue. Because cutting those corners ensures that when my daughter asks for Takkis, I can get them for her, because I’ve cut cost other places. Or when my son wants that one specific brand of chicken nugget, I can get it, even though it is significantly more than other brands available. (And yes, there is a big difference among chicken nuggets. )

Rowen Quinn

Rowen is a mother, Wife, Domestic Violence Victims Advocate, community volunteer, and nature lover. Most of her time is spent with her family or volunteering in her community. Rowen has a degree in Psychology, with a concentration in Family Counseling and Minoring in criminal justice. Writing has been her passion since high school, and she enjoys using it to help others.