6 Grocery Store Buys That Are A Waste Of Your Money
You have no time to cook. Great. Most food labels make their money off of that fact. They'll up the cost on something, because they know you'll pay to NOT have to spend time making it. But, the truth is many of the fast, microwavable and boxed items you love could totally be made at home. They could also be made for much less money.
Frozen Vegetables
We like them because they have great sauces and seasoning that in our eyes will take a long time to make. Not at all! Usually, one little bag will cost around five dollars, meanwhile 2 or 3 bundles of fresh veggies could have cost the same. You're shelling out money for butter and herbs! So just add some of that to the veggies you make.
Microwavable sandwiches
Something we don't think about when we see these is that it takes us just as long to make a fresh sandwich, as it does microwave one of these. Also, since these usually cost $3 a pop, you may as well have bought enough ingredients for 3 sandwiches.
Boxed side dishes
These are always so enticing with exciting names like "Mediterranean rice medley" but when it comes down to it, they are just some rice and spices you probably have in your kitchen. These dishes will run you $5, but so would a huge bag of rice that could have given you a dozen side dishes. Simply review the spices in the boxed sides you like, and pick those up.
Energy bars
Yes, that Olympic contestant is on the wrapping vouching for the product, but often these contain just as much sugar and fat as a candy bar. Test this out: give a child an energy bar and see how fast the sugar crash happens. My friend made the mistake of keeping energy bars on hand for her students at singing lessons because they'd be tired after a long day at school, but they ended up just wanting to nap in her studio.
Spice mixes
There is hardly an ingredient in any of these mixes that you don't already have, or could easily buy for cheap. Usually you could buy a few different spices for the price of one of these mixes.
Powdered Iced Tea Mixes
First off, these are often loaded with as much sugar as a soda. But, these can cost so much more than just a little box of tea bags. Simply drop 3 or 4 tea bags in a big jar of water, stick that in the fridge and sweeten it with lemon and sugar for inexpensive and healthy iced tea.
About the Author
Vera Esther writes about topics in healthy lifestyle, relationships and travel. Her articles have appeared in dozens of publications and titles have ranged from "Signs your date is a sex addict" to "Let your computer teach you to sing" (a review of the site http://www.thesingingzone.com/ )
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