Frugal Living – Everyday Savings

Consumer Post

By SOL JOSE VANZI

February 27, 2011, 2:30am

 MANILA, Philippines – There are savings to be made in everything we do at home, from washing the dishes, preparing meals, to doing the laundry; all it takes is a few adjustments and a little time. These days, with the cost of everything going up, saving a bit here and there all adds up to easing the household budget and teaching the kids a better, more earth-friendly lifestyle as well.

LAUNDRY – Doing everything at home by myself has given me a lifetime of lessons on how to save on very important stuff: water, detergent, electricity and time.

The first tip is: dissolve the detergent in water before adding the dirty clothes. In the washing machine, this is done by running the tub for a few minutes while adding the powder detergent. Add the clothes when there’s no longer any trace of powder in the water. The aim here is to ensure that the detergent’s washing power is distributed evenly to all the pieces of clothing.

Never make the mistake of adding detergent to a washing machine filled with dirty clothes. The power will clump in the nooks and crannies, pockets and what-have-you of all the washables, making it virtually impossible to rinse them all off.  And think of the wasted cleaning power of the undissolved powder.

DRYING – After soaping and rinsing, drying the wash is another point where one can save money. When spin-drying, consider the weather outside. If it is sunny, spin-dry the batch only a couple of minutes, just enough so the items do not drip when hung. Use the power of the sun and the wind for drying whenever possible. If your drying area has limited space, take the time to rotate the drying clothes so each piece is touched by the sun and the wind during the drying period.

TO PRESS OR NOT – In our household, we hardly take out the electric iron to press our clothes. I stretch the clothes while they are hanging out to dry. Jeans, T-shirts, pants, blouses all come out creaseless. The system calls for stretching the clothes on the diagonal, this way and that way, while wet. Do it again after a few minutes to redo the stubborn parts.

My grandson’s white long sleeved shirts for school go to a neighborhood laundry shop which does it cheaper and more efficiently than if I had done it at home. For P80 per kilo (5 shirts), I pay only P160 for two weeks worth of uniforms that get washed, pressed and delivered to me in my own hangers. That is much less than I would have paid for an “extra” maid to wash and press them at home.

FOOD PREPARATION – Cook in bulk to save money on ingredients, time and fuel.

Cooking for six persons costs only a bit more than cooking for two; and with freezers, refs and microwaves, storage and reheating are no longer formidable problems.

For example, because there’s only me and my grandson in the apartment, it is impractical to cook rice every time we sit down for a meal. What I do is cook a kilo of rice in the rice cooker and pack the rice in solo servings once it cools. One minute on high is enough to zap one serving of rice to steaming. We cook rice only two or three times a week, and use the microwave a lot for reheating.

Cooking in bulk is great also for viands. Take Adobo, which tastes even better when reheated. This applies also to such dishes as Mechado, Menudo, Paksiw na Lechon,  Dinuguan, Paksiw na Isda, Kare-Kare and Kaldereta.

Pasta dishes and casseroles are also perfect cooked in advance, frozen and reheated when needed. Our other favorite pre-cooked meals are: Baked Macaroni, Spaghetti, Pasta Alfredo, Eggplant with Mozzarella sauce, Pizza, Beef Stew, Pot Roast and Callos.

FOOD PURCHASING – Nothing beats buying in bulk. The Filipino “tingi” habit of buying cigarettes by the stick, shampoo by sachet and vegetables by “tali” or “tumpok” means paying twice as much for the items.

Market prices are quite affordable when buying by the kilo or half kilo. This applies to vegetables, fruits, flour, sugar, oil, fish, chicken and meats.

Wash and gut the fish and freeze individually or in layers separated by wax paper or plastic. Meats should be frozen in thin layers, Season what has to be seasoned (Daing na Bangus, Adobo, Tapa) before freezing.

Vegetables and fruits should be cleaned of mature or wilting leaves, fruits and non-leafy veggies should be washed in water with mild detergent to get rid of surface soil and dirt. Air dry or blot with kitchen towels before packing and storing in the refrigerator.

Singles or very small families should find friends and relatives to share their purchases with, splitting the cost and transport expenses.

One can also save by not buying processed meats; it is much cheaper and more satisfying to make your own. You also get peace of mind, knowing what goes into everything you serve your family.