University & College - Ways to cut spending....

[mavenu]

<a class='bbc_url' href='http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/06/dining/06mini.html?_r=1&8dpc'>using the freezer to save bucks</a>

IF I tried to sell you a new appliance that could help you save money, reduce food waste and get meals on the table faster, the only thing you?d ask would be ?How much??

The answer is ?Nothing.? You already own it. For just as the stove comes with a hidden and often overlooked bonus ? the broiler ? so does the refrigerator: the freezer. Why not use it?

I know: you do. In that messy box you have some ice cubes, some stuff you bought frozen ? a pizza? Lean Gourmet? peas? ? and maybe, if you cook a lot, some stock or hastily stored leftovers. You also have a load of things you?ve already forgotten about and will eventually toss, even though you would have been guilt-struck if you had discarded them when they were fresh.

But if you conscientiously use the freezer in two ways, you?ll value it as never before. The first: take raw ingredients you have too much of ? or whose life you simply wish to prolong ? and freeze them. The second: take things you?ve already cooked ? basics like stock, beans, grains and the like, or fully cooked dishes ? and freeze them.

To the extent that you do both of these tasks regularly, and keep your freezer organized, you?ll make your cooking cheaper, more efficient and faster.