Keep a permanent marker in the kitchen. There are so many money saving things you can do with it:
- Write the date you open a jar of sauce, meat, etc on the label. That way you never toss anything out because you can’t remember how long it has been in the fridge.
- When you stockpile an item, write the expiration date on the front of the product. This will keep you from letting items expire before you use them. (For example: Writing 8-11 on the front of a bottle of salad dressing that expires August 2011 when you put it on the shelf)
- Write people’s name on plastic cups at a party. This will keep people from getting a new cup because they forgot which one is theirs.
Can you think of any more things you can use a permanent marker on in the kitchen?
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When my kids were smaller and would not finish their meals I used to label their leftovers so we could just pull the plate back out at the next meal. I used the kind of bowls and plates that had lids, but this would work with Saran wrap, too.
The large cans of fruit are so much cheaper than the small cans, but we rarely use and entire can in one sitting, so I take the portion I know I won’t use and put it in freezer bags that I date and freeze.
I love to make banana bread, so I often buy over ripe banana’s when they are on sale. Then I peal the banana’s and put them in freezer bags, date the bags and freeze them until I am ready to make the bread.
My husband takes our dinner leftovers for lunch the next day. So rather than spending a lot of money on containers I save my cottage cheese and sour cream containers and put the left over portions in them. I label what is in the container and the date. After lunch my husband can just toss the container. That saves us a lot of money.
I loved all the tips.
We use a Foodsaver to freeze things we buy in bulk like hamburger and chicken. Therefore, we use a black Sharpie to write the date on the Foodsaver bag of when we put it in the freezer. That way we know how long it’s been in the freezer.
I kept a pen in the kitchen that I always used to label bottles of breastmilk as I put them in the fridge, but I guess I’m winding down now. We keep a small wipe-off board and a marker on the fridge for noting when we’re running out of something.
One note about expiration dates … I think there are some good resources online about this, but not all dates on products are actually “expiration” dates. There’s “Best by”, “Use by”, “Sell by” … You don’t have to throw something out if it’s past a “best by” date.
I use a Sharpie in the kitchen to label the gallons of milk. Our family uses 2 or 3 a week and many times the kids and hubby will just grab one not even checking the date. If the gallons have different expiration dates I mark them 1, 2, or 3. That way they know which gallon to grab first.
I have gone so far as to write my girls names on all their cups-you know the plastic ones with lids and straws. I am tired of having 10 of them in the fridge and not knowing who it belongs to or how long it has been in there. It has saved my sanity! I also write calories per serving on things that I buy from costco or in big packages and break down. One of our kids has a feeding tube so we are counting calories so we can get the darn thing out!
I use it when I buy meat in bulk too. I also use it to write the instructions on casseroles I freeze so I don’t have to look up the recipe when I want to use the frozen one.
You can use dry erase on your plastic freezer containers to write dates and it will wash off for reuse instead of using a permanant marker. I use a small dry erase magnet board to quickly jot down the things I need when I run accross them while I am cooing so that I can transfer to a list later.
We use ours to claim leftovers! Learned the hard way my kids will eat my “doggie bag”
Oh Sharpies are the best invention – all of you have thought of many of the same ways that I use them – I also use a Sharpie to decorate my kids lunch bags for sandwiches and such – not personalized notes – but stupid smiley faces and such to make them smile – or crazy sayings about them – bananas might say “MONKEY BRAINS”!
I use masking tape and write the date and the contents of items I put into the freezer
I write 1 of 4, 1 of 4 etc on my stickpiled items so I know when I’m on 4 of 4 it’s time to put it back on the list.
That would be 1 of 4, 2 of 4, etc. and STOCKpiled. – I can’t type tonight.
label my freezer cooking bags and containers what it is and when i made it.
When I buy meat in bulk, I break it down into smaller portions and freeze in ziploc bags. I write what it is, the weight, and the date on the bag with my Sharpie :)
We use it to write names on water bottles!!!
I am doing weight watchers so I write on the front of the boxes & containers = how many points one serving is – so I am saving time and calories :)
We also place our first name initals on the caps of our 20oz bottled waters.. so when we find 3 or 4 around the house (half gone) – they go right back in the frig for the next trip to the gym.
Last one… boil eggs and have a “H” on the hard eggs….or I love you or Hi or anything to make someone smile at lunch time :)
I am so happy sharpies are on sale this week at Staples :)
Love the idea for the boiled eggs. I usually put them in a bowl, but this way I can use the carton. Smart!
I am currently using mine to cross off the days on our calendar until our Disney trip :)
I use mine for the reasons listed above as well as to mark my initials and date on food/drink I take to work. I have found that I forget to do it when I get there and if I don’t, people seem to believe it’s a free for all. So it saves me money so I don’t have to buy a replacement.
Great idea, I’ve beenconsidering it but you have inspired me.
I have a couple of wet erase markers i keep in the kitchen and reuse a large wipe off calendar every month. I’ve had it for years and it is perfect. It came from Office Depot and one side has a huge calendar while the other side has 2 smaller ones. So I have 2 months up at a time, one on the front and the upcoming month on the side.
I have one too. I use mine for for my mapping out the menu. Everybody knows what is for dinner and I can get things out of the freezer ahead of time. It also keeps me on track so we don’t go out to eat as much. I even post left over night and take out.
Spices-write the date you opened the spice on the cap.
This is really important if you buy spices in bulk bags, or from bulk bins (because they have no expiration dates). I’ve had too many experiences lately where my dishes turn out bland because the spices have gone bad and just don’t have any taste any more.
Good point!