There are lots of traps one can fall into that deter people from frugal living. One big one is that you need a special tool for every task. Kitchen gadget manufacturers use this concept to the maximum. And no, this is not a dig at Info-mercials and gadget catalogues. I just want to point your thoughts in the direction of keeping the kitchen clutter and costs to a minimum with clever use of substitutions and basic kitchen utensils.

The most basic kitchen can get by with one fry pan, one pan for warming up standard size cans and one stock pot for boiling up pasta and the like. If you learn ethnic cuisine which are intrinsically cheap in both ingredients and cooking methods you wouldn’t even need a stove!! One burner and a wok will do.

However, even in my poor student days I wanted a few more cooking supplies than that. A couple cookie sheets and bread pans for my hobby of baking breads and the like. All these can be bought much better quality second hand at garage sales and thrift shops. They have the added benefit of being "seasoned" by use, so they are actually better from the standpoint of good cooking.

Other kitchen gadgets that can be had cheap or free are cleaning products. You can make a pot scrubber out of an old net onion bag. If you want it to be a soapy scrubby put a piece of scrap soap inside the onion bag and tie it. Baking soda doubles as a grit cleanser and vinegar has disinfecting properties. It can be put in a spray bottle for stove top and counter cleaning. I’ve found in our hard water area pure soap leaves a film on dishes, so I compromise by buying cheap dish detergent at places like www.Aldis.com and www.Biglots.com.

Dish towels can be made from old tee shirts cut to size. Dish scrub cloth can be made from rags torn fine and worked up crocheted or knitted . A mop can be made from old socks and rags clipped to your mop head. Before you add anything to your kitchen gadget collection decide first if something would not substitute or be bought used.

Happy substitution!

These and other hints are available at:

The Baking Soda Page
http://www.armhammer.com/shaker/tipsfax.htm#

Vinegar Page
http://www.versatilevinegar.org/

Continue to check out the informative and inspirational free sample pages at these excellent frugal books.
Complete Tightwad Gazzette
The Complete Tightwad Gazzette

Declare Your Finanacial Independence
Declare Your Financial Independence

Complete Cheapskate
Mary Hunt's Complete Cheapskate

Miserly Moms
Miserly Moms

You Can Afford to Stay Home With your Kids
You can Afford to stay Home WIth your Kids