Frugal Barbecue Grillby Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger 16 Aug 2007 05:22 AM Using the grill can be very frugal in itself over traditional oven cooking, since the grill keeps the heat out of the house and reduces your cooling costs. But if you really want to save when you barbecue, read these tips! Now is the time to buy a grill. The stores are anxious to get ready for the upcoming holiday season, and they need to get rid of larger items, such as an outdoor grill. You should be able to spot some good bargains. But don't go too crazy with the special features that are available. You can spend quite a lot if you aren't careful. A nice, modest, well-made grill will work just as well as one with all of the bells and whistles. To protect your grill, you might be tempted to buy one of those fancy covers. Instead, why not make your own? Fold an old vinyl tablecloth in half (you can find one in the thrift store, if you don't have one at home), and sew up the sides. As an added benefit, you can create a grill cover in a pattern or color that isn't black. Believe it or not, you can reuse your charcoal to save money. After your food is all cooked, instead of letting the coals burn out, save them. Scoop them up with a shovel scoop (the kind for fireplaces is nice), and place them into an empty can. Smother the coals by placing a non-flammable (very important!) lid over the can. Then the coals can be used again. As an extra precaution, make sure your can is away from the house and curious children! Mary Ann Romans also writes for the Computing Blog here at Families.com where she shares everything from the latest news on technology to cool downloads and fun websites. Related Articles: Learn more about Mary Ann Romans  Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat. Relevantfrugal tags User Comments No comments on this article yet. Be the first to comment! Community Tags BBQ, Barbecue, cooking, frugal, grilling Discuss this article
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There is still plenty of summer left to do some great grilling and barbecuing outdoors. And, if you live in a mild climate, you might even get away with extending the BBQ season into much of the fall. And since there is still time to use your grill, there is still time to save money with it.
