Frugal Food: Make Some Muffins

by Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger

13 Apr 2007 06:16 AM

If you know how to make muffins, you can reduce your breakfast bill!

My kids are real cereal hogs. They can consume a box of cereal in one day. This can be a very expensive habit, as a single box of cereal can cost $4 or more! One of the ways I combat the cereal habit to reduce my grocery bill is to make muffins.

Muffins are so easy to make. They only require a few ingredients and can be made with just about anything, including leftovers. For example, make up some corn muffin batter and fill your muffin tin cups half way. Add in some diced or torn deli ham and some shredded cheese. Top with more batter and bake. You have an instant take away breakfast or lunch that is really yummy.

Take advantage of produce that is in season to make zucchini muffins, carrot muffins and more. One of my favorite muffins types to make is the apple-cinnamon muffin. You can get bagged apples pretty inexpensively, and for muffins, it doesn't matter if they are a little bruised. Or, ask your grocery for a good price on overripe bananas for banana muffins. Take advantage of sales. I stocked up on many boxes of a discontinued brand cereal and used that cereal to make some yummy raisin bran muffins. My kids wouldn't have touched that particular cereal otherwise.

Muffins can be made up pretty quickly. I usually mix a batch and then let them bake while I take a shower or put in a load of laundry in the morning. To speed up your prep time, you can mix up a large about of the dry ingredients ahead of time and store them in a canister. it is much cheaper than store bought mixes, and it doesn't really require much additional work.

I do like to double and triple my muffin batch. This way we have lots of extra muffins for snacks. Muffins also freeze very well. Just take them out frozen, wrap them in a paper towel and microwave them for a few minutes. Even the busiest people can do that before they head out the door. It certainly beats buying a muffin out, where it can cost a few dollars instead of a few pennies.

The Food Blog here at Families.com has lots of great muffin recipes to get you started on this frugal food.

Related Articles:

Frugal Tips for Brownies

Frugal Food: Make Your Own Granola Bars?

Learn more about Mary Ann Romans

Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat.

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