My family of 5 spends about $80 on groceries each week. One of the big ways we manage to stay within our budget is by cooking at home.
There are millions of kitchen gadgets and appliances you can buy to make cooking easier BUT which ones are worth the investment? Here are 10 kitchen gadgets and appliances that will save you money!
In order to earn a spot in my top 10 list, the kitchen appliance or gadget had to be something I personally use and that can pay for itself in a reasonable amount of time. At the end of this post, I added a few things that didn’t make the top 10 list, but are worth trying out!
10 Kitchen Gadgets and Appliances That Will Save YOU Money:
*This post contains affiliate links*
1 ) Coffee Maker
For many of us, coffee is a “NEED” item each morning. I personally drink about 6 cups of coffee a day, so I need a way keep my habit affordable!
Coffee makers come in a wide range of prices and the coffee you use can also come in a wide range of prices. I am not a coffee expert, and my $30 coffee maker filled is with store brand coffee BUT it tastes wonderful to me. If you have fancier tastes though, you can still brew coffee at home for much less than coffee out.
If you drink more than 1 or 2 cups of coffee a day, you probably should consider ditching the pod coffee makers like a Keurig for a traditional 12 cup coffee maker. Pods can get expensive, but they are STILL cheaper than drinking your coffee out and you are not wasting any coffee if you can’t drink an entire pot.
Our favorite:
Our favorite coffee maker is made by Black and Decker. We’ve had the same one for almost 5 years! It is your basic 12 cup coffee maker but has an option to brew only 1-4 cups too without the coffee tasting weak. The programmable start is a must so that I have a cup of coffee waiting for me each morning when I wake up 🙂 You can grab this at Walmart for under $20 (order online and you can also get cashback through Rakuten.com!).
2) Travel Mug
Along with a coffee maker, you can save money by investing in a good travel mug. A good mug will prevent you from being tempted to buy coffee on the go. If you are a tea drinker this is a must for you too!!
Our favorite:
We love our Contigo cups!! They keep drinks hot or cold for hours and are leak proof. (I keep mine in my purse sometimes!) We bought ours at Costco, but Amazon also has great prices on them if you watch for sales. Below is an ad for my favorite by Contigo, but if you search on Amazon you’ll see several choices. A “good” price is about $12 per mug.
My husband is pretty rough on his coffee mugs. The Contigo pictured has survived multiple falls off roofs, and one trip down the highway!! My hubby had put the mug on top of his truck, then drove off. The next day he found his mug on the side of the road!! It has a few scratches but still works perfectly!!!
3) Freezer
A deep or upright freezer can be quite the investment, but they pay for themselves quickly. Having the ability to stock up on meat and other items when they are on sale is a major reason I am able to stick to a $70/week grocery budget.
If anyone in your family is a hunter like my husband is, an extra freezer is a must!
One common reason people give against owning a separate freezer is lack of space. I encourage you to be creative about where you might be able to put an extra freezer!
We went against all recommendations and have our freezer in a shed that is not climate controlled. Our freezer is protected from rain, but the shed stays at the same temperature as the outside. For over 8 years, our $300 freezer from Costco has run just fine in temperatures ranging from below freezing temperatures to over 90 degrees!! I’m sure we voided all warranties by doing this, but it was the only option if we wanted a freezer.
My current freezer is no longer available to purchase but check your local home improvement store. Most of them participate with Rakuten. You can order online, pick up in the store or have it delivered, and earn cash back.
4) Popcorn Popper
Fresh popcorn is one of the cheapest, easiest, and healthiest snacks you can make!! For about the price of 4 boxes of microwave popcorn you can buy 1 popcorn popper!
The biggest money savings comes from replacing the quick snacks you are currently buying with popcorn. Popcorn makes
Our favorites:
Here is one at Walmart. The price is usually $12-15: (Order online and you can also get cash back through Rakuten.com!)
Air popcorn poppers also make GREAT family gifts at Christmas. Pair it with popcorn kernals, candy, and a movie and you have a family movie night basket for under $30!
Another Favorite:
We also have a microwave popcorn popper. It is about the same price as the air popper and takes up less space. The only draw back to this one is that it’s not as fun or easy for the kids to use. Over 18,000 Amazon customers have given it great reviews.
5) Crock-Pot
Crock pots are amazing for giving you the ability to cook when you don’t have time to cook. This can save you serious money by reducing the temptation to eat out, or buy overpriced convenience foods. Crock pots can also turn a really cheap piece of meat into a delicious meal!
Crockpot or Instant Pot?? I love my instant pot, but it is not a “money saver”. They are much more expensive and do just about everything the crockpot can do but with less time and effort. I have also found that my crockpots are lighter and easy to store away.
Our favorite:
I actually own 3 crock pots of 3 various sizes. My favorite though is actually my cheapest one. I have found that the more buttons a crockpot has, the more opportunity there is for me to mess something up!! My simple crock pot has been working for over 10 years!!!
6) Cheese Grater
This may not seem like an obvious money saving
When I buy block cheese, I go ahead and shred all or most of it at one time and store it in a Tupperware container. You may or may not have noticed, but shredded cheese has some sort of powder that prevents it from sticking together. There is an easy way to keep the freshly shredded cheese from sticking though! We buy the REALLY cheap powder parmesan cheese (the one in the green can!) and mix a little in with the shredded cheese. This keeps it from clumping and does not significantly change the taste or texture. You can also use cornstarch.
If you own a food processor, it will shred your cheese much faster and easier. However, if you don’t own one, buying a simple cheese grater will pay for itself much faster than a new food processor.
Our Favorite:
You can buy several types of cheese graters, but I prefer a box grater. To the left is the one we currently have. It is a Chefmate brand and I probably would not buy this exact one again. The handle isn’t very comfortable to use and the bottom slides easily. If I were to buy one today, I’d get the Cuisinart Boxed Grater.
7) Stock Pot
We save serious money by buying whole chickens, turkeys, hams and other roasts. (Again- you need a big freezer!!!)
Once you have cooked the meat and pulled it from the bone, you can take all the bones and scraps and boil them all in a large stock pot to make your own stock.
Once I have made my stock, I freeze it in canning jars. You don’t need a recipe to make stock- just simply throw stuff in and season with some salt and your favorite spices. Then boil it for as long as you want until you think it tastes good! You will save money by no longer needed to buy chicken, meat or vegetable stock!
Our Favorite:
There is a wide range of prices on stock pots, but for most people, there is no need to get anything expensive. I honestly prefer the cheaper ones because they are lighter and easier for me to lift when full! Here is a great option from Walmart: (Order online and you can also get cash back through Rakuten.com!)
8) Canning Jars
I use canning jars for just about everything except actual canning! When I make stock, I pour it into canning jars and store in the freezer. If I make a crockpot meal that has yummy leftover juices, I freeze the juices in canning jars. They can then be to used in my next crock pot meal.
I also freeze the juices from draining canned fruit to use in marinades or smoothies. We make a lot of homemade pizza, and one jar of pizza sauce is more than we can use before it would go bad in the refrigerator. We pour it into a jar and freeze it too!
If you look in my freezer, you’ll see a door full of “pork juice”, “bean juice”, “peach juice”, “tomato juice” etc.! Below is a frozen jar of pizza sauce.
Our Favorite:
I have found Walmart to be the cheapest place to buy canning jars. You can get a set of 12 for under $10. (Order online and you can also get cash back through Rakuten.com!)
Don’t feel like you HAVE to buy canning jars though. If you are just going to be using them to hold things that will be frozen, just about any jar will do. Here is a picture of my stash I keep in the pantry.
9) Meat Tenderizer
Another way to make cheap meat taste better other than using a crock pot is to use a meat tenderizer. I love my little meat tenderizer and use it all the time on chewier meats like venison and cheap steaks.
Typically I thaw the meat, then tenderize the entire piece front and back before marinating either in juice or with a dry rub.
Our Favorite:
My meat tenderizer is over 10 years old and the exact one is no longer made. This Jaccard meat tenderizer is the newer version and is almost identical to the one I have. It is dishwasher safe too!
10) Deep Fryer
This may not be a money saving item for everyone, but it will be if you like fried food! We save money by learning to cook the food we crave. So, if you are spending money on fast food or restaurant french fries and fried chicken you can save some money by learning to do it yourself.
We use ours all the time to make potato chips, french fries, chicken nuggets, oysters, fish fillets and fried chicken. Below is a picture of a copy-cat kids meal from one of our favorite restaurants. Chicken strips, green beans, and mac & cheese is SO much cheaper than eating out!! You could even just do nuggets, fries & apple slices and call it a happy meal 🙂
*Air Fryer?? I don’t own one yet, but would love to have one!! I’m currently waiting for the price to be right. I’ll update this post when I can compare taste and quality to a deep fryer.
Our Favorite:
I gave my husband a deep fryer over 10 years ago before we were even married. This fairly inexpensive appliance has not only been loved by us
We have recently purchased the fryer linked below. I’m still getting used to it, but feel confident enough in it to recommend it. One big improvement in the newer models is that most make changing the oil much easier. Most of the parts are also dishwasher safe!!
It is the Hamilton Beach Triple Basket Electric Deep Fryer. It’s huge, but perfect if you are cooking for more than 2 people. The price ranges from $60-80, so I highly recommend adding it to your Honey droplist. Set the price you are willing to pay, and you’ll get an email when it goes on sale!
If you purchase a deep fryer, I highly recommend getting a good funnel to filter the oil. We filter using the funnel below. You don’t need to buy a special oil container though- we simply use the same jug we buy the oil in.
Other Money-saving items:
When I was first brainstorming ideas for this post, I polled my Facebook followers about what they thought were the 10 kitchen gadgets and appliances that will save you money. There are a few other appliances many of my readers said save them money that didn’t make the top 10 list. I’m not 100% convinced they’ll save you enough money to recoup the cost, but there are 3 worth a quick mention!
Instapot:
I LOVE my InstaPot for many of the same reasons I love my crock pot. They are a bit more expensive than a crockpot, which is why they didn’t make the top 10 list. However, these are great items to add to your Christmas or Birthday list!
Immersion Blenders:
A few people also mentioned their immersion blenders saving money. If you have a baby at home, using one to make your own baby food would definitely be worth the investment. Another great use is for making soups!
Oven:
One last item that didn’t make the list was an oven. It didn’t get included because most people already own an oven. I think everyone can agree that learning to cook at home will always save you money!!
Air Fryer
I’ve had my eye on air fryers for awhile. I love my deep fryer, and am slightly skeptical that french fries will taste as good out of the air fryer. If you don’t have either, an air fryer will probably save you money if you frequently spend money eating out on foods like chicken strips and fries.
I hope you enjoyed my post on 10 kitchen gadgets and appliances that will save you money!
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