Money-Costing Kitchen Habits To Avoid
We are all looking for ways to save money, but many people don’t realize that there are kitchen habits you can change that are costing you money. You use a lot of energy in your kitchen, and if you make some simple mistakes, it is easy to waste money. Many people are also losing money because they store and cook food in the wrong ways. A few simple changes to your habits can help you to create some significant savings. These are the kitchen habits you can change that are costing you money.
1. Overfilling Or Underfilling Your Refrigerator
Most people don’t realize that there is a right way to fill your refrigerator if you want to save money. When you overfill your refrigerator, you may be blocking vents at the back, which provides cold air and keeps your food fresh. This blockage forces the fridge to work harder, so your energy bills increase in a big way. It may also mean that your food spoils a lot faster, and you waste money because you are throwing it out.
However, you may also be wasting money if you underfill your refrigerator. The items in the fridge keep one another cool, so if you only have a few things in there, it takes more power to cool down again after you have opened the door. Ideally, you should have your refrigerator around 75% full at all times. You may want to consider buying a mini-fridge for drinks if you need a bit of extra space, and your current refrigerator isn’t large enough.
2. Overusing Non-Stick Pans
Non-stick pans are great, and they do make life easier for you in the kitchen, but you shouldn’t use them too often. When you cook at high heat, it damages the non-stick coating, and you will find that you are continually replacing your pans, which gets expensive. Non-stick pans are great for cooking at lower temperatures, but you should consider investing in a cast iron skillet for cooking at high heats. If you take care of it, a good quality cast iron skillet will last you a lifetime.
3. Leaving Everything Plugged In
If you are a fan of kitchen gadgets, you need to be careful with your energy usage. Even if an appliance is “off,” it still uses a small amount of energy. If you have a coffee machine, a smoothie blender, and a toaster, all plugged in at once, it can add up to a lot of wasted money over time even if they are “off.” Some appliances need to be plugged in at all times, but anything that doesn’t should be unplugged when not in use.
4. Filling The Kettle Too Much
Boiling a kettle takes a lot of energy, and many people waste money because they fill it to the top every time, even if they are only making one cup of coffee. You can save a lot of time and money if you only boil what you need each time. You should also consider investing in a smart kettle with precise temperature controls. When making coffee, you don’t want the water to be fully boiling, and heating to a lower temperature will save money. Modern smart kettles also have improved heating elements that use less energy.
5. Using Outdated Appliances
If you don’t update kitchen appliances regularly, you could be wasting a lot of money. Old refrigerators or ovens are a lot less energy efficient than the newer models, so your electricity bill can be a lot higher. Although replacing appliances can be expensive, you can offset this cost through long-term savings. Swapping your old oven out for a new convection oven is one of the best ways to save money because it cooks your food far more efficiently. These ovens cook faster, using less energy. Outdated appliances are also more likely to break down, so you could spend money on repairs instead of on new appliances.
6. Always Following The ‘Best By’ Date
If you throw food out as soon as it reaches the ‘best by’ date, you are wasting a lot of money. Most of the food that you throw out is probably perfectly fine to eat because the ‘best by’ date is simply a guideline. It doesn’t mean that the food is unsafe to eat, and you should instead use the appearance and smell of the food as a guide. If you use your judgment, you can save a lot of money by using food instead of wasting it.
If you can change these bad habits in the kitchen, you can save a lot of money.
