Budget tips

Mortgage rates have increased. Gas prices have gone up. Things in the grocery store are now a little more expensive, a direct result of the higher fuel costs. Time to budget!

• Purchase staple items. Packaged and pre-cooked foods are expensive. Example- packaged rice mixes can cost $1.50 or more. Instead, make your own. Buy a huge bag of rice and cook with either a bullion cube or two or homemade chicken stock.
• Homemade Chicken Stock. An excellent money saver. This hardly costs any money to put together. Buy a large chicken to roast. (You can stretch it to 2-3 meals). When there is hardly any meat left, simmer the bones in a giant soup pot in the crockpot for a few hours. Add a splash of vinegar to get more flavor out of the bones. The resulting stock is rich in flavor and high in nutritional value. Freeze it in ice cube trays for easy use.
• Buy seasonal produce. Seasonal produce is usually grown locally so it costs less.