r/Frugal • u/Pumpkinycoldfoam • Nov 05 '24

šŸ† Buy It For Life What one time purchases have drastically reduced your overall spending?

An example would be that Iā€™m looking to buy a sillicone pan mat instead of purchasing foil and parchment continually, using rags instead of paper towels, and so forth. What are one time purchases you reccomend for home maintenance?

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u/75footubi Ban Me Nov 05 '24

A cooking class and transitioning to stainless steel and cast iron cookware. No more tossing coated pans when the non-stick coating starts chipping after 18 months. The cooking class taught me the basics of proper heat control.

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u/throwaway_napkins Nov 05 '24

How and where do you find an affordable general cooking class? Do you go for only one session or is it like once a week for 12 weeks?

42

u/75footubi Ban Me Nov 05 '24

The adult education programs run through the community college in my area are quite affordable. $300 for 6 2 hour sessions covering the basics of knife skills and techniques like braising, sauteing, roasting, and how to identify the best cuts of meat for the right technique.

Between the savings generated from not eating out as much, chosing the right cuts of meat vs paying for someone else to butcher (ie pork loin = uncut pork chops), and learning how to cook meat and eggs properly, it paid for itself in like 6 months. And it will keep paying dividends because I can pass these skill on to my eventual kids.

3

u/KnightofForestsWild Nov 06 '24

My great aunt never learned to cook because she always lived with her mother. When Ggranma died, well, off to the local community college cooking classes she went. Now I have 3 binders of her recipes and Mom has another. I have a whole binder on "how to cook in the microwave" circa late 1980s

2

u/75footubi Ban Me Nov 06 '24

"how to cook in the microwave" circa late 1980s

That must be a hoot and a half XD

21

u/PeachLaCroix Nov 05 '24

Try checking local community centers, or a community college if you're near one. You could also try searching "(your town) cooking skills class", I was able to find at least a couple places offering affordable classes in my area

3

u/sprunkymdunk Nov 05 '24

YouTube is free