Frugal eats for the Fourth of July
Posted
Jun 30 2008, 08:34 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
We figure lots of folks will be eating tube steak rather than rib-eye on this Fourth of July. If you're having a holiday barbecue, hot dogs aren't the only way to save money.
Food savings are on the minds of many personal-finance bloggers as Independence Day nears. We offer a smorgasbord of their thoughts, ranging from cheaper watermelon to hot wings that are free to those whose towns are "hotter than Hell."
The free wings are courtesy of KFC.com, which is posting the high temperature in Hell, Mich., every day through July 4. If your town is hotter and you're among the first 500 to register starting at 3 p.m. EDT, you'll win a $3 coupon for free wings. "FMF" at FreeMoneyFinance called it a whole lot of effort for not a lot of payoff, but we disagree. (Our town is not only hotter than Hell, but probably hotter than hell. Unfortunately 500 other people beat us to the punch today.)
Want to pay more for watermelon and cantaloupe than you need to? Buy the stuff that's already cut up. "NCN" at No Credit Needed did a little experiment to determine the price difference. A whole 15-pound watermelon cost him $6 and produced 6.25 pounds of fruit, minus rind. At the same store, that amount of cut melon would have cost $21. Applying the same method to cantaloupe, he found that the pre-sliced package cost twice as much as the uncut version. Are you really too busy to cut up a melon? Plus, it's fun for the kids.
We found an inexpensive recipe if you have an abundance of (hopefully free) fresh fruit. Make "fruit leather" by following the simple instructions at Simply Recipes. All you need is your fruit of choice, some sugar and lemon juice, and spices that suit your taste. We had no idea that making sheets of fruit could be so simple.
Dana Joseph at Not Made of Money has several good tips for a holiday barbecue. Among them: There are lots of other things to grill besides steak. Dana mentions chicken, hamburgers and hot dogs (please, healthy eaters, a hot dog every once in a while is OK).
Save money by buying your rolls and buns at the bread outlet store, Dana says. Make your own rub and pass on the store-bought kind. If you followed Dana's advice in the spring, you can make a salad from the pickings in your own backyard.
More frugal food tips can be found at The Family Wallet's "5 inexpensive foods that mean summer" (yes, hot dogs are mentioned), and you can access an entire collection of Fourth of July goodies at Allrecipes.
