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My Tightwad Tuesday tip this week is to use less when you can.  What do I mean exactly?  Well, experiment with your recipes and see what ingredients you can use less of without affecting the finished product. 

For example, I have found that in the cornbread recipes I make I can use 1 T. less melted butter than the recipes call for.  That may not seem like much of a savings, but it adds up over time.  I can generally get 1lb. of organic butter for $3.50 (on sale and with a coupon).  (I stock up during sales and keep the butter in the freezer.)  Since we don't pay sales tax on grocery items in Florida, that comes out to roughly 88 cents per stick or 11 cents per tablespoon - so, 11 cents saved every time I make cornbread. 

Another example is the shrimp patties I make.  The recipe calls for 1lb. of shrimp, but I have found that 12oz. works just as well with no taste difference.  If shrimp costs $4.99/lb. for example, that's roughly 31 cents per oz.  Using 4oz. less than the recipe calls for results in a savings of $1.24 when making this dish.

Give it a try and watch those pennies add up!