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Oct 7, 2008 7:49 pm US/Eastern
Money-Saving Secrets: Get Creative In The Kitchen
CBS 2 HD Speaks To Holistic Chef: You Can Make Your Dollars Go Further And Strengthen Family Bonds
Reporting
Cindy Hsu
FLORAL PARK, N.Y. (CBS) ―
A new Zagat restaurant survey shows the bad economy has more New Yorkers eating at home. Roughly 38 percent of those surveyed said they are eating out less, while 21 percent said they are no longer ordering appetizers and dessert.
CBS 2 HD talked to a Long Island mother who says they have figured out a way to maximize their money by avoiding excesses.
Berdine Japsa says cooking at home, is saving her family of five a lot of money, and they waste nothing.
"We're looking at leftovers. What are we making? What can we re-use that item for," Japsa said.
She even grows her own herbs and vegetables, and said her family eats much healthier now that she controls what goes into their meals.
"I can also not put as much salt, which is something we're trying to cut back on with heart disease that runs in the family."
Andrea Beaman is a holistic chef and cookbook author. She said families can stretch one chicken into a dozen meals, by cooking the bones for 8-12 hours and making stock.
"I could take this stock and make potato leek soup, squash ginger soup," Beaman said. "I could take this stock and make black beans and chicken."
Beaman said you can cut back on cost by cutting back on meat.
"Instead of taking a big gigantic hunk of meat, make a pasta and use slivers of meat, slivers of chicken or slivers of fish," Beaman said.
For healthier meals, Beaman said load up on the fresh vegetables, beans and bones.
"I know it sounds crazy, you can probably go to the butcher and buy bones," Beaman said. "He'd probably give to you for free."
She said home-cooked meals also force families to slow down.
"Eating at home can actually bring families back together, in a stronger way," Beaman said. "You can build that bond again, that home bond."
If you have a money-saving secret, we want to know what it is. We may even tell your secret on CBS 2.
What Are You Doing To Stay Grounded In This Crisis? 
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