Kitchen Tips - Saving Money on the Baking

~MAW Steve

I love to bake Christmas treats for the holidays, but the cost can be extraordinary.  This year, I am in the middle of a move and really can't afford to spend an exorbitant amount on flour, butter and all the specialty ingredients to make the perfect Pecan Balls and Frosted Snowmen.  To the internet I went and here is what I found.  8 ways to save money on your holiday baking.  Thanks to our friends at Canadian Living.  (Who knew?)

8 secrets to spending less on Christmas baking

By Signe Langford

Cookies for Santa blowing your budget? Follow these tips to have fun with holiday baking without spending a fortune on ingredients and supplies.Ah, Christmas cookies: buttery shortbread stars dotted with tiny, molar-shattering, silver balls; sugar cookies, expertly flooded in designer shades of Tiffany blue and eggshell; charming gingerbread people in little Charlie Brown sweaters -- and giant grocery bills from overindulging on expensive ingredients and baking supplies. But you can satisfy your inner Martha without maxing out the credit card. Here are eight easy dos and don'ts for inexpensive baking this Christmas. 

Do shop at the bulk food store. They have a great selection of baking supplies and generally lower prices, and you can buy just what you need and no more. 

Do bake with buddies. Have a baking bee where everyone chips in on the cost of ingredients and then goes home with a share of the goodies. Bonus: You aren't left at home with mountains of cookies and squares begging to be eaten. Put a pot of mulled wine or cider on the stove, crank up the cheesy Christmas tunes and you've got a party. 

Do use no-name ingredients where you can. OK, if chocolate is the star of the show, splash out on the good stuff. But for flour, butter, baking soda and so on, either go bulk or go cheap. 

Do search for wartime and Depression-era recipes. They were created in a time when people were being rationed or just going without, so they're naturally inexpensive to make. 

Don't buy premade icing, mixes or baking kits. Those little tubes of coloured icing look like fun, but the price (not to mention the ingredient list) is scary. Making icing is too easy for that. 

Do cut corners. Don't want to invest in a piping bag and tip set? Snip a tiny corner off a durable freezer bag -- it's instant decorating fun.

Do visit thrifts shops for fun, seasonal cookie jars, tins, baskets or mugs. They make cookie gifting affordable, individual and really special. You'll also be able to pick up cookie sheets and other bakeware for pennies. 

Do go rustic. A simple roll of butcher's or garden twine is lovely tied up around a gift of homemade cookies, and way cheaper than fancy ribbon. Same goes for paper or fabrics. Look for brown paper or little off cuts of funky fabrics, and skip the expensive packaging.