Need a little help on the road to Tightwad? Stop by every Tuesday for a quick tip to help you on your way.
When I had my first child, my sister gave us a baby food mill as a gift. I had no idea what a gift it would be! That same $10 baby food mill lasted us through all 3 of our children.
A lot of modern moms are not familiar with baby food mills. Essentially, it's a little hand cranked tool that grinds "real" food into a puree so that babies can eat it. It will not puree food to a "stage one" consistency. For that, I recommend a blender. But once your baby is eating food with a little consistency to eat, this is all you need to turn your grown up dinner and lunchtime leftovers into cheap babyfood.
Bonuses: Your baby will develop a taste for your cooking early on. And, think of all the glass jars and metal tops you won't have to recycle.
Curious what a baby food mill looks like? Check out this one.