Baking on a Budget!

I know I haven't posted any recipes lately, but I have definitely still been baking. Trust me, my dishwasher is proof. If you're like me and you're on a budget, baking can get pricey fast! I'm gonna share with you some homemade knowledge that I've been forced to stumble upon, on my own baking adventures. I've probably spent way more money than necessary on ingredients I already had, "the top of the line sugar," and disgusting organic flours that have no place in cupcakes.

1. Don't be afraid of store brand products: milk, butter, cream cheese, etc. I actually am more likely to buy the cheaper "bargain" products at Walmart even when I can afford to splurge. I don't think there is anything wrong with them, even if it is "suggested" that you use top quality products.
2. BUY IN BULK! Oh my gosh, I don't think I can emphasize enough. I bake A LOT, so spending the money on a 25 LB bag of APF (All Purpose Flour) or a pint of Pure Vanilla Extract is so worth it because it lasts forever. I only buy in bulk, the things that do not go bad quickly and that I use in almost every recipe like Sugar, Vanilla, Flour, Baking Powder, etc. 
3. Keep your materials organized. I'm a messy baker. My supplies were scattered throughout my pantry, fridge, counters, cabinets, all over the place really. This made it easy to forget what I had enough of or was running out of. I frequently was coming home from the store with excess of stuff I had and forgetting what I actually needed. (EGGS & BUTTER!!!!) I got my stuff organized in bins on my counter next to my mixer with a list of things I'm running low on, so then you're not spending money unnecessarily!
4. Plan your recipes! Okay, so maybe I should be taking my own advice especially on this one. But here it goes anyway. Take time to make a list of the recipes you'd like to make, print out/make a copy of each recipe and highlight the ingredients you need. If it at all possible choose recipes where "special/different" ingredients overlap like kinds of fruit. That will keep you from making rush shopping trips when you're "in the mood" to bake where you're likely to overspend on ingredients that you'll never use again. (Safflower Oil...) 
5. Try it before you buy it.  No, I don't mean sample the ingredients in the store. I mean make half batches of recipes with expensive ingredients instead of splurging on a huge bottle or bag of something you end up not using or liking. I did this at the beginning with organic ingredients for vegan or g-free (gluten free) cupcakes! I have about 10 types of organic flour in ziploc bags in my pantry and I had 6 different kinds of milk in my fridge! One bag of specialty flour was $15 and it made my cupcakes taste grainy...never again! Just don't commit to expensive things when you know your money is better spent elsewhere on necessary materials like butter and sugar!

The ridiculous amount of natural flours in ziploc bags!!!!

I'll also be finishing each post with a 20 Day Challenge question or statement. Thank you to the wonderful Malori of Sunday Morning Sugar for supplying me with the questions. :) (She's AWESOME! Check her out.) I was gonna wait till the 1st Day of February, but I got excited and needed the motivation to blog everyday!

Day 1: Facebook Profile Picture

If you've read this blog enough, you know this girl, the more ghostly one next to me of course. ;) She's my cousin, Alyssa, but better known as Twin. Literally, when we're out anywhere, I call her twin, never Alyssa. This picture is from Sunday on the drive to church together. Ever since she got half days this semester, she's been practically living at my house. I love it. (Shout out to my twin, who has been working today, I miss you bia!)

Comment below if you have any other baking budget tips or any specific baking questions! I'd love to do an all baking questions post sometime soon.