Free meat for omelets or pizza

Save all the little bits of leftover sausage, bacon, or ham - even the tiniest - and keep it in the freezer. It doesn't matter if it's not all the same type (or even flavor) when you use it on a pizza or in an omelet. You can mix it into cornbread, too, and serve with beans or dried pea soup, but that's not as frugal as using it in the main course.

Free salt

Bags of pretzels, potato chips and other salty snacks usually have salt in the bottom of the bag... you're getting it. Don't throw it out. Save it in a special container and use it on popcorn, in coating mixes for meat or anywhere a slightly flavored salt would taste good.

I call it "free" because it's something most people throw out without thinking about it.

Meatloaf: Ultimately frugal

You've probably heard of freezing bits of leftover vegetables and meat until you have enough for soup. Use the same method to stretch meatloaf. Mince or puree vegetables, also add grains like leftover rice, barley or quinoa. Cooked cereals like oats, corn meal mush or wheat can be added, too. A tablespoonful now and then adds up. Don't waste it.

Leftover salad

Got just a few leftover, cut up vegetables? Put them in your blender, add some liquid if needed (tomato sauce, grapefruit juice, etc., whatever is appropriate) and make a cold soup or vegetable drink.

Or cook them (even lettuce!) and puree for soup stock. If you don't want to use it at that moment, you can freeze it for for later.

Minimize bacon shrinkage and curling

I read this once in an old fashioned recipe book and it really works. Simply dredge slices of bacon in flour before frying and the bacon won't shrink so much and won't curl as it fries. The drippings make excellent milk gravy, too.

Milk gone bad

If it's just a little off, put a pinch of baking soda in it and stir. No need to throw it out. If you have milk that you can't use up, put it in the freezer until you need it.

Hey, I could'a had a V-8!

Or a V-2, or a V-7 or whatever. Don't throw out tired raw vegetables. Salvage all you can by juicing or blending them. If you don't want to drink (or eat) the result, use it for a soup base. Freeze it for another day if you like - just don't throw it out.

Butter finger

Use your clean finger to gather up the remains of butter from the dish before you wash it or from the butter wrapper before you throw it away. Put the salvaged butter in a container with a lid in the refrigerator. Try it; you'll be surprised at how fast it accumulates.