One of my favorite frugal tricks is to wait until the day after a holiday to snap up bargains. I try and hit my nearby 99-cent store (where the prices are good but definitely not all 99-cents) to see what I can find.
What I usually discover in the days that follow Halloween are pumpkins for a steep discount. Smallish to medium sized are just 99-cents (I swear, most everything is not). I buy a couple, take them home and cut them into large wedges for roasting. No salt, no seasoning, I just roast off the chunks until tender, takes about an hour in a 350-degree oven. I then let them cool, break them into smaller pieces with my hands and add enough water in my food processor to process into a smooth paste. I freeze the pureed pumpkin for everything from baked goods to savory accents like pumpkin risotto. If I have the time and patience, I will freeze the pumpkin in muffin tins and pop them out once frozen giving me half-cup measures ready to go. I find two or three small to medium pumpkins will give me enough puree to last me at least until next summer. As a result, I never buy overpriced canned pumpkin.
Every recipe I have for pumpkin pie says to use canned pumpkin pie mix for making holiday pies but honestly, I’ve never noticed a difference at all. My pureed pumpkin works fine although consider adding a touch more sugar when making the pies and bit more cinnamon. I will roast seeds if I have the time because they make good snacks. Pumpkin seed brittle is also very easy to make and actually is a really fun decorative touch to the top of homemade pumpkin pies.
I save this activity for when I am in the kitchen for a few hours, usually the same day I caramelize a five-pound bag of yellow or white onions for the upcoming holidays. This simple task takes at least an hour on its own and since I have to tend the onions, it is the perfect time to roast pumpkins in the oven. I try and caramelize my onions weeks prior to the holidays because once browned, they freeze really well, and a time-consuming cooking task is done well in advance. I try and load my oven up with other baking/roasting tasks at the same time including roasting beets, baking a random loaf of bread, even popping in a whole chicken; anything to keep the oven full while it is hot.
So check out your local stores the day after holidays and see what frugal bargains you can fine> With a little effort in the kitchen, you can save big.
the house behind 