Raises never keep pace with the cost of living, so we scour blogs, looking for ways to trim household expenses. While we could definitely get by without a premium movie package from the cable company, in our home, the kitchen and our meals help keep our family close.
To preserve our lifestyle, however, we need to maximize our budget. We buy the Sunday paper for its circulars; we join sites offering printable coupons. Both tactics work well for food, but for household cleansers, food processing and storage containers, cookware and tableware, smart shoppers have another option.
For bigger savings in the kitchen, think about a bigger kitchen- a restaurant kitchen. A good restaurant supply store like Culinary Depot can stretch the use your budget for kitchen equipment and tableware.
Most people are amazed during their first visit to a restaurant supply store. They had always assumed that everything such a store stocked would be the size of a pizza oven or very expensive. That isn’t true. Many commercial items are stylish, affordable and perfectly suited for home use.
Some of my favorite finds at commercial kitchen stores include:
- Thick cutting boards in a rainbow of colors- big enough to really work on, too!
- The best plastic wrap, at low bulk prices.
- Heavy duty cooking utensils and excellent knives.
- Quality stainless steel pots and pans.
- China and baking dishes.
Commercial kitchen and tableware can save you money in two ways: the merchandise is often available at prices below comparable items in the mall “chef” stores or department stores, and the wares are durable. They don’t often break or need to be replaced.
That leaves more room in the budget for good food- and a treat or two- for your family.
* This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, we may or may not receive a small commission which helps to support this site.
I have never shopped at a restaurant supply store, but I am going to request a catalog from the Culinary Depot site. Thanks for this info. Anne’s suggestion about the used equipmant section is good too.
I’ve never shopped at a Restaurant Supply store before. But I just came from Culinary Depot’s site. I was amazed by what I saw.I’m going to go back and look at their bakeware and ccutting boards. Thanks for posting this.
Carol L
My daughter works hard, scouring the ads and internet for good food and household deals. She watches deal sites for amazing prices on cutlery, sheets, and dishes. We have bought closeout dishes at Kmart online and Cuisinart pans on a daily deal site. Right now, sheets have been the cheap items and winter accessories, but she is always trying to keep an eye out. You have to…prices keep going up, and we still want solid products and good food. Good luck to you!
I love restaurant supply stores! I always look for the used equipment section, where good-quality items can be found among the dented cookie sheets. In addition to plastic wrap, these stores are also a good source for parchment paper, which can be prohibitively expensive at the supermarket.