Money Saver of the Week

Ever since I got pregnant and my eating habits have started to affect not only my health, but also that of my growing son, I've been trying to watch what I eat a bit more carefully. One major change that I have made is eating salads much more frequently than I used to. My one stipulation is that I need croutons. What can I say, I love bread. Always have. With very few exceptions, salads are just boring and lacking if I don't have that yummy, crispy, carbohydrate addition. The problem does arise, though, that croutons aren't cheap and with the obscenely tight budget that we are trying to follow, I just can't justify my "need" for croutons when they cost so darn much! Therefore, after doing a minimal amount of research, I have come to two conclusions:
1) Croutons are cheap and easy to make on my own! Which led me to realize,
2) I think I need to go into the crouton making business. I think they make about as much profit as the vendors at Disneyland that sell a small cup of soda for $5.

Making croutons is really as simple as this:

1) Go to your local grocery store and get the cheapest loaf of wheat bread that they have. Here in Missouri, I can get the generic brand bread for about $1/loaf. And don't mind your usual scavenging of the shelves to find the loaf with the furthest "best by" date from your date of purchase. That is the beauty of croutons: the closer to expiration, the better! Which means that if you're lucky, our most desirable loafs are actually the ones that are on the greatest sale because the store wants to get rid of it ASAP.
2) Go home and do everything you've been trained not to do: Take the loaf out of the bag and leave it on the counter all day/night. From my experience, I would recommend that you cut up the bread BEFORE it stales but that's just me. Whether you do it pre or post staling, at some point cut off the edges and then slice it into about 9 pieces (think tic-tac-toe board). In dry climates like Utah, your bread will probably stale within a matter of minutes (darn you). Here in sticky Missouri, it takes a bit more time and cajoling to get the bread to stale up. I usually have to leave it out for about 2-3 days to get it to the hardness I desire.
3) Now that the bread is stale, just stir your future croutons in 1/4 cup of butter/margarine/vegetable oil spread/whatever and whatever seasonings fit your fancy. I mix in about 2 teaspoons of garlic salt but depending on your tastes, the options are endless!
4) Lay the croutons on a cookie sheet/jelly roll pan/casserole dish/whatever you have and try to make sure that there aren't any croutons on top of each other. Put your croutons in a 350 degree oven and let them crisp/cook/bake for about 15 minutes or until they are have reached your desired brown-ness.
5) Let them cool and then store them in a covered container or plastic bag.

Believe me or not (you'll just have to test it to see for yourself), homemade croutons taste as good as and even BETTER than store bought or restaurant style croutons. It also helps that you have the satisfaction of knowing that you made them yourself and you're saving money. Enjoy!