So you are just starting out on your own or like me several years ago, divorced and starting over.  One of the things you need to do a build a well-equipped kitchen.  The good news is that you can do it frugally.

My recommendation is to do what I will call the "Add One or Two Per Week" program.  It's what I did and it works!  Every week, I added a couple of kitchen tools trying to keep my purchases to $10 or less per week, within one year, I had just about everything I needed without feeling the pain-- I looked at it as a long-term investment.

Here's what I did:

• I let it be known that I would appreciate certain kitchen items as gifts for birthdays and Christmas and that I accepted donations
• I started shopping Wal-Mart, dollar stores, and warehouse clubs.  I used coupons for Bed, Bath & Beyond and Linens-N-Things-- these places were too expensive without the coupons
• Looking back, I could have also hit tag sales

Here is the priority list:

• Pots and pans-- Get a basic set of three and then add one-by-one as you discover your needs as you cook
• Dishes and glasses-- Don't go overboard here, breakage happens
• Bowls-- Basic 3-pack to start
• Knife sets-- Get the basics, you can always upgrade to the fancy ones later
• Basic utensils set-- You can get these in sets of four to start
• Specialized utensils-- Things like mixer spoons, can opener, etc.
• Appliances-- Stay with the basics: microwave, toaster, coffee maker, etc.

Stay with the basics and be sure it is functional-- add the nice to haves later.  As I mentioned many items are about a buck-- $10 a week goes far.

Like this post? Check out the related posts for more information.  You can also get email notification of new posts in your email by subscribing.  Your email address won't be used for any other purpose than to send you notification of a new post.

Related posts:
Grocery Shopping: Once a Month or Weekly?
My Typical Grocery List and Strategy
Use What We Have . . .
How To . . . Posts Revisited