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 is 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 or four 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.

This post originally appeared on DivorcedDadFrugalDad.com, here is the link to the original post, How to Build a Well-Equipped Kitchen.

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DDFD believes that self reliance and self sufficiency are the roads to individual freedom.  He is dedicated to living a quality life through frugality, personal growth and productivity, and defensive entrepreneurship.  He also enjoys cooking from scratch and fishing.