|  qthews | Apr 25, 11:58am | Absolutely and wonderfully different :-:
Not only the difference in climate but also the difference in our history (mainly the different domination we had) impacted the cultures and so the cousine of the different areas. We go from the northeast where we have some central Europe influence to Sicily where there are spanisch and even arab influence. |
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|  123Maroon | May 22, 9:26am | | The bulk bin route. The rice and beans already mentioned, but, if your store carries it in bulk: barley, quinoa, lentils, etc. I've also seen breakfast cereals, both cold and hot in bulk. |
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Sponsor |  xaintrix | Jun 21, 1:40pm | A lot of good ideas already.
#1 is to scout out all the grocery stores in the area. You'd be surprised at some of the bargains you can find. Example: The Japanese market near me sells a 1 liter bottle of low sodium soy sauce for the same amount of money that a table bottle of Kikkoman does at Vons/Kroger.
#2 Regarding the bulk bin. Try to invest in some Tupperware or other medium/large sealable containers that you can keep in your pantry. I try to keep possible nasties creeping into my food supply by making as few trips as possible into the large bags. This also helps when curbing the inevitable ant invasion. :3
#3 Google for farmer's markets in the area. Aside from the traditional mail advert browsing for what's on sale in a given week (and I do suggest you do so), look to farmers in the area for affordable produce. Skip the middlemen altogether.
#4 Adjust the ratio of meat:vegetable:starch in your diet. Most modern American diets tend to be meat heavy which can get quite pricey. You'd be surprised the meals you can make with very little meat. Use it as an accent. I tend to buy ground beef in bulk, separate it into one-third to one-half pound patties, individually wrap them in plastic and huck them into a freezer bag. Defrost as necessary in the microwave. I typically use only one patty per person for any given meal.
#5 Warehouse Bulk Stores - If you don't already have a membership, just find a friend that does and do some shopping with them. While most bulk buys are a bit wasteful, there are some good staples in our household we swear by. Most notably the affordable price of Turkey Bacon. I swear by normal bacon typically, but I must admit that even I was won over by this stuff. It fits into most meals (see accent above), less guilty if you feel like a BLT, microwaves splendidly, and freezes well. I certainly won't make German Potato Salad with it (my grandma would kill me), but it gets the job done overall.
#6 The microwave is your friend! I admit that most of the cooking I learned was on the stovetop. But with warmer summers, higher energy bills, and looking to save a buck I've started to look to subsidize my stove use with the microwave.
As for recipes, I can expand on that if you'd like. |
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