Main Ingredient
Live fab-u-LE$$: Video: WPBF: Make lobster at home for less than chicken at a restaurant!
Watch the video HERE
Cooking at home is one of the ways to best keep your food budget under control– and you can eat well, VERY well– and still spend less– all without resorting to reconstituted powdered milk or ramen noodles.
As you’ve heard me say before, allow whichever protein– meaning poultry, beef, pork, seafood or fish– is on sale each week to dictate your menu. And, when I talk about planning a weekly menu, I don’t mean that you must know *exactly* what you’re going to make, just that you should know the main ingredient(s) that you’re going to use.
My goal is to keep my dinners for my family of 5 under $10 per dinner– and for that price, we’re able to eat a varied menu that includes everything from steak to seafood and everything in between.
How I do it is to emulate the way that chefs at fine restaurants cook– like them, I buy whatever protein is good and fresh that day and then select some seasonal vegetables and/or fresh herbs that marry up well with that protein. Their pantry and spice cabinet is stocked with most, if not all of the basics that they need to create just about any dish– and your pantry should be too!
If you select whichever fruits and vegetables are in season they not only tend to taste better but they also tend to be less expensive. And many fruits and vegetables can be found for under a dollar or two per pound– healthy and fabuLESSly inexpensive! Once you have all of your ingredients that’s where the fun begins!
Even if you don’t have a lot of cookbooks– consider starting a binder or even a card file of recipes that you gather from friends, family, or cut recipes out of magazines and the newspaper– you can even find TONS of recipes online.
One of my favorite ways to find recipes is what I call Google Cooking– you simply enter the ingredients that you have on hand, say: Chicken, Lemon, and Garlic and then the word RECIPE into any search engine and you’ll find thousands upon thousands of recipes to choose from– I’ve found some of my very favorite recipes this way.
Also, if you have a favorite dish from a restaurant that you’d like to recreate– just do an internet search– you will likely be able to find a replica of the recipe for that exact same dish and you can recreate for a fraction of the cost!
You don’t need fancy equipment to cook– just a few basic kitchen supplies will suffice and any investment you make in pots, pans and cooking utensils will surely pay off in just a few weeks.
Remember, don’t change your lifestyle just change the way that you shop and live fab-u-LE$$
The Penny Pincher’s Pantry
Bored out of my mind and stuck in a never-ending, over-the-phone survey last night I started flipping through the November issue of Ladie’s Home Journal. Much to my surprise, (I’ve only read the magazine a few times before), I and came across a couple of interesting articles. My favorite was a two-page write-up called The Penny Pincher’s Pantry.
The article includes budget-friendly recipes for every day staples like pancake mix, chocolate syrup, fresh buttermilk, jarred spaghetti sauce, taco seasoning and packaged bread crumbs. The recipes are ridiculously simple. For example, to make fresh buttermilk mix 1 tbsp of white vinegar or lemon juice with 1 cup of milk. Let it sit for 5 minutes and use. The article says you can also combine 3/4 of a cup of plain yogurt with 1/4 cup of milk.
I rarely purchase buttermilk, so I tend to ignore any recipes that include it as a main ingredient. With the new found knowledge that milk and lemons will do the same trick I can pick and choose from a much wider range of dinner options.
I’m also interested in trying the taco seasoning recipe, because I absolutely hate buying those little taco packets from the grocery store. The recipe requires 4 tsp of chili powder, 1 tbsp onion powder, 2 tsp garlic powder, 1 tbsp ground cumin, 2 tsp paprika, 2 tsp dry oregano, 1 tsp sugar and 1/2 tsp salt. It says to use 2 tbsp of the seasoning for every 1 pound of beef, chicken or turkey. So I can use this mix for dinner one night and put the rest in the cupboard for another night’s dinner.
I like that these recipes allow you to control the salt and skip out on the preservatives. Since there are only nine in the list I plan on trying them all. I’m all for buying less prepackaged items. I think it keeps us healthier and cuts down on our carbon footprint.
Weekly Roundup - Spring Break Edition
Nothing like another Spring Break vacation at home. I’ve grown weary of the term “staycation,” so I refuse to call it that this year. With all that has been going on with us personally we decided it didn’t make sense to spend the money to head out on a vacation this year. I’ve already started a vacation fund for next year though, because I don’t think my wife and kids will let us get away with another year at home!
The Fab Five
Save Money at Baseball Games. We’re headed to a spring football game this weekend, and I’ll plan to apply many of these great tips. The only caveat, I’ll have to spring for a bag of spicy boiled peanuts and an ice cold Coca Cola. Sorry, but it’s a tradition! (@Lazy Man and Money)
How Do You Know When You Have Enough? I really enjoyed this post, especially the section, “Four Qualities of Enoughness.” Recognizing you have reached “enough” is a fundamental milestone in leading a frugal lifestyle. Without reaching contentment you will constantly want more and more stuff. (@My Two Dollars)
Living Your Passion: What It Takes To Be An Entrepreneur. Jeff does a powerful job of breaking down the main ingredient required - G.R.I.T. Read on to find what the letters stand for, and then act on them to live your passion. (@My Super-Charged Life)
Nine Pieces of Software I Use Every Day. I resisted using Tweetdeck until reading this endorsement from Trent. I’m glad I did. It makes following a large number of Twitter users much easier to manage. Several other nuggets in this article, too! (@The Simple Dollar)
Taking Control of Your Life By Finding Balance. Enjoyed this article and the ideas presented, particularly the part about creating boundaries. I need to do a better job of compartmentalizing my life - work, home, blogging, instead of allowing these things to bleed over into one another.(@Money Smart Life)
Best of the Rest
Frugal Entertainment Rule: You Must Try Redbox
Your Home Office: Ideas To Set Up Your Place of Work
Six Conversational Habits to Ditch Today
Get Your Emergency Fund In Place Now
How Long Does It Take Your Broker to Answer Your Call?
12 Things Every Teenager Needs To Know About Money (And How To Teach Them)
How To Get Rich By Choosing The Right House
The 80/20 Rule and How it Applies to You
Site of the Week
Repair Pal. This week I have had to get some work done on my 19 year-old van. There’s a point where parts are cheaper the older the vehicle gets, and then the curve starts to go up again as things are harder to find. Fortunately, it is a GMC van, and the 1990-1995 parts are still pretty easy to find. RepairPal.com provides estimates for the most frequent repair jobs for your particularl model. The estimates are broad, but it should give you a reference point to help determine if your mechanic is giving you the shaft.
Post from: Frugal Dad
