midwest neurotica

I mentioned recently that I am trying to save more money in a time where I’ve also had to cut my expenses. I’ve long known that food is one of my biggest discretionary expenses, but even with reducing my eating out, I still seem to fall short (or rather, tall) of my budget goal. Most of us working and stay-at-home homemakers don’t need reminders that using coupons, comparison shopping, cooking from scratch and eating less meat can save you money. So where am I lacking?

A conversation at work this week taught me that diversity isn’t always the friend of the frugal shopper. A group of us were discussing the amounts we spend weekly on food. The numbers were so varied on a per person basis, that it was hard to pin point the root cause. One individual admitted that she knows her total is a little higher, because she doesn’t skimp on quality to save. Well, there is one of my problems.

Then we discussed what we were actually cooking for supper. I was one of few who actually cooked, in the traditional sense. But cooking from scratch should be saving me money, right? However, I buy a lot of ingredients AND I often don’t skimp on quality. It hit me - we, as domestic goddesses, are also often foodies. We love trying new recipes and new twists on old favorites. I am a foodie. Our families have learned to appreciate the experiments, but our pocketbooks often cringe at the ingredient lists we pull together.

Though I am a vehement fan of quick, simple comfort foods, my years as a vegetarian broadened my palate, showing me new taste horizons I didn’t know were possible. You’ve all seen the photos of my creations. Unfortunately, maintaining a full pantry of Indian spices, enough veggies for a tagine anytime and the quantities of flour to make seitan, are just not manageable for a single girl’s budget. (I also drink too much Diet Pepsi, but thats a whole other post!)

So this morning, while stumbling around the internet, I discovered Hillbilly Housewife. This simple site, full of “low-cost, home-cooking from scratch”, reminded me of all the ways I could be saving money by reducing the diversity of my diet. (As a bonus, I read recently that this can also help me lose weight.)

Here’s an example - bean burritos. If this favorite, theoretically simple, is on my menu, this is what I would buy:

• tortillas
• refried beans
• yellow rice
• peppers
• onions
• cilantro pesto
• cheese
• sour cream
• avocado

To simplify, reduce fat, and lower cost, I could make flour tortillas from scratch, mash my own canned pinto beans and top with only onions and avocado. Then eat it with a simple green salad. If I had more time, I could cook beans from scratch, but I seem to have a black thumb for that too! In this case, I could spend more money on higher quality ingredients, like organic flour and a good Haas avocado, instead of buying more, lower quality items for the same price. I also might eat fewer burritos since the taste variety would be reduced. I think the Hillbilly Housewife may be on to something! Simplify your ingredient list and save money. Let’s try that out!

What are your favorite low-cost, short-ingredient-list, nutritious, delicious meals? I don’t think I can eat bean burritos very long - like a month tops!

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