Surviving the Recession, Episode 2: Planning Meals (C)

Cheap isn’t chintzy

In fact, being food frugal is essential at any time. Resources are limited and we must be responsible to ourselves, our wallets and the world. These ideas are personal loans to you, loans that are sure to help you save hard-earned capital. If you missed parts ONE or TWO, get to clicking!

• Keep soup starter in the freezer - This works well with leftovers. Just add things in and nothing goes to waste
• Look for events that entertain and feed - Sam’s Club and Costco are great places to sample free food while you shop. Do that enough and you have a small meal. Social gatherings with potlucks are also great. Most importantly, try to get yourself invited to as many weddings as possible - they’re catered!
• Drink water, not soda - I know how addictive soda can be. That brief sugar rush is good stuff. However, I am thankful that I developed a love of water at a young age. Now I drink 8-12 glasses per day. Water bills may be more expensive now than ever, but it will never exceed the cost of soda
• Make your own jello cups - This is easy to do and much less expensive that keeping your pantry stocked with lunchtime snacks
• Trick your kids - If they don’t like generic cereals, put the generic into a name-brand box
• Raise your own chickens - If you can get the eggs at home, why pay store prices? But as BackyardChickens.com tells us, there are other benefits. The fowl are easy and inexpensive to maintain, the eggs are fresh and chemical-free, they can make great pets they take care of weeds and create free fertilizer for your yard
• Join a freezer club - Use an online service like meetup.com to meet people in your area who would enjoy meeting and swapping recipes and frozen meals. Here’s an example of an online freezer club
• Make your own baby food - Buying all that bottled stuff in the store is expensive, and if you aren’t buying organic, you’re introducing your child to preservatives before they’ve even had a chance. There’s lots of info online about this. Here’s a nice site that uses basic produce you find in any grocery store

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