Frugal Cooking With the economy worsening and the prices of almost everything rising, a lot of people are striking back by living more frugally. Whether you are scrimping to stay home with your little ones, or possibly someone in your home is temporarily out of work, or even if you’d just like to save some pennies to add to the collection plate to help others, you’ve come to the right place. Let’s think about how to feed our families frugally.

First, it is a very good start to plan your dinners. When you plan to cook and eat at home, and have everything on hand, there is much less temptation to grab fast food. So, good for you, you’ll eat healthier, and save money doing so. When you shop from a focused list, you get exactly what you need; nothing extra, nothing wasted. I, for one, really love that feeling. I used to hate throwing away unused food that had gone bad. I bought it with the best of intentions, yet somehow never got around to using it. Wasteful, wasn’t it? Meats So let’s think about the most costly items on our grocery list. The obvious biggie is meat. The approach with meat should be to buy what is on sale and then get the most out of your purchase as possible. Scan the sale ads in the paper when you are planning. If you find a great bargain, buy a lot, repackage it carefully, and then freeze the extra. Also, try to get at least two, if not three meals out of every meat you cook. With inexpensive pork or beef roasts you can slow cook the roast and serve it once, then use the leftovers in a casserole or in BBQ sauce as pulled pork or beef sandwiches, then sauce it with salsa and roll in a tortilla as burritos or tacos. If that is too much of a single thing in one week for you, freeze the leftovers and have them another day. (Just don’t abandon them there and forget what that mystery meat is.) Stretching Don’t forget to stretch things. It used to be habit, even an art form in the days of the depression generation, but we’ve gotten out of the habit and need to think of it again. A few pieces of beautifully seared and sliced steak atop a large mound of less expensive greens and vegetables can make a single steak stretch to serve a whole family and it doesn’t seem like we’re scrimping. Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP) can be used to stretch ground beef in casseroles, lasagna, skillet suppers, meatloaf and the like. Check you local health food store for that. It is has less fat, fewer calories and no cholesterol too. Adding beans or rice to a casserole, soup or even a burrito will make things stretch. No matter what you’re serving, be sure to offer plenty of vegetables. It is a healthier way to eat to consume two or three times the amount of vegetables than lean protein. Just be sure the vegetables are not drowning in unhealthy fats. A small quantity of healthy fat is recommended. My friend Mary Jane has a great way of stretching a Costco rotisserie chicken. She creates a gallon of luscious soup from a single chicken stretching a $4 chicken plus a few seasonal vegetables and some noodles or rice into 16 cups of soup for about .30 cents per serving. Mary Jane's Chicken Soup Going Meatless Consider a vegetarian meal once or twice a week. Does that pasta need meat sauce, or would tomato sauce suffice, at least now and then? Eggs, even though they’ve gone up too, are still an excellent value for a protein source. Quiche, frittata, omelets, even breakfast for dinner can be a fun, satisfying yet economical meal. Beans and rice are the basis of many healthy, satisfying and economical meals. Bacon I know it sounds counterintuitive, but bacon can be very economical, because a little bacon goes a long way. As little as a single strip can be crumbled of a salad or a baked potato and suddenly those lowly vegetables become a sumptuous treat. Less Processed When it comes to meat and poultry, the less processed it is, the cheaper it usually is. Consider cutting up whole chickens yourself, de-boning and skinning your own chicken breasts. Your can further cut breasts into cutlets to make them both cook faster and go further. Frankly, I find a single eight ounce chicken breast to be too large a serving for most people in my family, only the big boys and men will eat a whole one, the kids, grandfolk and I prefer a smaller serving. Keeping Track Unless you’ve got a razor sharp memory, you’ll need to keep a record or what you are paying for things you buy frequently in order to recognize a good value. Simply because there is a sale sign, doesn’t always mean it is a good price. Packaged Processed Foods Foods that have been extensively processed and packaged are more costly than foods we make for ourselves. The more an item has been handled, the more profit the manufacturers need to make. Things like roast beef that has been cooked and individually packaged, or packaged mashed potatoes are far more expensive than cooking them ourselves. Mass produced items on the other hand can be cheap, like some cereals. Surprisingly, some discount super stores, like Wal-Mart offer better prices than can be had at the grocery store. Stock up while you’re there, if you have room. Angel Food Ministries Many churches across the US are participating in the Angel Food Ministry. Begun in Georgia to reduce hunger, Angel Food Ministries delivers inexpensive “units” of food for about $30. Units must be pre-ordered and picked up at the host site. Typically each basic unit contains 10 lbs of meat and many pounds of vegetables and staples; typically food for four for a week or more or almost a month for seniors. You can also order, in addition to the basic unit, additional units of meat or poultry which are typically $18 to $20. There is no income requirement or limit for Angel Food Ministries, everybody qualifies. That is what I like best about them, you needn’t reveal any financial details to buy food, and for every unit purchased, a dollar goes to the hosting church to sponsor their benevolent (helping others) programs. You can do a world of good while saving money, which I would call a win-win. I like the idea of people of all income levels getting by on less so we can save more or help others who need it. Shop Local Consider purchasing a side or quarter of beef from a local farmer. You’ll get fresher, quality beef and contribute to the local economy while saving fossil fuel. Visit the local farmers market or farm stands. It’s fun to go and see what they have. Buying from them helps the local economy and it is really fun to bring along little ones who can help choose what to have, possibly see where it comes from and hopefully be more inclined to eat their vegetables. Plant A Garden Just the act of planting a garden is soul satisfying. It is investing in your future in a place, putting down roots and a great way to enjoy the earth. Harvesting your fruits and vegetables is so satisfying, enjoying the fruits of your labors and even sharing the bounty of your garden with others. Again, get the kids out there and let them learn from the experience. They’ll love it and be more inclined to eat the peas they’ve grown. Then, all their life they’ll remember doing this for you. Older kids might be encouraged to grow vegetables and bring them to the farmer’s market to earn some spending money; another great lesson in delayed gratification, working for what you want and enjoying the fruits of your labors. The Added Benefit When you get by on less, you appreciate more. And you begin to trust in God to provide for your needs. And you worry less. All of those are good things.