Well I went grocery shopping for two weeks. I've found that planning out a two week menu helps me to more effectivly use what I have. I can make the rice, pasta, tofu, ect. go farther which meas that if something is a little expensive for one week I can make it worth it my spreading the cost over two meals. This week I went to two stores and spent $38.42 and $20.04. The two stores I went to were just my regular grocery store and a natural food store. OK so you're pobably scratching your head at that one right, a natural food store aren't they really expensive?!?!?! Well yeah, ussually they are more expensive, BUT the reason I go it for the bulk section. I can get my rice, TVP, broth, spices, beans and pasta in bulk, buying in bulk means that you're cutting out the packaging costs and you get to buy what you need. I can get a pre-packaged .5 lb bag of TVP for about $6.50 but if I buy in bulk it's $3.99 a pound. I went to the health food store just to buy my bulk items but I always take the time to look at the produce. This week I was able to get sweet potatoes for 99 cents a pound, a 3 pound bag of onions for less than I spend on one pound at the grocery store and purple potatoes for less than plain old russet potatoes. Purple potatoes taste the same but I think they're pretty. Feel free to roll your eyes at that, I did as I typed it. :)
So it's starting to get cooler in Kansas, and it's pretty much always windy. This puts me in the mood for soup, and guess what soup is cheap! It's so easy to make a big pot of soup for dinner and have plenty for soup and more to freeze for next week. This week I have two soups and chili on the menu. Chili is another great cheap, hearty meal solution. I use dried beans, just soak them overnight in your crockpot. First thing in the morning out your spices, tomatoes and anything else in the crockpot and set it on low. Let is cook until dinner time. Since I don;t have anything to wory about at dinner time I'll make cornbread. Cornbread is cheap and easy, even the mixes are cheap and tasty. I stay away from Jiffy brand because it uses real lard, but if you don't care about eatting animal fat go for it. I've seen Jiffy boxes on sale for less than 33 cents a box.
