Frugal Nation has been up and running for a month now, with most recipes successfully totalling less than $10. Keeping the $10 price tag in mind, I have incorporated lentils and beans into recipes, which I have not done before (with the exception of chickpeas).
During Veganomics, I kept a careful eye on price tags and sales. One thing I have noticed since starting this project is that the deals are not as good as before, and I am not sure if that is a result of the economic turmoil or that winter is a dormant growing season in Michigan. Vegetables seem slightly more expensive, while meat is definitely pricier than last summer. The sale prices are sometimes higher than the regular prices I paid back in June!
It takes a bit more work to find a good deal on meat and produce, though it isn’t impossible. This is part of the reason I turned to lentils and beans, which are almost always cheaper than meat. Also, hearty dishes with lentils and beans lend themselves better to the colder weather.
Some very sad news came in last weekend: The Fresh Market closed! Not all locations, but the one in Grand Rapids closes its doors today. I was devastated to hear the news, and immediately rushed over to stock up on cheap spices and other favorites like tri-colored couscous and quinoa. The closing was very abrupt, the GR Press ran the story Thursday and by Sunday the store was closed.
Another thing this project has shown me is that home cooking can be incredibly cheap, healthy, and very satisfying. Ironically, I am on my way to making more soup during this project than I did during Soupified! Though I usually made adjustmests to the recipes, it has been pretty easy to keep things under the $10 mark.
I am at a distinct advantage, however, because I already had a stocked pantry and spice rack (let’s not discuss how much I spent stocking up on spices this weekend). For someone starting from scratch, it would probably be more costly to start cooking at home at first.
Frugal Nation will continue with more delicious, balanced recipes that can be made with less than $10 worth of ingredients, along with Frugal News updates and other commentary on Bitter/Sweet.
