Homebrewmen, threads 1-50.
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=2wbso536

TBP: Homegrowmen, stickies on frugal livings, etc.

SHOPPING TIPS
-USE COUPONS, plan meals around 'em, don't just buy food because they're on sale though.
-Buy according to price per ounce/gram. Careful some items aren't cheaper in bulk.
-Frequent cheaper stores (Aldis, Lidls, Walmart, Asian market, immigrant stores).
-Farmers markets for in season produce.
-Don't be afraid to haggle, at farmers market near closing, at grocery if say lettuce is slightly wilted.
-Get to know your farmers market and grocery workers. They'll be more likely to help you out, allow haggling, etc.
-Buy oil/soysauce/cooking wine/rice, etc at an asian market in bulk for cheap, legumes/beans/strange veggies/spices at immigrant stores in bulk for cheap.
-NO to the deli counter, salad bar, precooked meals (frozen pizza, microwave meal), snax, pre-frozen shit, etc. Salad bar is acceptable for SMALL amounts to help a dish out (slices of onion, pepper strips, etc).
-Buy meat in bulk on sale, divide and store in freezer, invest if deep freezer if you can. This also works with PANDEMIC meat (mad cow, swine flu, bird flu) grocery meat is SAFE. Hoard that shit.
-Buy spices self-bagged with price per pound (get like 14 spices for $2), or go to indian market for spices with more spice for the buck (fat bag of cumin for $2).
-Water. Not milk, soda, or juice. Water. All of these are expensive and any nutritional value can be found elsewhere. Especially milk.
-Avoid drugstore/pharmacy "deals". They're usually worse than grocery markets.
-A little bit of quality/expensive cheese provides much more flavor per dollar than cheap kraft cheese.
-Alfalfa, lentils, etc, are cheap, nutritious greens.
-Weeds outside may be edible veggies; harvest food from a neighbors garden (ask your neighbor); grow basic herbs (cilantro, basil, rosemary, mint, scallion, parsley) on a windowsill garden.

COOKING
-For sandwich choices, try homemade egg salad, tuna salad, grilled cheese, grilled chicken.
-Try cooking with mainly tovu/beans/seitan, and adding just a bit of mean for flavor/psychological value.
-Mac and cheese seems cheap, but is expensive when you factor in milk/butter.
-baked chicken breasts drizzled with olive oil and spices (i got this savory blend shit from sams club, shit is so cash. no salt or msg) are awesome for just about anything. including sandwhiches. get some fresh tomatoes, onions and peppers on that bitch with some 12 grain and SPICEY BROWN MUSTARD and you got yourself a sandwhich

STAPLE LIST
-Bulk buy rice, potatoes (or dehydrated potatoes), flour, beans (dried or canned), tomato products (crushed, paste, etc), canned veggies, pasta, tuna, oatmeal, oil, bouillon cubes, store brand oats, onions, peanut butter tub. All of these can be used in many ways, beans are especially cheap and can be eaten as they are.
-Moderately buy spices (thyme, rosemary, oregano, cumin, parsley, chili flakes, cumin, coriander, bay, kosher salt, dill, peppercorns, oregano, basil, mustard, chili, cayanne pepper, garlic powder, onion powder)
-Various cheap white/red wine and wine vinegars.
-In general, items that are versatile (have many uses) in cooking, + spices that'll add variety to make the difference between a bad and a good meal.

GENERAL TIPS
-You can be poor without sacrificing flavor, nutrition, or variation.
-www.choosingvoluntarysimplicity.com look at the "Frugality" section.
-google "low cost recipes home-cooking from scratch" for buying/cooking for a family of 4 at $50/week.
-You can trade time for money.
-Buy and ask for kitchenware helpful kitchenware, (ie a blender/food processor can save you on precut and preground products, crockpot saves loads of time).
-food pantries, soup kitchens if you're desperate, volunteer at the kitcen to maybe get extra leftovers. Salvation army is good for kitchenware.
-Clean out the work fridge once a month.

EXAMPLES
-Example1: You are making a big ass batch of soup containing mostly potato products and bits of vegetable scraps. When Paula Dean makes such a “potato” soup, she would add in copius amounts of milk, butter, cheese and bacon. Ditch all of those. Afterall, you would rather eat the crispy bacon sparingly as a treat than watch it disappear into a soup! Add dehydrated potato flakes to the soup base of vegetable stock to add creaminess and substance. Be liberal with the spices, garlic and onions, sauté them all first to bring out the flavor. Add in a mild creamy bean like Great Northern to make the soup significantly more substantial and “eat like a meal.” Make biscuits if you want. Freeze vast quantities for later.
--Example2: You are having taco night with your underageb& friends. When Mama Ortega makes such a meal, she would use vast amounts of ground beef and serve it with chips, salsa, bean dip, sour cream, Krap shredded cheese, and Spanish Rice. Ditch all that shit. You will use cumin, chili flakes, chili powder, paprika, garlic powder, etc to heavily spice up some beans, rice and canned tomato products as your taco filler. You will use tortillas from the immigrunt store sparingly. Think massive burrito rather than danty taco. If you must use cheese, use less than a fourth of the amount Mama Ortega would smother a taco with. Eat a small amount of lettuce/salad with it.
--Example3: You are making a sandwich for lunch. When Jared makes a sandwich, he adds 10 slices of honey roasted deli ham, Krap cheese singles, olive oil based Mayonaise, bakery fresh artisan rye bread, lettuce, tomato and avocado. He eats his sandwich with some chips, a pickle and Waldorf Fruit Salad. You’re a poor bastard, so you get basically none of that. Remember those immigrunt tortillas from yesterday? That’s your bread. Use some frozen chicken or immigrunt tofu you bought on sale, or make bean fritters as a filler (smoosh up beans, mix with potato flakes and whatever else you like, pan fry in a spits worth of oil). Cabbage and carrots are in season and you picked up a bunch at the farmer’s market. Shred them, toss with vinegar, oil, sugar and you have some cole slaw. Bitches at Panera would pay 8.99 for a chicken wrap with coleslaw….

BROWNIES
Ingredients
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup cocoa

Directions
Cream sugar and butter together. Add eggs and vanilla, mix well. Stir flour and cocoa together, then add into egg mixture. Mix well. Spray glass custard dish or cup with nonstick spray then coat with sugar. Add 4-5 tablespoons of brownie mixture. Microwave for approx. 1 minute. Let cool.

STEAK
To check doneness of a steak, touch together your thumb and index finger, then feel the muscle below your thumb. Thats rare. Thumb and middle finger is medium-rare, ecetera. Season with salt and pepper. No exceptions. Cover with aluminum foil to trap juices in, add salt/seasonings well before cooking, NEVER right before cooking. Salt and pepper are acceptable seasonings. Various herbs, lemon, and spices are also acceptable. Sauce is never acceptable.

RAMEN
Get the fuck out.