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Single-cuisine system avoids waste, deliciously

Posted May 07 2008, 01:00 PM by Donna Freedman

"Frugal-Cook" doesn't skimp on ingredients. Check her shopping cart and you'll find stuff like shallots, fennel, olive oil and fresh herbs. Yet she spends only about $500 a month to feed her family of five-going-on-six -- the mom of three is expecting again -- even though she lives in spendy Chicago.

Frugal-Cook bases her meal plans on weekly grocery specials, viewing the ads online at http://www.centsible.net/groceries.shtml. She also hits smaller markets in ethnic neighborhoods. Then she cooks one and only one type of cuisine per week.

"This way, you'll buy mainly the same sorts of foods and can reuse them throughout the week. If you try to cook burgers one night, Italian the next, Mexican after that, American comfort food the next night, then Chinese, you'll invariably have some ingredients that will go to waste."

The single-genre idea is a terrific way to prevent waste. The idea of half a fennel bulb or some leftover jasmine rice moldering in the fridge brings tears to our eyes. Hats off to Frugal-Cook for getting the best buys and using every bit of them.

Read more on MSN Money:

High food prices? Here's how to save

Join the 'frugalvore' movement

60 minutes can save you big money on groceries

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Comments

 

Interesting idea (cooking only one cuisine per week), only it sounds very boring.  If I have Mexican more than one night in a given week, someone in my family will say, "We're on a kick, are we?"  and usually, less gets eaten, which means more leftovers that I have to try & turn over into something else.

Might work with some families, not in ours.  I wouldn't want to eat at the same retaurant every day.

Now planning meals around sales - that's an idea that I use to save money.

Stacey (Posted 05.07.08 1:34 PM)

That is a great idea.   I could eat the dame thing every day.  The same ethnic food for a week would be no biggy.  I am going to try that the next week.

Dawniejo (Posted 05.07.08 3:48 PM)

Truly frugal (and poor) folkd dumpster dive.

Not out of choice but necessity.

Americans doing the work that the elite class proclaims Americans will not do are often the first who have to delve into dumpsters.

obbop (Posted 05.07.08 7:00 PM)

What about fixing and freezing so you could mix and match?  The variety you love, the savings we all need...ready to try it out myself.

KuttingCosts (Posted 05.28.08 12:43 PM)

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