economy

All this economy talk has really been raising memories.

My mother was especially thrifty. My father tried, but he tended towards flamboyance a bit. He got oriental carpets, for example, and made chipino. But he wore his clothes until they were rags and bought used cars and straighted out bent nails to reuse, etc.

But food was really a big savings area at home.


Mom used to dilute whole milk half and half with powdered. She'd mix up 2 quarts of powdered and add 2 quarts on whole (she used two marked pitchers, gradiated in cups and quarts for ease). Is it cheaper? I don't know, can't do that kind of math.

I keep powdered milk now for baking. Saves running to the store, can't taste any difference, no fat, and likely cheaper. Very handy, I've found.

They'd plan for leftovers. Dad used to take left-over pot roast to make beef hash. He cooked the carrots, potatoes and onions with the meat. Then he'd chop the meat very fine and grate the carrots and potatoes, chop the onion and moisten with gravy. Heat in a frying pan to achieve a crust or not, easy, fast and tasty. Season, of course, to taste.

A roast can make several meals and sandwiches. So can roast chicken, which we never had, but mom's fried chicken, really browned and steamed, made lovely sandwiches for a couple of days.

Make twice as much of things that can be frozen, freeze half for the next month and that's another meal mostly done. Spaghetti sauce, meatloaf, many soups and stews, lasagna, etc, can all be made ahead and divided into meal portions.

We had very few packaged foods. Cookies, sometimes, but mom and I both baked.

Buy extra when on sale of things you know you use. Meat and canned goods work well here. People don't have to be mega shopping savers to make a difference in their budgets. It's mostly about a change of thinking, anyway, leading to a change of action.

With leftovers, there's usually something to pack for school and work lunches. Eating at home can save a fortune. Is Starbucks a necessity or a preference. Save it for specail occasions. Is that a real or percieved sacrifice? How expensive is convienience and thoughtless living?

Buy used. Not food. Clothes, toys, books, etc. Or quit buying. Games, movies (rent instead), cute shoes, stuff, whatever.

My mom would make meatless meals once in a while. Spanish rice, and a spread for french bread made of canned chilies, cheddar, green onions and a little mayo, heated to preferend doneness. Easy and cheap. She also always made salad and vegetables, mostly fresh in later years, but few canned and some frozen early on.

Bubble and Squeak appeals to me as a meatless meal. I like potatoes and cabbage, chopped small and fried like the hash. That's vegetables and potatoes are filling. Easy enough to add some fruit salad or other vegetable and bread to round it out. Would people really miss the meat that much? Some probably would. Add some bacon on the side, maybe. Still easy.

Easy fruit salad and probably cheap. A can of fruit salad, drained, mixed with apple, banana, pear, grapes, Mandrine oranges, whatever. A little mayo (my mother's way), I used fruit yoghurt usually, little nutmeg or curry powder if liked (I don't). Easy, fast, convienent and maybe even cheaper than all fresh fruit and it's gotta be somwhat cheaper expecially for out of fruit season times. This is stuff people can and do keep on hand as well.

I usually cook extra potatoes. I boil them unpeeled, eat one or two, use the rest for fried potatoes or salad. I'm much more likely to make things if the food's mostly ready.

I hardboil 6 to 8 eggs at a time. Good for egg salad and gratting into tuna salad, or deviled eggs. But there're there. Sometimes I snack on them. Already ready to go.

When I make chicken stock, I boil a whole chicken and use the meat for several dishes, many to be frozen. The stock is great to freeze for recipes, use for soup, chicken and
dumplings, what ever sounds good.

Mix up baking mix to replace bisquick. Keep the dry ingredients in a bucket, then just add the liquids as using. My mom used Bisquick for dumplings (great on any soupy, stewy meal) and strawberry short cake. Maybe for waffles and pancakes at one time, too, don't remember. There's a good looking recipe at Chickens in the Road for it and I've seen several on the web.

Effective living is about thought. Effective thinking. Justifing what we do to continue the doing is what digs the ditches in life.

Kelly on Regis and Kelly has on a really pretty dress and she looks great in it. But it's wrong. It's a sleeveless, light yellow that looks like spring. See? I don't get 8 bathrooms or fashion. It's gray and rainy here today and her dress makes me extra cold.