Some Snippets of Our Balkan Journey Last Summer: Immensities and Little Things

I've mentioned that Mr FS and I met up with Miss Em (and, briefly. Frugal Son) in the Balkans last summer. I feel like a Henry James heroine when I say that the experience was immense. But it was. Some of the immense emotional response comes from the region's history. As with 9/11 in the United States, everyone who was alive during the recent genocidal conflicts remembers what happened.

Part of the immense response for also comes from my encounter with a bit of my family's journey from another genocidal conflict to safety in the United States. A stay in Belgrade was a step on that journey and I was at last able to meet the surviving member of my family (a cousin's widow) and to stay in the very house that provided shelter for seven members of my family, including two who are still alive, my mother Renee and her cousin Herbert.

Some day I will write of more of this journey, including a surprisingly moving (though why it was surprising I don't know) visit to the grave of my great-grandmother, which she shares with her daughter, my grandmother's sister.

If our whole visit was as emotionally thrilling/draining as the above summary suggests, I would have been prostrate on a couch for the whole time. However, as Mr FS always says (I think this is from his beloved Proust), the trivialities are as meaningful as the big things. I haven't posted on the little things either.

But guess what? Miss Em--home for 2 months before a return trip to Serbia--has, in addition to helping me declutter, resumed her charming drawings. The last four or so are from the time of our visit.

True to the Balkan experience, half the drawings (so far) are of food. Check out her Snippets if you  have a chance.

The Avocado Quest

Frugal Son and I both love to scan grocery ads. In fact, he sometimes gets annoyed when I send him a list of bargains, thereby depriving him of the pleasure of discovering them for himself (isn't that a continual problem for parents?? Doing too much for the kid? See below. I did it again).

Last week, I spotted a great sale at Savalot, a little discount grocery that does not have an outlet in my town. That doesn't stop me from looking. I noted that the New Orleans stores had a three day sale (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) that included avocados for 50 cents and grapes for 89 cents.

I alerted Frugal Son, for whom a trip to Savalot is a bit of a schlep, especially since he gets around by bike.

Emergency email Sunday morning! Frugal Son says he can't find the avocados in the ad!!! Oh no!!! They changed the ad! I told him I was sure it was till Sunday and--mom-like,  for my little guy--called Savalot to ask. Of course, no one answered the phone.

Frugal Son was unsure what to do. Later, I sent him this email:

How was the avocado quest?

This morning came the laconic reply:

Got a few. Only 30.

Newsflash: According to the experts, you can freeze avocados. The texture is compromised, but they are still ok for guacamole.

Image from Tate Gallery.

Frugality as Stress Relief

Learning to be frugal has been a tremendous source of stress relief. As a poor grad student, I learned how to make bean burritos to make the newly-beloved Mr FS (a Californian) happy. I guess I would have served him  Julia Child's Veal Prince Orloff if he had desired it. I actually knew someone (with a trust fund) who attempted this iconic--time-consuming and expensive-- dish.

It was just by chance that his most beloved dish was about the most frugal meal we could have. We didn't quite understand that all our high-living friends were taking out loans to supplement our meager stipends, but were glad we were staying on budget.

Even now--when I am frugal by choice--I find that frugality provides a leavening to the various slings and arrows that come our way.

I always like to get the Wednesday paper, because it has the new food ads. Talk about simple pleasures! (And I share the pleasures with Frugal Son and Miss Em's pal, Mr C, as we email our thrilling finds.)

Today, I learned that a Dollar General Market has opened in my area. A new store! Always good for the consumer. I discovered that they will have incredible prices on avocados, mangos (50 cents each) and grapes (95 cents).

I was beaming with happiness and looking forward to having the nearby Walmart Neighborhood Market price match the loss leaders (hate Walmart, but I only use for price-matching and prescriptions. Except for my old student Lacey, the Walgreens pharmacy team is hateful and rude. At Walmart, the pharmacy lady says "Hi, honey. How was your vacation?")

As I was basking in the joy of produce, I opened my email and found a missive from Frugal Son: part of the ac came loose; water was condensing on the wall. EtcEtc. Mr FS agreed with Frugal Son's quick fix and we will investigate later in the week.

It seems that I can only control the little things (like my grocery bills). The big things--and we are approaching the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina--seem to appear without warning. It may seem strange to find comfort in 50 cent avocados when we have to deal with gigantic expenses, but, well, there we are.

P.S. RIGHT AFTER I completed this, another gigantic emergency expense reared its ugly head. Stay tuned. In the meantime, bon appetit.

Avocado

A Less Frugal, But Still Very Frugal Day in New Orleans

I've been wanting to write about my vow to be somewhat LESS frugal going forward. You see, I turned 60 recently. I'm too old for early retirement. What I do in the next five years in the frugal department won't make that big a difference. My house is paid off; my kiddos are done with college.

It's hard to change old habits. Actually, I think I may be hard-wired for frugality.

Yesterday, my family of three (Frugal Son is elsewhere) went to New Orleans.

First stop: Buffalo Exchange with bunch of stuff.

Next stop: Palace Cafe for the special summer Temperature Lunch, where you get a soup/salad and entree for the preceding day's high temp!

Third Stop: New Orleans Museum of Art, free for residents on Wednesdays.

Fourth Stop: We had parked at Canal Place, an upscale shopping venue. If you buy something, you get reduced parking.  We got a coffee at Starbucks.

Outcomes

Buffalo Exchange: Oops! Accidentally brought a box full of intended discards. This box lowered the "look" of our good stuff. Plus, the buyer stopped after 10 minutes to take an Advil, which didn't kick in till after she was finished. More plus, the young woman selling next to us--who looked like nothing special--had brought in boxes of Louboutin shoes and Chanel boots (among other upscale stuff), which further downgraded our items. Still, we got almost $70, even after Miss Em used some of the credit on a lovely tunic.

Palace Cafe: Pretty good but very noisy. Salad was Caesar; soup was red bean, main was chicken and dumplings. I don't think I'd go for regular price because there are much better options in NOLA. The high temperature was 89 degrees, so each lunch was $8.90. We were too full for a real dinner.

Museum: Two wonderful special exhibits, one on the Spanish-American home and one on the murals at Talledega College.

Canal Place: We ran into the person who watched our house while we were gone! A pleasant surprise.

I asked Miss Em how I was doing on getting the pathological out of my frugality. She started laughing. A good day all in all.

Decluttering the Freezer: What We've Eaten

I recently made a vow to clean out my freezer. One of the pillars of my frugality is saving money on groceries. This is easy for me because I am a lover of the "food of the poor" and chow down on lots beans from various cuisines. Also, food bargains just leap out at me and are heard to resist.

Looking back at this blog, I noticed that I made the same vow each year. With little success owing to the aforementioned food bargains throwing themselves at my feet. This time, I meant business. I lowered my food budget to $20 a week. That will force you to use what you have.

Here's what's been on the menu, from the fancy to the more mundane.

--shrimp with tasso and mushrooms on cheese and jalapeno grits (not as hard as it sounds)
--STEAK with baked potatoes
--roast chicken cooked a la Zuni Cafe (with the trademark bread salad)
--pumpkin and sausage pasta sauce
--African peanut soup
--chicken stew on couscous
And other stuff I can't recall at the moment....

Some freebie leftovers came my way. From a bit of the ubiquitous spinach dip (pot luck party leftover), I made a frittata, using eggs that a colleague gave us. A double freebie!

Then, with some freebie chips, I made taco soup. Except for the chips, everything was a freezer clean out item.

Part of the trauma of Hurricane Katrina (for those of us a bit out of the city and its flooding who were spared the brunt of the tragedy) was caused by the pain of throwing out tons of  food in our electricity-less weeks. We were gifted with so much salmon and steak that we couldn't consume it or give it away. Everyone around here starts cleaning out the freezer at the beginning of summer, just in case the electricity goes out again.

Bon appetit!

Third Best Deal in Chicago: 54 cents

This is the final installment in my series: Best Deals in Chicago. It really goes to show you that there are all sorts of wonderful treats everywhere you go.

This one is kind of embarrassing. I spend a bit of time mooning over the blogs of elegant travelers and chic dressers like Pseu of unefemme, Duchesse of Passage des Perles, and Janice of the viviennefiles. But I am here to say that my third best frugal treat in Chicago came courtesy of McDonalds.

You see, I got kind of sick in Chicago and spent a night and a day with a terrible stomach ache, so bad that I spent most of that day sleeping while Mr FS did conference things and hit the Art Institute. He kept asking me if I wanted anything and I said the only thing I wanted was soft serve ice cream.

When I was back on my feet (sort of), Mr FS noticed a McDonalds near our hotel. We stepped in and I said (I AM CHEAP): I only want it if it's under a dollar.

To which the server replied: It's 54 cents. WHY? Because of a similar promotion from Burger King. Whatever.

It was pure bliss and we had a soft serve every day. My stomach is still bothering me as I write and I would love another one right now.

I asked Mr FS why it was more pleasant eating a soft serve cone in McDonalds than being in Eataly, where the hordes walked around the crowded and noisy store WHILE eating gelato or drinking wine. UGH. Mr FS replied: Because this is a quiet and uncrowded place and we're spending LESS than the food or environment would indicate. At Eataly, the food is overpriced and you either sit while people swirl around you or [as I mentioned earlier] you buy a $5 cup of gelato and eat it while walking around. So the price is too high for the environment.

Has anyone else ever had a blissful experience at a fast food restaurant?

Second Best Deal in Chicago: Parmesan Rinds at Eataly

First best is, you may recall, our membership at the Art Institute. The second best--no suspense since I gave it away in the title line--was discovered when we were scoping out the food choices near our hotel. In pervious trips, we zipped all over Chicago, going to various well-reviewed ethnic restaurants. Back then, though, we had a friend with a car or the leisure of a longer stay. Also, we now live in one of the greatest restaurant cities in the USA, so we don't need to spend a lot of time hunting places down elsewhere.

Within a few blocks we found Trader Joes (yay! though this turned to disappointment. TJ has gone sadly downhill in quality). Then we found Whole Foods (yay! but the takeout options, as expected weren't great). Then we found: EATALY.

I had read about this Italian food emporium, run by various luminaries in the food biz. Oh, the cheese! Oh, the gelato! Oh, the pizza! But, oh the noise! Oh, the crowds! I had to get out of there. We checked out the offerings and decided to come back the next day after reading some reviews. As we perused the  goods, I spied the SECOND BEST DEAL of the TRIP: rinds of parmesan (reggiano, the real thing) for $2/lb. Mr FS and I wondered if this was a one-day special or an error. So we bought 2 pounds to take home. Even the rinds sell for about $10/lb at our local Whole Foods.

Well, we read some reviews of Eataly and EVERY ONE of them said the place was over-priced and disappointing in quality. And--basically--a tourist mecca. The pizza was singled out as particularly bleh.  Needless to say, this was a total turn-off. But we did brave the crowds to buy two more pounds of parmesan rinds. The price was not a mistake.

Why am I so ecstatic about parmesan rinds? Because if you add them to soups, the broth is infused with richness and a delectable flavor. Most recipes say to remove the rinds when the soup is done and discard them. NEVER! I eat them. If the soup cooks for a long time, the rinds turn into a gooey treat.

Freezer and Pantry Clean Out: This Time I Mean It!

Every year, I write about how I MUST declutter. And that includes the food clutter. I have an average size fridge and freezer combo. I can't imagine how much I would amass if I had a separate freezer in which to collect "bargains."

Mr FS and I will be going on vacation in about 6 weeks. One would hope I could make a dent in the food. In past years, I had limited myself to $25 a week for food. For the next six weeks I will try for $20.

The week started well. We ate some frozen bean burritos, a beloved homey dish especially appreciated after a week away from home. Then I took out chili for tonight.

Then it happened: I stepped into the grocery for a bit of fruit and emerged with 3 lb of bananas, 1 1/2 lb of Aidells sausage, 3 lb of "turducken" sausage, and some boneless chicken breast. All the meat was 75% off, so my grand total was around $7.50. I'm hoping that Frugal Son doesn't have much food in his fridge. I'm planning on a big present.

As temptations go, food bargains are pretty benign. I'll let you know how it goes.

I Will Not Be Buying A Bargain Turkey, Or Any Turkey, this Year

Announcement: I will not be buying a turkey this year. This statement is a shocker, no doubt, not only because it is positively un-American to say NO to turkey, but also because the Thanksgiving turkey is the frugalista's friend, providing tons of food for weeks to come at a ridiculous sale price. Why then, why?

First of all, Miss Em is in Serbia. Second, Frugal Son wangled an invite to a friend's house, where he will feast on deep-fried turkey. So Mr FS and I will be solo. This is not an occasion for despair; we communicate with our kids all the time. We used to invite people over, but stopped about five years ago. Guess what? No one EVER invited us over. I'm cool with that.

OK. So why no turkey? Our freezer is stuffed with stuff. Our pantries are full. One store we frequent changed its store brand and had ridiculous sales on the items marked Best Yet, which have now been replaced by Best Choice. We really need to use our stockpile. We don't want to be like our colleague (one we used to invite each year for Thanksgiving): he bought a turkey a year on sale. After Katrina, with no electricity, he donated SEVEN TURKEYS to the Food Bank. I guess that's ok, but I prefer a more gradual approach!

And besides: the best part of Thanksgiving is leftovers. I already have all the fixings for the best of the best leftover choice: gumbo. On Thanksgiving, Mr FS and I will be having turkey and sausage gumbo. When that's gone, I'll make my second favorite leftover meal: pot pie.

I'm hoping that by next year, we will have enough room in the freezer to justify a turkey and its attendant leftovers. Right now, I feel a big burden lifted off my shoulders: the burden of the bargain-priced turkey.

Cooking in the 'hood

From Serbia, Miss Em sends a link, "Mama, you could cook in the 'hood." Great advice for everyone on saving time and money, while eating for health.

Cheap, Easy,Good: Italian Sausage Soup

I love having financial goals (beside the ever-present retirement), so I have been flexing my frugal muscles in order to squirrel aside some cash IN CASE FRUGAL SON finds a HOUSE. Also, grading season is upon me, so time is shorter than usual.

As always, I act on the belief that keeping food costs down is key to frugality, at least my frugality. From a wonderful cookbook.

Italian Sausage Soup

1. Cook 1 lb sausage--either take out of casings or use bulk. Remove as much fat as you want.

2. Remove meat from pan and saute 4 chopped celery stalks, 1 chopped onion, and some garlic in the fat.

3. Add 4 cups water and the sausage. Cook for a while.

4. Put some crusty bread in each bowl and top with some parmesan.

The writer suggests some add-ins. I added in chopped carrots, a can of drained chickpeas, and some greens from my garden. Spinach--even frozen--would be good also.

The neat trick with the soup is that the sausage essentially creates its own stock. I LOVE this cookbook!

Potato Pickle Soup is Good!

A few days ago, I asked for opinions of this (to me) weird sounding concoction. I made it a few days ago, and it is GOOD. The whole pot probably cost less than $1.00. I had some potatoes I bought cheaply for Thanksgiving (ditto the carrots). We had scallions in the garden. Frugal Son bought a big jar of pickles for $1.00.

So this is yet one more incarnation of one of my favorite food categories: the food of the poor. How wonderful to think of Polish peasants--cold and damp, craving SOMETHING tasty in the winter--making this stone soup.

This is definitely comfort food.

P.S. I left out the dill because I didn't have any.


4 large Yukon Gold or Yellow Finn potatoes (skins intact)
1 large carrot, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
1 bunch scallions, chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
4 sprigs fresh dill (leaves only), chopped
4 half-sour pickles, chopped
1 cup pickling liquid from the jar of half-sours
Salt and pepper, to taste

1. In a pot just large enough to accommodate them in a single layer, fit the potatoes and carrots. Add enough cold water to just cover them. Bring to a boil, cover with the lid, and cook for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the potatoes can be easily pierced with a skewer.

2. In a soup pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the scallions, garlic, and mustard seeds. Cook gently, stirring often, for 5 minutes or until the garlic is soft and fragrant but not colored.

3. With a slotted spoon, transfer the carrots to the scallion mixture; set aside.

4. Remove the potatoes from their cooking liquid (set the liquid aside). When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, slip off their skins. Quarter the potatoes and return them to the potato water. Sprinkle with dill. With the edge of a wooden spoon, chop and mash the potatoes. There should be lots of potato chunks, none very large.

5. Tip the potato mixture into the carrot mixture. Add the pickles and pickling liquid. Bring to a simmer, and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.

6. If the soup is too thick for your taste, add a little more pickling liquid, or milk or water. Taste for seasoning, add salt and plenty of pepper. - Adapted from John Thorne


I LOVE Thorne's writing. This is his first book.

5 Ingredients, 5 Minutes=Soup

Too good for College Students only. So--for all the frazzled people out there, whether your frazzlement is due to school, work, holidays, etc. From my hero Andrew Schloss. This is also very cheap, so you can put your savings towards either necessities or desires.


"RECIPE"

1. 15 oz can of broth
2. 15 oz can of black beans (or any beans) drained
3. 15 oz can of tomatoes
4. 7 oz instant black beans** (these can be expensive--so why not just use another can of beans and mash with fork OR a can of refried beans?)
5. hot sauce

Combine in your rice cooker OR a pot (if you have a stove). Add 1 can of water. I would guess you could also put in a bowl and microwave. Heat up. Let sit a minute to let flavors develop.

This makes enough for 4 servings.

Harmonic Convergence: Brussels Sprouts

Ah, nothing makes the frugal heart sing as much as unexpectedly finding something you need--or even want--on sale. Such happened to us last weekend. We were whiling away some time at Whole Foods (yes, a favorite family activity at home and abroad), when I spied BRUSSELS SPROUTS 99 cents a pound. Man, that is cheap!

We bought a big bag and gave some to Frugal Son.

For even more harmonic convergence, a recipe appeared on the New York Times website. Turns out that that the humble and oft-reviled brussels sprout is positively chic. Here is the recipe; the author says improvise. It took a lot longer than 20 minutes, however.

INGREDIENTS

Sea salt
8 ounces penne
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, more for drizzling
3 ounces pancetta, diced
1 large rosemary sprig
6 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
1 jalapeño or Serrano chile, thinly sliced (or substitute 1 large pinch crushed red pepper flakes)
Freshly ground black pepper
8 ounces brussels sprouts, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons butter
Fresh lemon juice, for serving
Freshly grated pecorino cheese (optional)
PREPARATION

1.
Bring large pot heavily salted water to a boil. Add the penne and cook until pasta is just al dente (do not overcook).
2.
Meanwhile, heat large sauté pan over high heat and add the olive oil. When oil is hot, add the pancetta and rosemary, and sauté until the fat on the pancetta starts to turn translucent and very lightly brown, about 1 minute. Add the garlic, chile and freshly ground black pepper to taste, and sauté until garlic and pancetta turn richly brown, about 3 minutes. Add the brussels sprouts, a large pinch of salt and a splash of water to pan, and sauté until sprouts just start to soften, about 2 minutes. Spread sprouts mixture in pan and press down to flatten. Let it sear for a minute, then stir it up and repeat. This helps brown the sprouts. Add the butter, and sauté for another minute.
3.
Drain penne and add it to pan with brussels sprouts mixture. Cook, tossing, until everything is well mixed. Spoon into pasta bowls and top with a drizzle of oil and lemon juice, and a little cheese if you like.
YIELD 2 servings

Frugal Son returned to Whole Foods a few days later, hoping to get more. Alas, the sale was over.

Have you had any unexpected frugal opportunities?

An Easy, Very Good Vegetable Soup

I just posted this on my other blog--an unbelievable easy recipe for vegetable soup made with frozen and pantry ingredients. This is surprisingly good, given how easy it is. Mr FS ate two bowls. Of course, he eats two bowls of almost anything.


Here is the recipe, from a clever cookbook called Almost from Scratch. The author creates recipes using "convenience foods"--like packaged bbq pork and the like. Some of his his ideas are gimmicky. For instance, he flavors a soup with packaged onion dip. Why not just use sour cream and dried onions, which you are more likely to have? Still, the book is full of genius ideas, and I plan to post on a few of the more easy and cheap offerings.

I have added some College Cooking modifications. This makes 6 servings.

Broccoli-Spinach--Potato Soup with Cheddar

Saute 1 cup frozen chopped onions in a little butter.
(CC Modification: just throw these in the rice cooker. You can try to saute in it, but it is a pain. Oh well.)

Add 32 oz broth.
(CC Modification. OR some broth with water and a few cloves of garlic. Or just water with garlic.)

Add about 10 oz frozen chopped broccoli and 10 oz frozen chopped spinach.
(Remember: you don't have to be exact.)

(Turn rice cooker on. When it comes to a boil, click on warm.)

When everything seems done, puree with your stick blender.

Stir in 3/4 cup instant mashed potatoes. (OR a leftover baked potato or a few frozen french fries or--losing potato flavor--some cooked rice)

(Keep on warm.) Add grated cheddar and serve.

You can also add some milk or even stir in some cream cheese.

Don't boil once you add the milk products!

A Plug for my Cookbook: A Gift for the Harried

We are not Black Friday shoppers. In fact, we have been lounging around all morning. No doubt the good deals are gone. Thank heavens for that!

Even so, I have a plug or pitch or whatever you want to call it. If you look at my other blog, you will see that my zeal for helping out the poor, hungry student--or any busy person really--has been reawakened. The reawakening is courtesy of a review in a college paper, which outlined the experience of a college cook: armed with a college cookbook (not mine!), plus $50.00 worth of ingredients, she produced 3 small meals, none of which came out very well. UGH.

For the same $50.00, you can buy your College Cook my cookbook ($2.99 on Amazon or for a pdf here--look to the upper right), a rice cooker, and a box of ingredients: rice, canned tomatoes, tuna, broth, canned beans, tortillas, and so on. Enough to make almost a week of meals. The book calls for a single shopping trip, mostly canned and shelf-stable ingredients, and offers a series of COORDINATED recipes that use the ingredients in different ways.

Cream of Barley Soup: Pantry Dinner

I mentioned this soup in a comment about two years ago. I can't believe I've never posted the recipe. Since we work lonnnngggg days on Mondays and Wednesdays, I like to have dinner all made when we get home. So on Sundays, I generally plan out my meals. I always like to make do with what I have, especially since I want to (maybe) buy myself a birthday handbag 18 months early. Pantry cooking obviously requires no outlay of cash.

Cream of Barley Soup with Mushrooms (copied from a defunct blog--so already simplified from the source: Deborah Madison's book of soups)

Cover 1/3 cup of hulled barley with water - set aside. Heat a pot with 2T olive oil and 1 T butter. Add 2 large chopped shallots* and 1/4 tsp dried oregano and saute for about 5 minutes. Add 2 grated* carrots, 2 minced cloves of garlic and 1 chopped leek*, saute for 10 more minutes. Drain the barley and add to the pot with 6 cups of water and 1.5 tsp of salt. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile simmer 1/3 cup barley in salted water for 30 minutes.

While barley in the soup pot is cooked - puree with 1 cup of sour cream*. Return to pot - salt and pepper to taste. Add cooked barley. Top with pan fried sliced mushrooms and serve with bread.

*I subbed my frozen caramelized onions for the shallots and leeks. I chopped the carrots. I cooked the soaked barley with everything.

Sadly, I am out of sour cream, so I'm subbing some half and half that's on its way to oblivion.

Barley keeps growing! Every time you re-heat, you have to add water. I think this is one of those immortal soups. I thought this would make two dinners, but I think it will make three.

We are all College Cooks

What is a College Cook? Someone with limited time, space, know how, and facilities. In truth, I have only one genuine College Cook in my immediate circle: Miss Em, who is heading into her last year of dorm life.

Frugal Son just moved to an apartment in New Orleans: he packed his beloved rice cooker. Mr C--an affiliate of our family, though not officially a member--just moved into his post-grad apartment and received his first rice cooker (courtesy of me and Goodwill) and a copy of the little guide Frugal Son and I put together:

This is not just a collection of easy recipes: we recommend 20 easy to buy and store products; we then offer 2 weeks of recipes that can be put together quickly, with little mess, in rice cooker or microwave, two college approved appliances. Oh, and did I mention that you or your cook will save a ton of money--not to mention time?

We priced it as low as Amazon can go for our program: $2.99. For the same price, you can order it from us and receive an ebook.

Even though I like to cook, I am as lazy as the next person (lazier, probably). I cook with my rice cooker most nights.

Check out our college Cooking blog for occasional posts and suggestions too.

Any other suggestions for the College Cook--even if the College Cook is long out of college?

Tiny Frugal Tip for Air Travelers, with PG Tips

Miss Em came home yesterday from her four weeks at Oxford, where she took two classes and visited London, Edinburgh, and Wales. She was VERY careful about money because, even with a gig as assistant to one of the profs, the trip was expensive.

One of her frugal moments came about by accident. She had many types of tea, including the famous PG Tips. She went to a fancy coffee spot in the airport and asked if she could buy some hot water. She could. It was 50 cents. She got a big cup and a top. She repeated this several times during her airport time. EAch time, she saved about $2.00.

I am always annoyed by the high prices and generally low quality of airport food. We generally bring emergency provisions. Now we can also enjoy tea.


Good job, Frugal Girl.

Any other tips for the airport?

More Advice for the Low Salary Grad: Live Like You Should Have When You Were a Student

Honestly, if a recent grad is making only $1000/month in a worthy endeavor, STAYING OUT OF DEBT is of the utmost importance. I would say: Live like a student. Except for the fact that most students live like they are middle- and upper-middle class people, either on the parental dole or getting into debt. So my advice is Live like you should have when you were a student. Every bit of debt you avoid is a blessing for your future. The recent grad of my acquaintance asked me what he should stockpile. After the rice and beans recommended yesterday, I would pick up some canned tomatoes and cheese. Best place for cheese is Costco or Sam's Club. Or Trader Joe's. So now you won't die of starvation. Any more advice?