Frugal Village

photo by talekinker

Homemade gravy is far superior to what you can buy in the store. It’s cheaper, too. It’s oil, liquid, such as stock, and a thickener. Seems simple enough. Yet how often have you bought a can, jar or packet? The trick to making gravy without lumps is to make a slurry by using [...]

photo by Dannynic

Tortilla wraps are light, frugal fare. Assemble them hot or cold. Fill your tortilla with your favorite fixings such as omelette, salad combinations or sandwich fillings, and fold them in half or roll them up. Serve them whole or slice them into sections. They travel well and are great for grab-and-go snacks, brown-bag [...]

photo by cynicaloptimist

You don’t have to serve beans and rice every night to keep dinner low cost. Consider cooking a tender roast or whole chicken. They lend themselves to tomorrow’s dinner of light stir-fry, all-in-one casserole, “break-from-cooking” sandwiches, an ethnic meal or hearty soups. Or you can balance your food budget by serving thrifty dinners [...]

photo by ChezDeniseetLaudalino

Small kitchen appliances can be an obsession. You don’t realize how many you own until you try to list them all. Some collect dust and serve as a reminder of your good intentions. One underutilized appliance is a conventional countertop blender. It’s often overshadowed by stand mixers with accessories, immersion hand blenders, choppers [...]

photo by dreamsister

Food prices are soaring. To keep costs down, add meatless meals to your regular menu plan. You’ve probably made spaghetti and sauce or a big salad for dinner without anyone noticing or complaining that it didn’t contain meat. You don’t have to mention that you’re making any changes at all. Meatless Mondays can [...]