Home Economics

I haven’t eaten out lately but from what I hear, restaurants — like the rest of us — are doing whatever they can to save money. Bread baskets are no longer overflowing, portions are smaller, and chefs are using less expensive shiitake mushrooms instead of pricey morels. Restauranteurs call it cash flow or “eye on the bottom line,” but let’s face it, they’re strapped like the rest of us.

Although I’ve always been a frugal cook, I still keep track of my expenses. Like lots of people, I check flyers for specials and when something I like is on sale, I load up. I learned the hard way that just because something is cheap is not reason enough to buy it. In my cupboard, there are three jars of jalapeno olives that will probably never make it to the table.
Store brands are another way to cut down on expenses, but only if you’re happy with the product. I never realized how many different labels were on the same soup until there was a recall years ago and the manufacturer listed all the brands that were involved. Some store brands are better than others — buy one, try it, and then decide whether to stock up.   

That said, there are some things I will not change.  For instance, I buy premium coffee because I love it and can’t bring myself to start the day without it. 

I’ve always saved money by cutting out the middleman. I never buy washed lettuce, sliced mushrooms or baby carrots. It seems ridiculous to pay someone else to shred cabbage for cole slaw, peel Butternut squash or grate cheese.

I use every last scrap of food possible and am neurotic about freezing anything freezable, which is why, in my freezer there are three rinds of Parmigiano-Reggiano I’ve been meaning to add to a pot of minestrone. I know  I’ll use them eventually, because the alternative is to buy a chunk of Parmigiano just for the rind, which a frugal cook would never do.