Day 19: Stilll Doing OK!

I'm surprised- With the exception of running out of some basics (bread flour, honey, brown sugar) and a crisis averted with eggs, this month without grocery shopping has actually gone pretty smoothly so far (says the girl with 9 days still left).

Sure, my husband was griping about the lack of OJ, but really, I think this month is teaching me some good stuff about saving money and avoiding waste.

1. Use what's on hand.
I'm really learning to take a random collection of ingredients and turn it into a darn good dinner. God bless the Internet for this. All I do is google my list of ingredients, and WHAM-O! 10 recipes. It's almost like cheating... almost.

2. Just make it.
Just a little while ago, it wouldn't have dawned on me to make yogurt... or bread... or cranberry sauce. Heck, it didn't even dawn on me that soup didn't have to come from a can. I am SO NOT Rachel Ray, but I have learned a few of her recipes- and you know what? They came out darn good.

3. Simple is better.
In my less frugal days, I used to buy a whole lot of random stuff at the grocery store.
Rainbow chip cookies? Sure!
A microscopic container of Ben & Jerry's for $5.50? I'll take two! A six pack of yogurt that promises happy digestion? Who wouldn't want that?
I've learned that I can do so much more with basic food- all the fancy packaging and bright colors don't really live up to their fabulous promise- especially when they're so friggin' pricey.

Well, I'm probably getting waaaaaayyyy ahead of myself. I can't declare victory yet- I still have a week and two days left!

Oh- diner tonight was Cran-apple Turkey Burgers... everyone (except my two year old) chowed them down- my husband actually ate two!