I live cheaply because I have to. I don't have much money to spend for frivilous items, so I don't buy them. Probably the best thing I've learned from my frugal times, going past ten years now, is how to cook for myself. I kind of specialize in root vegetables (because they're cheap) and greens, which I grow for myself. Two crops of turnips and beets per year, and I'm pretty much set. Vegetable soups, beans, rice, that sort of thing. Homemade bread, cornbread, and pumpkin bread are staples too. I grow peppers in pots, and have more than enough, I give the extras away. I also do some greens in pots. I'm not quite a vegetarian yet, but I get awfully close to it. Chicken, and later chicken soup, is a primary winter meal. My total eating bill for a month, living alone, seldom goes over thirty dollars. Potatoes and a simple brown gravy are my friends. I use a solar oven to cook things when the weather is right.
Read More