Growing up in the Midwest, St. Louis to be exact, you get exposed to many ethnic cuisines. Let us not forget that wagon trains and railway tracks went through St. Louis as the country expanded West and some immigrants just had enough travel and stopped there. Let’s just say that St. Louis is ethnically very diverse, or at least it was when I lived there from the early 1960s to the late 1980s.

In those days “The Hill” was called Dago Hill and no one got upset about it (at least I never heard anyone get upset about it). It was the home of authentic Italian restaurants and bakeries. Some of them are still there after many decades in business.

My maternal grandmother was born in St. Louis but raised in Chicago, so Summer vacations with her to visit family and friends meant an obligatory trip to Chinatown there.

Then there’s the area known as Dogtown in St. Louis which is the Irish neighborhood and the German area where Anheuser Busch is located. For those who want to know more about the ethnic history of St. Louis, this is quite interesting (at least it was to me). Peopling of St. Louis

The point is I grew up eating very ethnically diverse cuisine so when I met my mate 22 years ago it seemed logical for me to learn how to make his ethnic cuisine which is Jewish Moroccan food. Although some dishes are similar between the Jews and non-Jews of Morocco many things are unique to the Jewish Moroccans or the technique and seasonings are different.

So the question begs to be answered can one be a thrifty foodie and create authentic (or at least close to it) ethnic dishes and maintain the thrift aspect.If one can, where does one find those authentic ingredients and the utensils and gadgets.

In truth it is actually easier to do it in a thrifty manner than to eat it outside. I’ll give you an example. I’m also beginning to think that eating traditional ethnic cuisines may be the thriftiest of all approaches.

The last few weeks I have had the Asian bug. Never been a sushi eater, and fish is NOT my choice if I have a choice. I do NOT cook like the average American cooks. Macaroni and Cheese is NOT a main dish in my house. It will NEVER be one! Am I a food snob YES.  But before you get your nickers in a twist let me clear up the confusion you may be feeling. My mother made, in my opinion, the MOST delicious macaroni and cheese I have EVER eaten and it is a perfect SIDE DISH when made from scratch.

As usual I digress, get used to it.

The next few posts from me will be sharing the stuff I have learned about shopping for those exotic ingredients and making Asian food at home. That means techniques like stir-fry, and chopping all those fancy veggies, and even rolling sushi and making Miso soup from scratch.

Thrifty Foodies know that to be sure you get the most from your grocery dollars you need to do your grocery shopping with a plan.

Recently some friends and I were discussing that teaching “Home Economics or Domestic Science” should be reinstated in schools where it is no longer a part of the curriculum. Learning meal planning and how to shop wisely has saved me thousands of dollars every year and in these times every penny counts.

Spending half an hour a few days before shopping day to walk around the house and check on the supply of staple items (things you use almost daily) and also those odds and ends things like the spice rack and the condiment shelf will save you a fortune in both money and time.

In the past I have wasted so much money buying things I did not really need and forgetting to get the things that were key ingredients to a particular dish I wanted to make. Often I’d have to make a special trip to the more expensive but closer store to grab that one item I overlooked. That one more expensive addition then throws off the per serving cost in a huge way.

Many grocery stores offer Blank Lists broken down by aisle or category, but I prefer to make my list according to store and then the layout of the store. That also helps me to spend less time shopping, and after all time is money.

Of course, everyone has heard “Don’t go shopping when you are hungry” at least once in their life. Remember it! Failing to heed that warning can and will cost you money and time (on the treadmill).

Here are some things I have learned that have saved me a lot of money over the years.

1. Make a general meal plan for the week before you make the grocery list.
2. Set a budget for the week for food and for essentials and stick to it.
3. Know the prices of items you  buy often, in specific stores.
4. Don’t stock up on something just because it’s on sale unless it’s something you use VERY often.
5. Buy family packs of meat even if you are only one or two people and portion it into meals and freeze it.
6. Don’t buy everything in one store unless you have no choice.
7. Don’t assume warehouse stores are less expensive just because they sell bulk quantities.
8. Don’t buy bulk unless you’re going to use bulk!
9. Check packaging and sell by dates on everything!
10. Know the coupon policies of each store where you shop. Some allow coupon stacking and that can save you tons of money.
11. Don’t be afraid to buy “reduced” meat if you will use it or freeze it right away.
12. Carry coolers or at least cool bags and ice packs with you when you shop. Keeping vegetables and fruit temperatures even helps them last longer.
13. Spend the money for some of those Fresh Bag or Green Bags
    they do work. (more on this later)

Welcome to the first day of Thrifty Foodies adventures.

Alright so this is not the first online adventure I have ever had but it is my first food adventure and I want to invite you to come along and share it with me.

I’m off and running with a few words about who I am and where the vision for this site first began.

Visit our About Us page and then stop on over and get to know Lori as an individual.