Recessionista: Cooking on a Budget

The Wall Street Journal has had not one but two articles on budget grocery shopping in the past two days, which is an obvious indicator of what Americans have on the brain. On an even more interesting note, the ONLY stock that didn't fall yesterday was Campbell's Soup. It rose. Without further ado, some tips for eating on the cheap:

-Stop buying those pre-cut fruits and vegetables! In fact, stop buying anything that is pre-prepared for you. Say goodbye to that shredded cheese and grate your own.

-Rethink some old standbys that you may have left in your childhood, like frozen veggies and grilled cheese and tomato soup dinners.

-Explore ethnic recipes. They are often loaded with veggies, starches, and beans, which leads to our next tip...

-Be sparing with the meat...

-But don't forget eggs. They are filling and can be paired with a variety of vegetables in the form of omelets, frittatas, etc. I made a spinach and mushroom frittata last week that was good for almost a week's worth of dinners.

-Plan out your meals. There is no substitute for eliminating impulse purchases, buying in bulk, and making enough for leftovers the next day. At the same time, don't buy more than you can use only to have it go to waste in the refrigerator.

That's all I have for now. Any other ideas?