Frugal's Bugle: WHAT HAVE YOU BEAN WAITING FOR

Old Mother Frugal’s shopping strategy consists of couponing, sales, BOGO, Manager or “In-Store” special’s, and marked-down items. If the item doesn’t fit into one of those five categories, it does not make it to the cash register.

Over time, a stock-pile of canned items has accumulated in Old Mother Frugal’s cupboards.

And over time, those small Ziploc bags of leftovers have become lost in the “Deep Freeze” that is known as the kitchen freezer to the everyday cook.

And who of us hasn’t shoved just one more item into a crevice on the top shelf of the freezer because “it’ll fit”, when it really doesn’t and an avalanche of food topples forward.

All this to say…it’s time for another episode in the series of “Old Mother Frugal’s Pantry Challenge”.

Yes frugal friends, it’s been ongoing for the past six weeks. Funds are limited on average to $20/wk for perishable items such as milk, orange juice, fresh fruits and vegetables of the season. All cooking takes place from whatever is on hand in the cupboards and freezers.

To keep motivated, each week has had a “theme” because just going with “Meatless Monday”, “Taco Tuesdays”, “Wacky Wednesday”, etc…etc. just wasn’t so to speak, the butter on my bread.

It began with “The Top Shelf” Challenge.

The self-imposed rule was everything stocked on the top shelf of the freezer had to be used first before leaving that shelf for another. After two weeks, the Top Shelf Challenge ended and it was time to move onto the next challenge.

“What Lies Beneath” seemed like the obvious moniker for what was to follow “The Top Shelf”. It’s those little bags that get tossed into the freezer and then other food items get tossed on top of that, and more items on top of that. “What Lies Beneath” becomes at times, a surprise. A week was dedicated to that challenge.

With the top shelf of the freezer empty, frozen items that were beneath other items were moved into the empty space.

A planned road trip found itself wedged into my weeks of pantry challenges. So, the pantry challenge went on the road too. Searching through the freezer, any prepared frozen meals were packed into a cooler and taken on the road. Each hotel had a refrig/microwave making ‘dining in’ welcomed after spending endless hours in the car. The savings were welcomed as well.

After a month of themes and pantry challenges, spending on average $20/wk, could this last any longer? Along came the “You CAN Do This” pantry challenge! Each dinner incorporated a canned item from the pantry into the recipe.

The canned items are fruits and vegetables. After a week of this challenge, there was still a noticeable amount of canned items remaining on the shelves. Also on the shelves were packages of dried beans.

Incorporating dried beans into the diet is good for financial health as well as one’s medical health. It’s “bean” neglected in Old Mother’s Frugal’s diet on a regular basis. Beans make a guest appearance at the dinner table but not often enough.

Yes, the next pantry challenge is “What Have You Bean Waiting For” and it starts on Sunday. Beans can be prepared in a slow cooker (of which there are a few in Old Mother’s cupboards), on the stove top, in a pressure cooker or in an Instant Pot.

There’s no excuse. What have you bean waiting for?

Sound The Bugle! Today’s tip: Beans go on sale around New Year’s as they are part of many New Year’s traditions. It’s a good time to stock up. There are other times of the year when they go on sale as well. A one pound bag of dry beans is more economical than buying a 15 or 16 oz can of prepared beans at the store. You can save a third or a half of the cost by purchasing a bag of dry beans and make your own [MYO]. MYO beans will be healthier when you control the seasoning content. They can be make low-salt, no-salt or plenty of salt! If you have not tried dried beans, what have you bean waiting for?

CORN SOUFFLE FROM CORN CHOWDER