Fillet or fish: picking the better bargain
The weekly grocery fliers arrived yesterday, and when I saw the QFC ad for ‘Fresh Wild Coho Salmon’ I was reminded of a frequent shopping dilemma: should I buy whole fish or fillets? This week’s...
View ArticleGrocery bag revolution
I made a run to Safeway last night for sale produce: blueberries at $2.50/lb, tomatoes at $1.50/lb, summer squash and lettuce at $1.00. (I love summer.) At the checkout I put my nylon bag at the front...
View ArticleFrugal foodie: agony at the farmers’ market
I had a sort of mini-vacation last week; didn’t go anywhere, but took off work to hang with a visiting friend. I had every intention of posting during the break, but … I was too busy playing. And...
View ArticleDownsizing appliances to save money
When we bought our house in December 2006, there was a surprise in the garage: the former owners had left us a huge old chest freezer. Now, Jak and I had a chest freezer already, a smaller model we’d...
View ArticleOne more for the ‘no-knead’ bread revolution
I love fresh homemade bread. Once, in my early twenties, I made a loaf by hand. I had picked up the classic Tassajara Bread Book from a remainder table, and one afternoon I went at it for several...
View ArticleA visit to the Island of Misfit Foods
The first of my two guest posts is up at Get Rich Slowly. GRS has long been my favorite personal finance blog, and was one of the main inspirations for Pocketmint. (Which is sort of a neat karmic...
View ArticleSave those crusts: a yummy use for your extra bread bits
For the past few months, my newfound love for easy homemade bread got sidelined by my difficulties with excema. Even easy bread sort of requires being able to use both hands. So it was back to the...
View ArticleFrugal feasting
Thanksgiving is my very favorite holiday. I hear that some people have odd Thanksgiving customs like ‘watching football’ or ‘shopping’, but for us it’s pretty much an entire holiday about cooking and...
View ArticleOn shrimp, or how to balance ethics and thrift
Pocketmint now spans three and a half years, and while there are certain posts I would write the same today, other things in my life have changed over that time. I think this personal evolution is...
View ArticleFeed a crowd for forty bucks
The calculations are complete. Total cost per person for our Thanksgiving meal (one generous serving each of six dishes and two desserts): $3.50. Note that I didn’t skimp on quality of ingredients — I...
View ArticleThe Conflict-Free Family Budget: Your Turn
In creating the Conflict-Free Family Budget, I was striving to accomplish two separate but interlinked goals: reduce spending and reduce conflicts. I think these work best in tandem, but that’s not to...
View ArticleFrugal grocery shopping basics
As I’ve started to write up my experiences grocery shopping in Mexico, I’ve realized that in order for the comparisons to make any sense I first need to give them some context. If you’ve been reading...
View ArticleBuying groceries, Mexico style
Pocketmint is documenting a month of personal finance in Mexico. For the backstory, see this post. Now that I’ve described my usual grocery strategies, here’s how they apply to Mexican shopping: Price...
View ArticleThe cost of food in Mexico: crazy
We’re hoping to reduce our expenses by moving to Mexico, but that doesn’t mean everything is cheaper there — not by a long shot. As a general rule, locally-produced items, including food, are cheaper...
View ArticleThe cost of food in Mexico: comparable
Last post, I covered a few imported things that were so frighteningly expensive in Mexico that we will just have to do without. For a majority of items, however, prices are comparable to those in the...
View ArticleThe cost of food in Mexico: cheap
Having looked at the groceries that are more expensive and about the same, we now come to the exciting part: what are the Mexico food bargains? Cheap The fact that fruits and vegetables are both...
View ArticleThe choice between values and value
Today’s Pocketmint topic was inspired by Dogs or Dollars, where there’ve been recent conversations about the frequent conflicts between one’s budget and one’s beliefs, especially as relates to food for...
View ArticleEating cheaply and well: learn to be an improv cook
I’ve waxed philosophical in recent articles, so I thought it was time to offer up something practical. Today I’m going to help you eat surprisingly well on just three to four dollars per day. First, a...
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