Thriftism

Walking along a bustling street in the center of Manhattan, you can smell the hundreds of different food cart options available for lunch. If you're lucky there won't be too long of a line and you can grab a plate from the Halal Guys or maybe find a good Shawarma place. If you're anywhere else that doesn't have these types of food available you're usually out of luck and have to settle for something from home or typical chain fast food restaurant food. But maybe you don't have to settle... By making your own version of this chicken and rice dish along with that mystifying white sauce, you can have almost all the joy of eating from your favorite food cart anytime. An added benefit is you can reduce your sodium intake or avoid certain ingredients if necessary and you can save a lot of money by not eating out. So whether you're in the heart of the Midwest and can't get to a restaurant or in the center of Manhattan and just want to save some dough, try you...

Spring has sprung and it's time to be thinking about beginning your garden. A garden is a great way to save money. Vegetables are not cheap at the store and fresh vegetables, the ones that taste way better, are even more expensive. This isn't even taking into account if you want organic produce, but creating your own organic vegetables isn't too hard. Besides saving money, have a garden also encourages healthier eating by providing loads of vegetables (and fruits if you plant them). Believe me, you're more likely to eat the vegetables if you already have them and you know that you'll just throw them away otherwise. Finally, gardening is a great hobby to have. It's the perfect excuse to get outside and enjoy the summer rather than getting caught up on inside work.  You'll get lots of fresh air and get out of the nightly habit of watching TV or other sedentary activities. If you're really not into vegetables, try having a flower garden. Having a ya...

Using up the last of the squash from this fall? Don't let anything go to waste. There are countless recipes requiring squash, whether it be butternut or spaghetti, but what do you do with all that goop you pull out? Well, I guess I throw away the actual "goop", but I make sure to pull the seeds out first. Baked squash seeds have become one of my favorite snacks. Not only do they use something that would normally get thrown out making them essentially free, they also are quite healthy.  Squash seeds are high in protein (up to 12g/cup) and have more fiber than other protein options. They also have loads of other beneficial vitamins without killing your calorie goals for the day. The last reason I love them is that they are rather easy to make and travel well. I have used seeds from just about every type of squash and the only thing I change is the baking time (less for smaller seeds). Now that you know they are great, how do we make them? I cut my squash in hal...