Living Frugally

I am so used to automatically getting take-out when I'm not feeling well. A cold calls for hot and sour soup and potstickers. Need comfort? That calls for pizza.

But living frugally and living within my means meant that something had to change. Instead of automatically going for the take-out menu this time, I checked my pantry. I had cans of chicken stock. I had rice. I had canned tomatoes. I had tortillas. I had salsa. Through it all together, and I had soup. I had enough on hand to make tortilla soup, chicken risotto, and quesadillas. By just looking in my fridge and pantry, I saved about $50 that would have gone on take-out cooked by someone trying to make money off of me.

So the next time you pick up that take-out menu, just think for a moment about how much that kung pao chicken is really going to cost.