Save money, cook more, eat better

In my endless search for ways to feed a family for less money, I came across HillBillyHousewife. This site has shopping lists, recipes and meal plans on feeding a family of four to six for about $45 per week. Intrigued by some of the recipes (I've always wanted to bake my own bread!), I decided to give the plan a whirl. So far it is going pretty well.

My first loaf of bread is too dense and heavy, I need to let it rise longer next time. But the lentil chili was awesome, the whole family liked it (which never happens!). Tonight I am making black bean soup and it smells great, so I think it will go over well. Since we shop at local grocers, my cost for the week was a bit more, but still less than usual. Plus it felt good to have no "pre-packaged" prepared foods in the cart. I'll never worry about running out of food again, now that I know how to bake bread, tortillas, muffins, biscuits, corn bread, and more with ingredients I already have on hand.