"saving" news and stories

As you've no doubt noticed, food mags and websites are dropping the references to expensive sea salts and pricey, hard-to-find spices in favor of extolling the virtues of the simple potato and the joys of buying lentils in bulk. Epicurious has a new "Top 10 Money-Saving Ingredients" article online now, which is quite useful as it calculates price-per-pound and links to various different recipes which utilize the ingredients.

Potatoes, unsurprisingly, are number one. We probably all could have figured that out on our own. But would you have thought to put those 73 cent a pound potatoes in a New England-style potato and cod cake? Not me. But it sure sounds like a good idea. Rice, pasta, chicken, beans, apples, canned tuna, eggs, cheese and flank steak round out the list, each with three or four recipe links. I'm particularly keen to try the spinach and carrot stuffed flank steak and the scrambled egg, potato and bacon tostada (double score for two cheapie ingredients).

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We've all been there: You save 20¢ buying generic at the grocery store only to blow $10 on two beers at your favorite bar. Or even more guilt-inducing, you forgo a first-rate happy hour special in favor of a pint of your favorite imported or craft brew. Such examples are especially apt during the U.S.'s recent economic downturn when saving money has become top priority for many Americans.

But don't worry. You're not the only one. As reported by the AP, people are saying: "Recession? Eat, drink, and be merry." Jane Wardell reports that Anheuser-Busch turned a profit despite the rising costs of things such as barley, wheat and fuel. "The company is so confident that consumers won't abandon beer," she continues, "that it plans to increase prices for popular brands like Budweiser and Bud Light to stay ahead of the higher costs." Yikes.

File beer under "affordable luxuries" -- those mini-spending sprees we all occasionally need to keep us feeling sane. Milwaukee's Kate Brozovich said: "I'd rather spend $4 or $5 on quality beer than $3 on hopped up water. It's worth the extra buck or two to get quality." Hear, hear!

Long story short: No need to feel guilty about your beer splurging. Turns out you're just normal. (But feel free to read the long story too.)

Interesting side note: I read a study last year about "jet-setters" (people who own their own jets) that concluded that the average jet-setter spends more on alcohol each year than the median American income. Now THAT is splurging!

[via the Associated Press]

There's an interesting story in the New York Times this morning about how restaurants are dealing with soaring food costs. Some Chinese places are no longer automatically delivering rice to the table, others are subtly trimming portion sizes, some are simply raising prices. One proprietor even admitted to tacking tax onto the check rather than upping prices on the menus. A brunch spot has started charging $2 for the walnut-raisin topping that used to come free with the French toast. Frozen blueberries have begun replacing fresh.

With rice, flour, beans, tofu and milk prices through the roof, we're likely to see more penny-pinching maneuvers everywhere. Food costs in the New York area are up 5.3 percent this year, says the article, but the problem's nationwide.

So have you all noticed any changes in your favorite restaurants? Prices up? Hidden taxes? No more free green tea?

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