Jacob,

Awhile back you wrote about trying to incorporate more fruits/veggies into your diet as a preventative measure for your health. How has that been going vis-a-vis frugality? Given that these can often be pricey, have you found any ways to add these foods without significantly increasing your food budget?

You might want to try black beans in your Sloppy Joes. They’re not quite as frugal as pintos, but they are a nice treat.

I’m amazed at the markup people pay for processed food. Compare the cost of soymilk to the cost of soybeans. The beans cost $.65/lb at WinCo. The soymilk costs many times as much. People pay it because they’re too lazy to get a soymilk maker and make their own. The machine costs $100 and quickly pays for it’s self if you drink milk.

The same can be said about veggie-burgers. You save a lot by making your own and freezing them. Recipes are on the net.

Your Sloppy Joes are a lot cheaper than the processed stuff that corporations sell to the masses. They taste great and they’re healthier.

How many people will follow your advice and save their money? Not many. People think it’s too much hassle. I disagree. Cooking is something you can do at home rather than spending more time at work. It’s a fun, low stress activity. The beans can cook while you do something else…

BTW- Real meat is nothing but corn and beans that have been processed by Big Agriculture to make something that costs more and is worse for the planet.

@Sam – I was not aware that soymilk makers existed. Much as I dislike appliances, I might have to get one. I found one that grinds coffee as well. Incidentally, Big Agriculture corn is nothing but reprocessed oil :-/

@Paul – That’s why I bought a pressure cooker. I usually stir fry. Onions are a staple, but carrots and apples or kale and broccoli and leeks work well. Soy sauce is mana. For spices, I prefer ginger, cinnamon and a few others I can’t remember the English names for… but it’s generally Indian flavored.

Hi friends,
Fresh fruits and vegetables are generally much cheaper at hispanic, korean, asian, and persian markets. They have weekly specials, too. I just bought 10 pounds of persimmons for 99 cents vs. major supermarket chain $1.99 for each one (same type and size); oranges are usually much cheaper, too. I particularly like korean markets because they tend to be clean and reasonable. Also, learn how to cook with different types of veggies-they’re frequently the ones on sale. My current plan is to try different types of fresh fish that other cultures eat-beats the price of salmon.

Haha! Nice recipe! If everyone could eat for a dollar a day, I wonder how much money would be left over for charitable giving?

Jacob, please don’t be fooled by soymilk makers. Research a little about them on the internet. Unless you buy a big bulky industrial version, you will end up with a fragile and slow machine. It’s not worth and it’s not durable.

We make tofu at home, and for that we need to make soymilk first. We use only a manual flour mill like this:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0038NTONK/?tag=oildepletio03-20

As I didn’t have a solid wood table to attach it to, I had the idea to use a wood bench (i don’t know if it is the right word, it’s a wood thing that you use to sit on) just the right height. And you may use the flour mill to tons of other things too.

I drink soymilk as well and have been looking into ways to make it myself (since even Aldi brand soymilk costs $4.60/gallon). I think the easiest way would be to buy soy flour and then make it on the stove… could be done for about $1.60/gallon that way (roughly 1/3 the cost), using Bob’s Red Mill soy flour from amazon. You could also make fat-free soymilk this way, by buying defatted soy flour.
I’d save ~$150/year this way… definitely going to try it 🙂

A few points:

1. Beans can be hard on the stomach. I used to eat a lot of beans but have had to cut way back.

2. Rice can get boring unless you look into the many different varieties that exist.

3. I would be concerned about whether soy is unhealthy and personally don’t touch soy, soy milk, etc. As an alternative I drink rice milk. Most are enriched with calcium and vitamin D which I find helpful because I don’t eat dairy and need a source of calcium.