# Housewifely Frugality **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 2, 2009, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/housewifely-frugality/516046 "2009-11-02T13:34:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2009, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/housewifely-frugality/516046/201 "2009-11-05T19:43:09Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > I suspect that for some of us “of a generation” real rice was an “ethnic” food in an era where there wasn’t a lot of ethnic foods on the average American table. > > And where the modern science of convenience trumped the old fashioned. Minute Rice is superior science, it must be good. (see also: Potato Buds, Bacon Bits, Carnation Instant Breakfast, and baby formula as a standard way to feed kids). My mother grew up in the 40’s and 50’s. From what I’ve heard, at that time things like Minute Rice were trendier than regular rice, being more “modern” and all. I don’t think my grandmother cooked rice much if at all. I think she and my grandfather had potatoes at almost every meal. I come from a line of unadventurous eaters (and they seem to get worse about being willing to try new foods as they get older, or at least my parents are). > [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > My mother raised us on Minute Rice. I was an adult (well, college-age) before I realized rice could actually be enjoyable, as opposed to simply a conduit for gravy (which was from a can or a packet of mix also). I learned in college that garlic comes in forms other than salt and powder. I think I learned about real rice in graduate school. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2009, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/housewifely-frugality/516046/202 "2009-11-05T20:00:34Z")
Grew up in the 70s and 80s - we actually had (starting maybe right before my teenage years) a tiny Chinese grocery in our very white, Midwestern town, and Mom had no problem going there to pick up odd little food items for our “chop suey night.” Just not regular rice. That was always Minute Rice. I think the faster-cooking product was seen as better. ---
**Author:** ![flodnak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/838e76/32.png) [@flodnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flodnak)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2009, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/housewifely-frugality/516046/203 "2009-11-05T20:24:12Z")
I _do_ have a pantry, by the way - nothing against them in the slightest 🙂 Mine is a pull-out cabinet in our rather small kitchen. I love it. But I think it’s also a good thing we don’t have the space to have something the size of my mother’s, because there are some serious packrat genes in both our families of origin… I noticed that after a while I started understanding the rhythm of supermarket sales. My favorite grocery store has laundry detergent marked down 40% every so often, so I know I want to buy for about three months when that happens. Same thing when toilet paper goes on sale. And the baking supplies are on sale in November, never in December, so I get the flour and sugar and so on that I’ll need for Christmas baking when the prices are low. And so on… ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2009, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/housewifely-frugality/516046/204 "2009-11-05T23:03:22Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > My mother - who is a SERIOUS cleaner (not OCD level, but one of those 'cleans the entire house in three hours people) was my nanny this summer. And since the kids had Grandma - who will yell at them and who doesn’t let them do fun things until everything is tidy - they actually did a lot of housework. My son cut the grass every week, his sister handled the weedwacker. They cleaned the basement and had a garage sale. They kept their rooms picked up and helped vacuum, dust and clean bathrooms. They helped with meals. Next year my mother said “you’ll learn to do laundry!” You know, those Minnesota winters are probably hard on her old bones. Maybe she’d like to spend the winter down in Texas? We have a season that we call winter here, but I’m sure she’d laugh at it. And my house could certainly use some attention… ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/housewifely-frugality/516046/205 "2009-11-06T00:09:34Z")
> [@Ellen\_Cherry](#): > > I spend a lot of time wondering why I manage to work full-time and make a sit-down dinner six nights a week, as well as prepare lunches in advance for both my husband and I (most weeks). I had about decided it is mostly because I like to cook. Now I’m seeing that it partly may be due to the fact that I merely know how. That, and you’re probably organized. I had an uncle who was a very macho, former marine, career police officer in St. Louis. He also married a woman who a legendarily bad cook - so HE cooked for the family all his life. When his newly adult daughter started griping about how hard it was to work full time and cook every night he apparently read her the riot act (“I worked as a cop, with overtime, emergencies, etc. for _decades_ and managed to feed you kids”, etc. etc.) then went over to her place and reorganized her kitchen. That was the last time my cousin complained! And my uncle ran his kitchen with military precision and absolute order, it was his kingdom and domain and woe to anyone who did not toe the line! Currently, I work, manage a large garden to actually produce most of our vegetables, AND take care of a disabled spouse - yet most nights we have home-cooked meals. A lot of it requires being organized and some advance planning. For example, I’ve been freezing greens and drying herbs this week. I often only have a half an hour before work and maybe, if I get home early, a half an hour after work to harvest from the garden (it’s daylight dependent - there is no lighting in the garden after dark and I don’t want to get hurt tripping over the turnips). Maybe an hour a day for processing garden produce AND cooking. So, for example, I might snap and string beans in the morning, then blanch and pack them after work. Or I’ll be tying up bundles of parsley for air-drying while watching the news before bed. When I make a stir fry I make twice as much as we’ll eat, then freeze the leftovers so I’m cooking two meals in the time of one. On the weekend I’ll take a morning or afternoon to do the time consuming items, then have them for the rest of the week. I suspect you’re doing the same from time to time, whether you realize it or not. You’ve found efficient ways to get stuff done. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/housewifely-frugality/516046/206 "2009-11-06T00:33:09Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > You know, those Minnesota winters are probably hard on her old bones. Maybe she’d like to spend the winter down in Texas? We have a season that we call winter here, but I’m sure she’d laugh at it. And my house could certainly use some attention… Between my house and my sister and her little two kids in North Dakota and my other sister - without kids but with a reoccurring trainwreck life in North Dakota - she’s pretty booked. (Although as I write that, I think I’ll hide the offer from her - North Dakota is less pleasant in in Winter even than Minnesota. And she’s likely not nearly as emotionally invested in your problems). She was over today. My house is clean, my laundry done. I’m not bad at the frugal (when I want to be), but I’m not very good at the housework part of housewife - and I do work full time. ---
**Author:** ![overlyverbose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9dc877/32.png) [@overlyverbose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/overlyverbose)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/housewifely-frugality/516046/207 "2009-11-06T04:37:50Z")
> [@overlyverbose](#): > > Sure thing. Let me dig it out and I’ll try to post it today. I tweaked a recipe from the instruction booklet that came with the machine (it was a tad bland at first). Ok - here we go. It’s been tweaked a lot. I think the original just had curry powder and a little salt along with the chicken. 1-2 tbsp oil 1 chopped onion 2-3 cloves minced garlic 2 tbsp curry powder 2 cups water 1 cup rice (basmati or jasmine) 1 can tomato sauce 1 lb cubed boneless skinless chicken breast (about 1-inch cubes) 1/2 cup golden raisins 1/3 cup raw cashews Salt to taste (I use about 3/4 to 1 tsp, I think) plain yogurt (optional - you can pour this over the rice at the end when you eat it) The recipe I used indicated that you could hit cook and saute the onions and garlic in the oil directly in the rice cooker for 5 minutes, then toss in the curry powder. I tried it and the onions were a tad crunchy for my taste, so I usually saute them and the garlic separately, but it’s up to you. Anyway, cook the onions and garlic (inside or outside the cooker) and toss in the curry powder. Add the tomato sauce, raisins, salt, rice and water and mix. (If you are leery of using salt in this recipe, you can also try some chicken stock instead of water.) Toss in the chicken, stir some more, then hit cook if you haven’t already. After the cooker gets to “warm,” let it sit for a few minutes, then stir and eat, with or without yogurt. The original recipe suggested doing this whole thing with Zataran’s jambalaya mix instead of plain rice and salt to take care of seasoning. It was way too salty for my taste. Plus, it seemed weird to use Zataran’s in something with curry, so I just decided on plain white rice with a little salt in the water or chicken stock. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/housewifely-frugality/516046/208 "2009-11-06T06:02:39Z")
> [@badbadrubberpiggy](#): > > Assuming it’s for the muffins, it’s just plain canned pumpkin, not the pumpkin pie mix in a can. > > I’m not sure, but I’m guessing it’ll come out way too sweet if you use the canned pie filling instead. Oh - I made these today, and I just grabbed a can in the baking aisle - turns out I did get canned pumpkin. I don’t even know if we have pumpkin pie mix. 😕 By the way, they turned out unbelievably good. I’d be rating these pumpkin spice cupcakes five out of five. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Kevbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e47774/32.png) [@Kevbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kevbo)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/housewifely-frugality/516046/209 "2009-11-06T07:02:07Z")
> [@Teacake](#): > > This thing about bread taking a long time… what? … > > …And when I’ve had one of those days when I just want to beat the hell out of some student or colleague, kneading bread is more therapy than chore at the end of it! Well said! Cooking in general, but bread in particular, is usually short bits of work spaced over long periods of waiting. The skill many seem to lack is putting that waiting to good use without losing track of the progress. Kevbabe can follow a recipe, and even improvise a bit and make any ONE thing just fine…but can’t seem to get the knack of ending up with two or god forbid five things ready to eat at the same time…“OK, stir fry is done, time to start the rice!” And that ties into another theme in this thread. A person can either cook or teach someone to cook, but can’t IMO do both at the same time. I know pretty much how long it will take ME to chop an onion. If you ask to help, and I ask you to chop the onion, when you don’t have that chopped onion ready when I need it, that is a problem…About two or three of those things, and ingredients will be forgotten, or something is going to get burned. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/housewifely-frugality/516046/210 "2009-11-06T07:38:45Z")
> [@Anne\_Neville](#): > > That doesn’t always work so well for people who have trouble controlling portion sizes. If I make extra of a dish, I end up eating more of it at dinner. I don’t do so well at not overeating when there’s food ready and right there. My mother has that problem, I don’t. I separate the “save” portions before bringing the food to the table, she doesn’t and then she - insists that we should eat more (thankfully, she isn’t the one holding the spoon), - complains (but only after the fact and never directly to him) that my brother has cleaned up that half-portion she was planning on using for another dish two days later, - takes seconds herself… If it’s already in a tupperware, none of us will go get it. But if it’s on the table, it’s in danger of _gasp_ being eaten! ---
**Author:** ![scareyfaerie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scareyfaerie/32/3135_2.png) [@scareyfaerie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scareyfaerie)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 9:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/housewifely-frugality/516046/211 "2009-11-06T09:57:57Z")
I never made bread at home ‘properly’ because I didn’t have anywhere warm to leave the dough to rise. I’ve done packet mixes before that turned out well but now I have proper heating and therefore somewhere for the dough to sit in the warm, I am going to try it again. We never had rice when I was a kid because my mother said she didn’t know how to cook it. I think that really meant she didn’t know what to serve it with and so she was afraid to try it. I’ve since cured her of that habit! ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/housewifely-frugality/516046/212 "2009-11-06T11:19:36Z")
> [@Kevbo](#): > > If you ask to help, and I ask you to chop the onion, when you don’t have that chopped onion ready when I need it, that is a problem…About two or three of those things, and ingredients will be forgotten, or something is going to get burned. Mise en place … you get all the ingredients gathered, premeasured, chopped and whatnot. Then when you start to cook everything is right there and ready. When I teach someone a recipe, I introduce the ingredients with setting the mise up. It helps because you can visually check to make sure you have everything for the recipe. That is when you teach the skills like dice/julienne/chiffonade. Sometimes I get anal and set the mise up in the order it gets added. THe other advantage of a mise, if everything is preprepped, then you can clean up the spare utensils so all you have getting dirty are the minimum, so the kitchen stays cleaner. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/housewifely-frugality/516046/213 "2009-11-06T11:20:41Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > Oh - I made these today, and I just grabbed a can in the baking aisle - turns out I did get canned pumpkin. I don’t even know if we have pumpkin pie mix. 😕 I thought the pumpkin pie mix just added spices (cinnamon, nutmeg), but I guess I wouldn’t be surprised if they had sweetener in there too. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/housewifely-frugality/516046/214 "2009-11-06T11:21:57Z")
> [@ScareyFaerie](#): > > I never made bread at home ‘properly’ because I didn’t have anywhere warm to leave the dough to rise. I’ve done packet mixes before that turned out well but now I have proper heating and therefore somewhere for the dough to sit in the warm, I am going to try it again. > > We never had rice when I was a kid because my mother said she didn’t know how to cook it. I think that really meant she didn’t know what to serve it with and so she was afraid to try it. I’ve since cured her of that habit! Got a desktop? Set it on top of the tower… I have a plastic lidded bowl I use. Snap the lid on, and stash it on top of the TV when we had the nonflatscreen type, and now I stash it on top of the tower for the desktop. Heat is just right =) ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/housewifely-frugality/516046/215 "2009-11-06T11:23:14Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > If it’s already in a tupperware, none of us will go get it. But if it’s on the table, it’s in danger of _gasp_ being eaten! Yup, I did that last night myself. Packed up about a quarter of the food for my lunch today, the rest I then split in two for my husband and I for dinner. ---
**Author:** ![scareyfaerie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scareyfaerie/32/3135_2.png) [@scareyfaerie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scareyfaerie)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/housewifely-frugality/516046/216 "2009-11-06T11:35:54Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > Got a desktop? Set it on top of the tower… I must admit I hadn’t thought of that, although when I had a desktop I only switched it on when I needed it. I could use one of his if they weren’t covered with all sort of other stuff! ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/housewifely-frugality/516046/217 "2009-11-06T12:36:03Z")
I throw my bread to rise in the oven. My oven is gas and the pilot light keeps it warm. With an electric oven you might need to warm it just a little. ---
**Author:** ![CrazyCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CrazyCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyCatLady)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/housewifely-frugality/516046/218 "2009-11-06T12:56:57Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > I thought the pumpkin pie mix just added spices (cinnamon, nutmeg), but I guess I wouldn’t be surprised if they had sweetener in there too. Pie mix has the spices and the sweetened condensed milk already added–all you add to it is egg and pour it in the crust. It’s far runnier and sweeter than plain canned pumpkin, so confusing the two in a recipe is going to make for some seriously weird results. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/housewifely-frugality/516046/219 "2009-11-06T13:11:53Z")
> [@ScareyFaerie](#): > > I never made bread at home ‘properly’ because I didn’t have anywhere warm to leave the dough to rise. Back when I lived with inadequate heat I used to boil a kettle of water (use a pot if you don’t have a kettle) and pour it into a casserole dish, then put it in the bottom of the oven compartment. I’d then put the dough in a bowl on the rack above the water. Shut the door - nice humid place for dough to rise! Just remember not to turn the oven on until it’s done rising, and best to remove dish/water prior to actually cooking the bread. ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/housewifely-frugality/516046/220 "2009-11-06T13:17:11Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > Oh - I made these today, and I just grabbed a can in the baking aisle - turns out I did get canned pumpkin. I don’t even know if we have pumpkin pie mix. 😕 > > By the way, they turned out unbelievably good. I’d be rating these pumpkin spice cupcakes five out of five. 🙂 They’re even better with chopped walnuts. 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/housewifely-frugality/516046.md?page=10) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/housewifely-frugality/516046.md?page=12)