Here are more clever tips and advice for ways you can cut back your costs from our community:

 "Every Sunday I cook a one-pot meal of some kind to eat on and off during the week (take to work for lunch, dinner when DH and I both work late on Wednesdays, etc). IMO it is WAY faster to heat up some good homemade food than to eat out or do take out. That way I don't cook every day but we can eat every day! The biggest way I save on groceries is by limiting meat. Meat is far and away the most expensive thing I buy at the store.... So I try to cook vegetarian at least 2x/week."

--lamaenad

"Last year my mom got me a coffee pot with a timer on it. Instead of buying 2 cups of coffee each morning at work, I try and remember each night to prepare the coffee ahead of time and then fill up my travel mug. I have cut down to only buying a cup of coffee at work a few times a week. It doesn't sound like a lot, but it definitely adds up. My next goal is start trying to eat breakfast at home in the mornings instead of always going to the cafeteria downstairs each morning to have breakfast."

--arryl

"Another good money saver is to grow your own herbs. I guess you could say to grow all your food, but that is debatable and not so easy. Herbs are easy to manage for a lot of people and even in cold climates you can grow them in the summer and dry them or freeze them. I would grow basil every year, even if I hated gardening. One packet of seed costs $2.00 and yields at least 20 batches of pesto (modestly). I know I've saved hundreds of dollars on this alone."

--trsinc

 "I used to buy something (even food) and realize it was the wrong thing or I didn't need it (picked up too much canned pumpkin) and now I actually RETURN stuff instead of just letting it sit in the pantry for a year and a half."

--beepsmomx2

 "Most anything in a crock pot will save you, since you can eat off of it for days. I recommend buying a Crock Pot cook book, it'll have the best recipes. If you see things on sale that you always use, BUY IT, even if you don't need it now! And buy your meats at Costco or Sam's in bulk to save, same with eggs, milk, etc. When planning a menu (and planned menus always cost less), make items during the week that use similar ingredients so that nothing goes to waste. It can be difficult to do that, it definitely takes planning, but you'll throw less away."

--virginia_ange

When I first saw the title of this recipe on our GardenWeb message board, I admit, I was a little frightened. "Caramel Cheetos" just sounds...wrong. Reading the recipe didn't alleviate my fears, either (to quote the recipe ingredients: "yes, for this one you must use margarine"). But once I read all the raves from our members who've actually made the recipe, I re-read it and realized it's pretty similar to those popcorn mixes you can buy with cheese, butter and caramel -- which are, in fact, incredibly tasty.

So don't be scared -- go ahead, read the recipe for Caramel Cheetos and make them for your Halloween party. Your guests will be goblin' them down.

Ha.

Photo courtesy of member stacy3

With the weather getting colder and the economy going down the tubes, everyone's going out less and staying in more (even me!). Our community members have been swapping some great budget meal ideas on our message boards -- here are some of my favorites:

 "My favorite cheap meal is pretty simple. Brown one pound of hamburger with onions and peppers (optional), cook pasta (I use rigatoni), mix the two when done and add a big can of Campbell's tomato soup. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. It is SOOOO good and you will definitely get two meals out of it. I usually have bread or salad with it. Sometimes I add some mozzarella cheese to the mixture as well."

--sydandnicks_mom

 "Southerners like greens, pinto beans, and cornbread for dinner in good times and in bad. Add a baked sweet potato to that and some cooked apples or applesauce, and you have a delicious relatively inexpensive meal.

Most people love the novelty of having breakfast for dinner: pancakes or waffles, bacon, sausage or ham and some type of fruit, maybe a dried fruit compote in cooler weather. Eggs are still a good value for an omelette or frittata made with veggies and cheese. Add corn muffins or toasted bread and a salad.

I'm going to continue my 'vegetable plate' dinner at least once a month. This could be a baked potato with broccoli and cheese, the beans and cornbread above, mac and cheese, or a baked sweet potato -- all with another vegetable or two."

--teresa_nc7

"I think potatoes are cheap and a great meal stretcher if you don't mind the carbs. To cut down on electricity costs I usually try to bake some sort of potato dish if I'm using the oven for roasting chicken or something else. One of my favorites is leftover mashed potatoes mixed with bite-sized hot dogs and topped with cheese. Had that as a kid sometimes. As an adult I like to mix in hot peppers from the garden."

-- trsinc

"Eggs, bacon, and potatoes. The bacon provides the grease for frying the eggs and potatoes. Making toast by frying it in the pan will help soak up the last of the grease. Hungry people don't have to worry about getting fat so the extra grease is delicious nutrition.

I think canned pineapple and cabbage are probably the cheapest sources of store-bought fruit and greens. Boil a sausage with cabbage and potatoes for a fine, fine meal as fit for a king as a hungry peasent...fancy folks can have a slice of buttered rye bread and bottle of dark beer."

--bunnyman

"OK, so some of my favorite "cheap" meals? Roasted chicken for day one, chicken sandwiches for lunch on day two, chicken pot pie for day three and the bones go into the soup pot for a big pot of chicken vegetable soup on day four. If you have big eaters, you might not get those sandwiches, but you can still get three days out of them. Beans and cornbread, greens as a side dish, I love it. Goulash; the Michigan way is just pasta, ground beef, onions, tomatoes, some seasonings. Kids and guys seem to like it best."

--annie1992

  I'm not a huge fan of salad dressings; they're often too creamy, heavy or overpowering. I'm more of an oil-and-vinegar person; in fact, sometimes I'll skip the oil and just splash some balsamic or red wine vinegar onto my greens. Sure, kind of boring, but I'd rather have my salad on the plain side than mucked up with a bunch of cloying flavors. But I recently had a fantastic homemade salad dressing that was light, refreshing, and completely non-boring and tasty. I'm not usually one to rave about a salad dressing, of all things, but this one was really good -- and it's super simple to make, too. It's an adaptation of an old Better Homes & Gardens recipe and will dress about 4 cups of greens:

• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp dry mustard
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• 1 1/2 Tbs cider vinegar
• 1 1/2 Tbs lemon juice

1. Combine above and beat with a fork or, shake well if using a bottle.

2. Add 1/4 cup salad oil and beat or shake again to emulsify.

Recipe courtesy of Joanie Cashero

When I'm making my own salad dressing, I tend to whip up a batch on the spot, right before serving dinner. It only takes a few minutes, but it's just one more annoying thing to do when you're trying to get food on the table. The smart thing to do, however, is what Joanie does -- she doubles the recipe, makes it directly in a glass bottle, and keeps it stored in the fridge so that she always has homemade dressing on hand when she needs it. She recommends taking it out of the fridge and letting it warm up to room temperature before using it. 

Now that I've got a good dressing recipe and a no-brainer make-ahead plan, you can bet I'll always have a bottle handy in my fridge from now on.

Though the crashing economy hasn't hit me too hard -- yet -- with the holidays coming up, a big trip planned next month, and a rather large credit card bill I received the other day, I've been a little concerned about saving some cash as well. Living in NYC, it's easy and tempting to go out every night and splurge on restauants and bars, but I'm starting to realize that I need to stay in more and cook if I really want to reduce my spending.

In that spirit, here are a few more money-saving tips from our community members to help cut costs as you shop, cook and plan meals.

"I try to make food in bigger batches as to freeze them....for example, instead of using a 1/2 package of sausage for a pasta bake, I make double and freeze one for later...that way I don't look into the fridge a week later and see the other 1/2 of the unused sausage.  To save time and money, I use the slow cooker more and freeze the leftovers or use a larger cut of pork, for example, to make enough for 2 meals."

 

-- momof2inbe

 

"I've been baking more rather than pay the prices for cookies, brownies, cakes and other baked goods. Making bread or keeping a package of frozen bread dough on hand. You get 5 loaves for $3.99; I turn them into dinner rolls, hamburger/sandwich rolls, or serve as a meal stuffed with meats/cheeses. I think tomorrow I'll try them out as cinnamon rolls and see how that works. That would help out with breakfast."

 

-- cl-ydoom

 

"I've been making a lot of granola cereal and granola bars. I buy organic oats for 70 cents a pound. It's a really cheap healthy food! I get a lot of my food from the local bulk food co-op."

 

-- mommie2corbin

 

"I find that it helps to prepare lunches ahead of time. I will take a large jar of applesauce, and put it in small gladware (the small circle ones). When I am putting away dinner, it is divided into lunch-size portions and put into gladware (the appropriate size).  I take a large bag of chips and divide into sandwich bags, bag of carrots into snack bags, etc. Then in the morning, I just grab a container of whatever I want. It is cheaper than buying those lunch size snack bags they sell."

 

-- crys9876

 

"I make a trip once every 3 months to a wholesale club and purchase ONLY the things my small family will use in bulk (coffee, laundry detergent, meat, paper products). I also keep a price journal which helps me determine if I really am getting the lowest price possible at a wholesale club."

 

-- cutenewmommy2007

 

As always, jump into our Frugal Kitchen message board to get even more great budget ideas.

One of my latest favorite food finds: miso paste. I was at the Japanese grocery store, planning to make a pot of Kitchen Sink Soup, and I thought, hey, I'll put in some miso to add extra flavor. When I got home, I realized that to make soup with miso, all you do is stir the paste into hot water -- you don't even need to start with stock or broth -- which makes it extremely economical, too. A container costs just a few dollars, and you only need a couple of tablespoons or so for a pot of soup. Generally made from fermented soy, miso has a salty, earthy flavor with just a hint of sweetness; there are lots of varieties out there, though, so expermient with different types and brands to find one you like (look for it in your Asian grocery store or international section of your supermarket). It's supposed to be great in sauces and marinades too, so I'm looking forward to experimenting with it...as well as making lots more soup.

I did something terrible last night. I killed two and a half pounds of mussels.

Sure, you think. You cooked them up in a big pot with some butter, maybe some white wine, and then ate them with some chopped parsley and lemon juice and a hunk of bread.

I *wish* that was what happened. What actually happened was, I went to my grocery store and asked for the mussels. They were already packaged in a mesh bag, so the fishmonger placed the mesh bag into a plastic bag, tied a knot at the top, and handed it to me.

I went home and placed the bag in the fridge. I then chopped some shallots and garlic, got them into my hot pot with some oil, and let them sweat a bit. I added some white wine. I got my mussels out of the fridge and dumped them into my colander in the sink to give them a quick rinse/scrub before they went in the pot. At that point, I noticed that many -- most -- almost all of the mussels were open. Very strange...anytime I've cooked mussels in the past, their shells have always been tightly closed. I tapped the mussel shells, hoping they would close (therefore indicating that they were still alive). No luck. I quickly realized what I had on my hands -- a giant mussel massacre. Every single one of those mollusks, except for one lone holdout, was dead.

I did a google search and found out my mistake right away. Here are the instructions on storing live shellfish from Clemson University's website:

"Special precautions need to be made in storing live shellfish and preventing cross-contamination with other foods. Refrigerate live clams, oysters, mussels, crabs, lobsters and crayfish in well-ventilated containers. Cover the container with a damp cloth or paper towel. Do not store live shellfish in water or in airtight bags or containers where they could suffocate and die. Storing live shellfish in salt water shortens their shelf life. Storing them in fresh water kills them. Keep live shellfish alive."

Note the underlined sentence (theirs, not mine). Clearly, storing my mussels in a plastic bag tied shut was not a good idea -- even if they were only kept that way for an hour. My poor little mussels had suffocated to death...their shells were wide open, gasping for air. Lesson learned: When storing fresh shellfish, put them into an open bowl and cover with a damp cloth. No plastic bags, no water baths, no nothing. I felt horrible and dumb and sad about what I had done; even though, naturally, I was planning to kill and eat those mussels anyway. (And also, couldn't/shouldn't the fishmonger have told me to take them out of the plastic bag when I got home??)

Needless to say, it ended up being a spaghetti and sauce from a jar kind of night. Oh well.

Do you feel like you've made a lot of cutbacks in your expenses, but you're still struggling to make ends meet? Even if you're eating at home every day, clipping coupons and shopping more frugally at the grocery store, you might need to find even more ways to save money. CNBC finance expert Carmen Wong Ulrich has a suggestion for iVillage community member redrose46, who asked: "We have cut down a lot! We have basic phone and basic cable for several months now and I wash dishes by hand instead of using the dishwasher. We eat at home most days which saves a lot of money and run errands the same day. What else can we do to save money? Any other suggestions?"

 Watch the video to get Carmen's advice.

 

If you're looking for more advice, ideas and support, check out our Frugal Kitchen message board and join the discussions, or find more money-saving tips here. Plus, watch Carmen Wong Ulrich's 'On The Money' Weeknights 9PM EST on CNBC!

I admit that I don't know a whole lot about breast cancer. I know that battling breast cancer takes its toll physically, mentally and emotionally, but I wasn't aware of how much it affects what you eat and how you taste food, too. As someone who loves to cook and eat just about everything, I can't imagine having foods taste differently than what I'm used to. On our Breast Cancer Support message board, there's a very enlightening thread about what to eat during chemo:

"Some things taste totally awful, some are tolerable, and others still taste pretty much the same. Fried chicken is the closest to normal that I have found, so I'm eating that pretty often. I had some vegetables today at Boston Market that tasted fairly decent, but bread has turned to wallpaper paste and potatoes aren't far behind. Ice cream is still great, but cake is terrible (ironically, icing is wonderful). Eggs seem okay, but bacon is iffy. Rice works and some pasta (risotto did)."

-- fergasmom

"I have found, through trial and error, that sometimes the stronger flavors are better. I have a friend who put salsa on EVERYTHING when she was in chemo! I have found that, for myself, cooked veggies such as peas, corn, broccoli, carrots etc. do well with my palate. I like the taste of Worcstershire sauce, and it seems to help some foods that otherwise taste odd. Aged cheeses like swiss and cheddar tend to work. And I have been craving beef! It seems that the changes are different on different days in my chemo cycle, so some of it is just trial and error."

-- lauralexirobbiezach

And even after chemo, food doesn't taste normal, as one community member wonders, "When will food taste like food again?"

"It was about 3 months post-chemo for me.  It's funny because I now enjoy foods that I detested before chemo; like asparagus.  Love it now!  I still hate broccoli but I guess I can't ask for the world.LoL."

-- cl-maggie3333

Ha! I wonder what she thinks of Brussels sprouts?

At this point, we all know that Sarah Palin's favorite food is moose, either in stew or burger form. Sure, you could surf the web and dig up a bunch of moose recipes, some of which sound fairly tasty, some of which sound fairly disgusting. But let's face it -- selling wild moose is illegal, so unless you're out hunting it yourself or have a generous relative in Alaska, Maine or New Hampshire who can ship it to you, you're out of luck. Never fear -- you can have you your moose -- um, mousse, that is -- and eat it too. In honor of the election and the season, here's an easy, low-fat pumpkin mousse recipe:

Low-Fat Pumpkin Mousse

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 15-oz can pumpkin
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 2 8-oz cartons low-fat vanilla yogurt
• 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients except graham cracker crumbs thoroughly. Refrigerate mixture until thoroughly chilled.

2. Sprinkle with graham cracker crumbs before serving. Enjoy pumpkin pie flavor without the calories!

If you're looking for something more traditional, try some of these chocolate mousse recipes:

• Chocolate Mousse 
• Chocolate Hazelnut Mousse
• Chocolate Mousse Pie
• Chocolate Mousse Puffs
• Chocolate Mousse with Raspberries
• Low-Carb Chocolate Mousse

I just got back from an amazing trip to Maine, where I ate lobster two to three times a day (yes, I once ate a lobster and cheese omelet for breakfast, and yes, I once had a lunch "appetizer" of half a lobster roll, followed by a "lunch" of a whole lobster roll at another restaurant, plus fried clams and seafood chowder). So many lobsters, so little time.

I'm already planning my next trip back, scanning rentals on the coast for next year. And believe it or not, I'm still craving lobster. Luckily, there's the Hancock Gourmet Lobster Company based in Cundy's Harbor, Maine, which ships live lobsters, cooked lobsters, lobster rolls, lobster pot pies, lobster stew -- you get the idea -- anywhere in the U.S. They also have a decadent, award-winning lobster mac 'n cheese, along with other types of non-lobster seafood and traditional Maine desserts like blueberry cake and whoopie pies. So the next time I desperately need a lobster fix, you can bet I'll be ordering the Maine shore dinner (or if anybody would like to sign me up for the Lobster of the Month Club, I certainly have no objections).  

We all know the economy is going downhill, fast -- in fact, it has been for months. Grocery bills are skyrocketing and it's getting harder to stay within your food budget. In our iVillage community, we've seen lots of you come up with some great ideas for saving money on food, making dinners on a budget, and stretching meals in clever ways. Here are some of our favorite tips:

"My cheap dish is a big pot of chili. First night is chili in bowls with crackers, 2nd is chili mixed with elbow macaroni, third is chili casserole with corn muffin batter and shredded cheese spread on top (a tamale pie). Not necessarily 3 nights in a row, because it keeps well."

-- jaybee458

This is something I do too -- I call it Kitchen Sink Soup:

"This isn't really a recipe but there is always the 'Clean Out The Fridge' Soup.  I keep the boxes of chicken, beef and vegetable broth on hand, always start with some sauteed onion and celery and add whatever I have on hand in the fridge.  I always have canned tomatoes and sometimes add a can of beans or macaroni.... This last batch of soup had diced leftover ham, shredded kale and spinich in addition to the tomatoes and beans."

-- highsierra

 "I'm a vegetarian and have switched over to using a lot of dried beans and cooking them in my pressure cooker (save time and fuel) but a slow cooker would do. I'm saving so much money this way."

-- revolutions

 "I save a lot of money by spending some of my time instead of money. I buy large bags of chicken quarters or whole chickens for much less than pre-cut pieces, and cut them up myself...and I end up with back sections or carcasses to make soup. From one good sized chicken, my husband and I can eat three meals. Thighs & legs one night, cooked on the barbecue or in some other fashion. Stir fry from most of the breast meat another night. Soup from the carcass, some reserved breast meat and wings for a lunch or light dinner. "

-- rachelellen

"Add only half a pound of ground beef to your favorite casserole, spaghetti sauce, or soup that calls for 1 lb. of ground beef...buy larger shrimp and slice them in two lengthwise down the middle to get 2 shrimp pieces for the price of 1 -- great for creole, jambalaya, or pasta dishes; halve large scallops to increase the pieces per person."

 -- teresa_nc7

Need more meal ideas? Find some great recession-busting recipes here.

Apparently, some investors think so. On September 30, the biggest one-day drop in the history of the Dow Jones, the *only* stock in Standard & Poor's 500 index that actually rose that day was Campbell Soup Company -- albeit by just 0.3 percent, or 12 cents. The media speculates that investors bought the stock thinking that in these troubled economic times, people will turn to comfort food.

I don't know if I entirely agree with that theory, but I do know that the weather is turning cooler -- which makes me want to cook up a big pot of warm, hearty soup as well. Here are some really creative and classic recipes for soul-warming soups from our community members that'll hopefully cure whatever's ailing you. Personally, I'm itching to try the recipes for Lasagna Soup, Spicy Cheeseburger Soup, and -- yum -- BLT Soup.

We've all heard that healthy eating can help prevent many diseases, including some cancers. Less saturated fats, more fruits and veggies, etc, etc. Excellent advice, but instead of bombarding you with broccoli recipes in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month (FYI today's the first day, so bust out your pink ribbon), I thought I'd share an easy snack that's fun and tasty -- *and* pink!

Here's the recipe for Pink Popcorn from our community. One member suggests, "How bout putting it in a clear bag and tying it with a pink ribbon -- a breast cancer ribbon." Pass the bags out to friends and family for a thoughtful and awareness-raising treat. (You can even experiment with different colored/flavored jell-o for various holidays...green and red popcorn, anyone?)