I'm guessing it's a lot

I remember asking my mom once for some tips on being a frugal housewife.  In short, she said it's not as hard as some people think it is.

She said, "We [our family] quit eating out so much.  I made things from scratch.  I quit running to The Sundry Store* every afternoon on my way home from the bank* to get silly things like chips ahoy cookies."

I had to laugh at that detail.  She did not simply say, "To get cookies...."  She said, very specifically, "To get Chips Ahoy Cookies."

Ha.  I wish everyone could be best friends with my mom. Wednesday, I told her I was on my way to the dentist**, and she then proceeded to tell me about how she had to get her tooth pulled the day before.  She did not spare any details.  She used words like root and nerve.  I absolutely loved her for her horrible timing.  Good thing my dentist has a dog.***

Anyway, I didn't really "get it" until just recently, and when I say recently, I mean a few days ago.

She said she made things from scratch.

Sigh.  Do you realize the price we pay for convenience?

I'm guessing it's a lot.

We love to make homemade pizza at our house.  The other night, the tube of dough fell to the floor and cracked.  By the time I used it, the air had gotten to it and the consistency was all off.

Guess what, I made some from scratch and it probably cost a few pennies.  I'm not even kidding.

I recently made breakfast burritos using a recipe from The Simple Dollar and man, they are yummy.  They save me so much time in the mornings, keep me feeling full, and are pretty good for you, to boot.  I even had one for lunch today.

I'm excited to find more "from scratch" recipes and see how much cash it can save us.

Huzzah.  What recipes are you liking these days?  I'm looking for a way to upgrade my pizza crust recipe.  We weren't 100% satisfied.  Suggestions?

Up next for us?  Homemade, taquitos for the freezer! The store bought ones are expensive AND DEEP FRIED! Yikes!

Love and I do not know how to make a long story short, but I do know how to make a short story long.
H.

*The Sundry Store was a little pharmacy/grocery store in town.  I miss places like that where you can run in for milk and take a 2 minute walk through the parking lot as opposed to now where you have to trek 5 miles all the way through Wal-mart.  Also, my mom worked at Key Bank for like, 17 years before she got hired on as office staff at The Middle School.  All her math genes somehow got lost in the shuffle between mom & fetus.  She's a whiz, and I got' nothin'.
** No cavities
***That's right. My dentist has a dog.  2 to be exact.  Sophie & Ruby.  Those gals are pretty much the only thing that keeps me from shaking in my boots the second I walk in the door.