Welcome to Gaia! ::

biggrin That sounds amazing Behatz!

I'm thinking that, until I'm employed again (know anyone in Chicago who needs a receptionist and doesn't require me to shake hands with men?), my 'craft' needs to be restricted to making delicious meals on about half my normal budget. Fortunately I know how to do that really well. I just run back home to mama, as they say -- I cook the foods I grew up eating, when my family was dirt-poor, before we made it to comfortable.

1. I always pick cheap cuts of meat, such as skirt steak, and marinate them overnight in something acidic like lemon juice or vinegar, mustard or barbecue sauce, or the juice of oranges or pineapples. This 'melts' away a lot of the connective tissue that makes the meat tough and undesirable (and therefore inexpensive).

2. In lean times like this, I buy canned tuna and salmon instead of expensive fresh tuna and salmon steaks. Frozen is slightly less expensive than fresh, canned is even cheaper. Fresh fish makes a great main dish, but canned makes a better casserole, sandwich, or salad.

3. I always pick whole grains, whether times are good or bad, so this doesn't change much. Whole grain pasta, whole wheat couscous, millet, quinoa, rice, barley. This adds bulk, nutrition, fiber, and flavor to a meal. It can be boiled to make it soft, then eaten as-is, or baked or fried.

4. Dried beans and peas are extremely inexpensive. Frozen is next, followed by canned, then fresh. That is, unless they're in season, in which case you might actually find it cheaper to buy them fresh and dry/can/freeze them yourself. They're a good source of protein in the absence of meat, and also of starch. In a real pinch, you can dispense with meat, fowl, fish, and even grains, in favor of just beans. They may get boring after a while, but you'll be getting some good nutrition out of the deal, and beggars can't be choosers.

5. Starchy vegetables are also awesome, and relatively inexpensive. Corn and potatoes are starchy vegetables, as are green/English peas and most root vegetables, such as parsnips and turnips. Onions and carrots are sort of borderline. When raw, you can consider them a green vegetable, nutritionally speaking. When cooked, some of their fiber turns to sugars, which makes them a starchy vegetable instead.

6. You'll need some vegetables that aren't as starchy, too. Canned tomatoes are awesome; canned or frozen spinach, broccoli, green beans, collard greens, mustard greens, kale, cauliflower, pumpkin, and so on. Fresh are usually more expenive, then canned, then frozen. Buy accordingly.

7. Some vegetables just don't preserve well. Among these are bok choy, lettuce, mushrooms... pretty much anything green that you'd eat raw in a salad. The bad news is that you should eat them within about four days of purchase. The good news is that if you shop on Monday, you can eat them right away and they'll be gone by Friday, and you can use the weekend for your dried, frozen, and canned stuff.

8. When you find a great deal on something fresh that preserves well, buy it and immediately start to freezing, drying, or canning. These stocks of food will see you through even leaner times.

And now... time for basic construction techniques with Lord Neuf.

It is important for people to realize how to do basic repairs to their home and furnishings. These things cover lose floor boards, hanging something on drywall with no stud, minor electrical and plumbing problems and holes in walls.

Here's the list of hardware that people should just have.

1 16 oz, Hammer with a curved nail puller.
1 set of 6" slip Joint Pliers.
1 #2 Phillips Head Screwdriver.

THAT'S IT

everything else is a specialized tool or is not commonly used.

My tool collection is a bit bigger than that. But you can do everything from fixing a deck board to changing a broken electrical socket to hooking up a toilet.

Granted you'll need 1 or 2 more specialized tool for an electrical socket and a few parts for the toilet job, but I'll explain those things when needed.

So... anyone want any help fixing stuff in their house?

I really wish I had a British accent...

Random question, but what does Welsh sound like?

And now... something from the fail blog in regards to the welsh language.

How do you pronounce words without vowels? I've never understood that! I always wanted to learn Polish until I read some and was like,"Wait...what?"

@Divash: I would suggest a doctor's office. My mother works in a small clinic and the receptionists have little to no physical contact with the patients. You talk to them of course, but usually the "sliding glass window of importance" separates you at all times. biggrin

Did world hunger end without anyone telling me?
Is that article a joke?