I have shopped at Aldi's since the early '80's and it's been interesting to watch the change in focus of the store.  Back then, the focus was on "stocking up" so there were lots of canned goods but nothing to speak of in the way of perishables.  The only produce were things that stored well such as potatoes or ...

I made a crockpot full of baked beans from scratch last week during the pantry challenge.  They were yummy!  I had never done that before, but I will definitely do it again in the future.  Couldn't have been easier to do, either. 

[quote user="sunshinetreva"]I was at the local Ace Hardware store last night getting the yellow jacket spray.  They had a bunch of canning stuff in their clearance section (though it might not have been marked down and could've been stacked there for convenience).  They also put 2 doorhangers in my bag with coupons.  ...

I spent $51.61 at Kroger.  Bought three pre-sliced pork loins for $1.87 pound.  Made up 9 meal size packages of 4 tenderloins for a cost of $2.25 each.  No bones, so no waste!  They also had Eckrich Franks for $1 a package so I bought 10 of those to put in the freezer and two packages of Eckrich Smoked Sausage for $1.88 ...

I always just thin the tomato paste down with warm water until the sauce reaches the proper consistency.  Then I add a pinch of sugar, a pinch of salt, "Italian Mix" herbs (comes in a spice jar labeled Italian Mix) and fennel seed.  Makes enough for two pizzas, usually.  Using a can of tomato sauce would be great, too.

This sounds delicious.  Thanks so much!

[quote user="Stacycue"]  I make a lot of meatless meals for under $5, like Tortellini soup, ravioli di funghi (portobello stuffed raviolis with mushrooms and garlic in olive oil), zucchini crab cakes with baked beans and corn, baked ziti, linguine with garlic and cheese.  The prices for these recipes vary even for me, but I ...

Somewhat off topic, but I have had allergic asthma for the past 25+ years.  I never had any problems as a kid, only started once I got married.  Recently (last Feb) I eliminated all dairy and avoid most wheat products and my asthma has improved 1000%.  I was on Advair twice a day, plus using the inhaler occassionally, too.  ...

There are several things to consider when answering this question.  In strictly dollars and cents, yes, I think gardening/canning/freezing is worth it, especially after the first few years when you are done accumulating your paraphenalia (jars, canner, etc.).  For example, I can my green beans.  If I purchase my seed, I estimate I ...

I'm in.  I need to use up last year's canned and frozen produce to make room for this year's stuff.  I also need to get the freezer emptied out and ready for a beef that is scheduled to be butchered in a couple of months.  Today's meals were all out of the freezer and pantry.