Feel Better:Complain About Anything, page-87078

Hi @Margaret63 and @LadyPenny (if you still read me) @picastoc @Joannie @Parsifal (if you are still around)
and any cooks, male or female - I believe @cara is a good cook @mogga and @noddan also: - and Mr @NoBoDe, the master scrooge when it comes to food (he doesn't eat much, that's his secret) @big e, @thenetwork ?? - sorry if I have overlooked a budding Master of the Kitchen

I am an avid Radio National listener in the mornings only - today there was a lot of talk about the unfortunate people who through no fault of their own, need to use food bank to supplement their family's diet.
It occurred to me that the squillion of cooking shows we have on our TV programs do not really do a good service to anyone much, except as a bit of food porn - why don't they show how to use food well? like our mothers and grandmothers did?

I can live off the contents of my pantry for quite a while, even though I am not a hoarder, do not even consciously go for bargains in the food department, but do have some basic cooking skills. I often spend extravagant amounts of money, when I have guests, but I, myself, can live very frugally - and if it comes to the pinch, can do magic tricks with a bit of flour, water and yeast - some left-over vegetables,
I collect bones and eventually cook them up into a base for juices (probably costly on the electricity side of things)

I wonder if you would care to give everyone a glimpse into your cost-savings when it comes to cooking for yourself or family?
Or should I put this into a general thread?
Bon Appetit
Taurisk