0 New status symbol--food

…Have you seen those prices lately? Ten bucks for chicken! Four bucks for milk!

…Eeek, HA truly is living on KD—Kraft Dinner, the writer’s soul food—not just joking about it.

…Writing for the Associated Press, J.M. Hirsch has some hints for staying alive in today’s economy.

…Track your food expenses…Even if you buy skanky old gas station coffee, it’s a buck a day. Bring from home.

…Make a weekly meal plan. Cook ahead on Sunday. HA would do this if she could cook.

…Go to those bakery thrift stores. When you see bread on sale, get two—freeze one. Day Old bread makes great French toast.

…Shop alone. Hirsch says children send the bill into the stratosphere. Kids? How about husbands—HA remembers how some of THOSE rascals like the best cheeses and wines.

…Don’t shop hungry. Twenty-buck difference in the tab—guaranteed.

…Check out those unit prices. Do your dishes really need to have a distinctive smell like lemon when they come out of the dishwasher? Think first.

…Store brands can be good. The best spaghetti sauce ever is a canned Kroger thing for $1.

…Try to shop just once a week.

…Stretch foods with rice, beans and potatoes.

…Wrap leftovers in single portions—perfect for lunch the next day.

…HA thinks $1-$2 a portion.

…Any other tips to share, readers? Somehow our economy got ruined—we are in this together now.