Bulk Herbs & Spices

I was once again reminded today about the key to flavorful cooking on a budget... Bulk Herbs & Spices. I couldn't have had a bigger smile on my face when my dear husband walked in the door from his grocery trip yielding four herb refills for my spice rack.

Normally, I would be filled with a slight sense of dread as I add spice after spice to my weekly grocery list. This is the kind of purchasing that breaks the budget. In the past I was under the (false) impression that it was necessary to purchase herbs and spices in cute little jars for obscene amounts of cashola. It was only recently in my adult life that a good and trustworthy friend clued me in to buying my herbs and spices in bulk.

Knowing that I'm a thrifty woman, she told me that the experience will knock my socks off. She also warned me at how surprised I will be each and every time I come home with the bulk spices to fill up my cute jars paying only pennies for the contents.

Well dog gone it, she was right. It's been over a year now that I've been heeding her advice. Those spices come into my kitchen, I start filling the cute jars, my smile goes ear to ear, and I get so excited that I nearly jump for joy. My husband gets his ear talked off. "Can you believe these prices?" "How is it that I spent that much money on this stuff for so many years?" "How come I never knew about this?"

These two cute little jars prove the point. Marjoram = $0.32. Thyme = $0.76.