So how come there hasn't been any HOMESKILLET posts lately?

"Yeah man. You just restarted this thing. You said you were going to post new stuff like all the time. It's been a while. One lousy piece about you eating tacos and donuts on south 6th avenue and now....nothing? What gives? Like did you kill The Homeskillet before it even had a chance to live? C'mon Metal Mark...I thought you were better than that."

Well, yes, I am, and The Homeskillet is still set to be one of the best food / eating / metal blogs out there, it's just that I unfortunately had a bit of a set back.

Let's see....how should I phrase this? I know, with a simple visual explaining everything:

Yup. Just the other day as I was composing an email, the old rig went ker-plunk and now I wait as a new one arrives.

It was my Dad's laptop, the one that I brought home after he passed. I sort of had this romantic notion of writing and doing massive creative stuff on his laptop but, truth is, that thing was pretty old and when Windows decided to eat itself, it was sort of like him saying, "I appreciate the gesture and offer kid but....you need a new laptop to do The Homeskillet on."

There are tons of photos and outlines on the old one so when the new computer arrives I'm gonna dump the old hard drive onto the new one and start all over.

Trust me here kids: The Tucson Homeskillet has a long way to go and a lot of fun stuff is in the works. Just be patient and there will be TONS of food and Metal coming you way.

In the meantime, let ol' Napalm Death here explain how the old laptop is right now:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBIBJTUDc4Y

Cheers!

- Metal Mark

A Headbangers Day Out: Metal Mark explores South 6th Avenue!

“What’s the big deal,” you might ask. “Lots of people go to south 6th avenue all the time. So what if you did? Big whoop. This article is lame. The stupid Homeskillet should have stayed dead. Nice work Metal Mark!”

Okay, the big deal for me travelling out for a day to explore the eateries and fooderies of south 6th avenue is thus: I honestly don’t get out much. For realizes. If I’m not on some assignment or am meeting someone or have to get my leg amputated at a specific location that is out of my, say, 2 or 3 mile comfort zone, you can usually find me somewhere midtown Tucson hiding at home or in a neighborhood bar. That’s it. My day job is within a 15 minute walking distance from home, my wife’s job is the same, our friend’s bar is up the street; there are good burgers and tacos within spitting distance and downtown Tucson just bores and annoys me.  So why leave?

Well, after much razzing from friends and coworkers asking me if I had been to this taqueria on 6th or have you been to this place on 6th or did you get a cake at so and so on 6th or can you drive my grandpa to this brothel on 6th because it’s his birthday and Shelly (the one with the red hair and gout) only works Thursday afternoons so can you do me a solid?, I just decided to hop into our trusty hooptie one day in search of the perfect taco and see what all the fuss was all about. On south 6th avenue. But it’s so far away!
Alright fine….I’ll do it.

Okay, first order on hand was to get things in order. I mapped out my route that would thrust me into the depths of Mexican food heaven, according to various pals and reviews on Yelp and Urbanspoon, then made sure I had enough cash, picked out which pair of black hightop Vans I would wear (I chose the slightly older ones with scuff marks from a recent DRI show at The Rock because I knew I was going into some possible questionable territory or at least an area that I assumed was “Tucson casual”) and got in the car.

My first stop was a well-received food truck called Taco Fish (corner of Grant and 6th on a dirt lot across the street from some used tool depot) mainly because I really hated the name so much. I mean….Taco Fish? Maybe I’ll start my own roach coach and call it Burger Beef or Pizza Cheese or something dumb like that. But relying on the raves from random Yelpers I just had to find out for myself what all the talk was about. So I did what I always do to a new place: I ordered the signature dish.

A beautiful day for some deep fried fish tacos!

“Two tacos de pescado please!” Um, that would be the fish tacos if you don’t speak en espanol. Not long after my order did I receive a heavy cardboard bowl crammed with two fish tacos piled high with slaw. I added some heat from the salsa bar in the center of the cafeteria area and dug in.

So cheap. So good...

Oh. Oh yeah. I see what you guys on food review sites are talking about. The fish, pacific cod, was deep fried to absolute perfection, breaded and seasoned simply and fantastically with a bright vinegar slaw that brought it all together. It was right then and there that I felt bad for hating on the food cart’s name so much and decided that I would be a forever devotee to all things Taco Fish.

I could have eaten like 12 of these things...

The tacos were so good I really wanted to eat the second one, but knowing I still had a full day of sampling south 6th avenue food ahead of me and the fact that sharing means caring, I wrapped the other one up and delivered it to my wife She-Ra up at Old Chicago on Campbell Ave. She was busy and would have to eat it later, which made me feel bad because something this fresh and divinely fried should be eaten immediately. So I scampered off, back onto 6th avenue, driving toward my next destination.

(An hour later I would get a text that read “OMG. Even after an hour this taco is the shit!” There just might be a little magic in that old fish taco after all…)

A few miles down the 6th avenue stretch, I finally came to Taqueria Pico de Gallo (2618 South 6th Ave) and was very excited to sample their goods. Now this place has been embedded in me that the food here is amazing. Over and over folks have convinced me that the tacos at Pico de Gallo were some of the best in Tucson, if not Arizona. Reliable sources mind you, not just some Johnny come dorkly who thinks Hot Pockets are “kind of like tacos….if you think about it”, but those who know food and know how to eat it. So I went in, ordered three tacos (pork, chicken and beef) and waited patiently yet with a flutter of giddy anticipation.

Okay. Looks promising...

First off, Pico de Gallo is a fairly unassuming place. The exterior basically matches the interior: no non-sense, down home, utilitarian yet kind of funky. What was immediately arresting upon entering was the comeliness of the girl behind the counter who took my order. It seemed that the low tech atmosphere of the place did no service to the product which has to be quite fiscally abundant in order to attract someone that was, well, that attractive. I’ve only seen girls that structurally “hot” in busy corporate sports bars or  cafes next to a Latina modelling agency. I felt like an old perv at times when I caught a glimpse of her, so I tried to divert my attention by looking around or pretending to check my phone.

The tacos finally arrived, I grabbed a table and went for it. The first bite of the chicken taco wasn’t….bad, but it wasn’t great. So I bit into the beef taco. Okay. Nothing to write my mom about using a quill and parchment paper to be sent by carrier bird, but okay. Then the pork. Kind of the same. Each had a distinct flavor, of course, seeing as they are all different proteins, but there wasn’t a real sock to the jaw and tongue pizazz that I was sort of expecting. They tasted like tacos. Just tacos. The salsa was decent pico de gallo and the tortillas were nice, but that was really about it.

Should've had those 12 fish tacos instead...

Was I full of preamble hype about the food at Pico de Gallo, enough for me to make assumptions that, no matter what, the tacos here are mind blowing and will encourage me to get on a bended knee, propose to the (much too young for me) pretty girl on the other side of the counter and risk getting murdered by She-Ra because the flavor is just that fantastic? Maybe. But I also think that some kids out there like their tacos like this: good and safe. Perhaps I came on an off day, one where the chef was like “You know what I hate doing? Making tacos. So instead of pouring my heart into the construction of the perfect taco, I’m serving up straight bullshit today.”

And the bullshit was pretty good. It just wasn’t great. Sorry Pico de Gallo, especially you la chica picante counter mujer. If you’re reading this, don’t tell my wife.

Now, if any of you know me, you might know that I have a serious love for Food City. For those that don’t know, Food City is an Arizona chain of supermarkets with the Latino community as their focus, with great deals, awesome produce and specialty products you probably will not find at major corporate markets. Like Fud. Do you know what Fud is? It’s a brand of cotija cheese. Wait, do you know what cotija cheese is? Than why are you reading this silly blog? Go to Food City, get some Fud and sprinkle that stuff all over your tacos and enchiladas. Trust me here. The Homeskillet will still be here when you’re done.

Home...

Thing is, Food City sells their own brand of tortillas, ones that I have been eating regularly since moving to Tucson ten years ago from California, and there is only one place where they make it. Can you guess where it is? Don’t you love reading dumb blogs that ask even dumber questions? Like I’m here writing this, asking the question and then waiting to get your answer as if the internet and my laptop have some kind of time portal connection and I hear you answer “Huh?” like that book Harry Potter wrote in to talk to Tom Riddle. Wait, where is this going? Ah yes.

That’s right; it’s the big Food City on South 6th Avenue (2950 S. 6th Avenue)! For me, coming to the main store in Tucson was like visiting the holy temple of hot peppers and deep fried pork skin, aka chicharrones. It was like I was home. A big home blasting Tejano music where sketchy banditos were buying cheap cases of Tecate, unattended children ran rampant eating bags of gummy chili sprinkled candy and this old bent woman was singing some Spanish song loudly to a woman who was bagging up bunches of cilantro. You don’t get action like this at Safeway or Albertsons. To me, Food City is like a Piggly Wiggly gone mad on tequila, who knocked up your sister then decided to serve up reasonable products at a reasonable rate while jamming to Los Tigres del Norte.

Excuse me....are you hiring?

There’s nothing big to report here. I just like Food City and watching the tortillas being made right before me just got me to thinking: I will be eating you soon my flat round little buddies. Oh yes. Soon. Maybe I’ll just climb over the wall here, grab a few then… Oh hello mister security guard. Me? Nope. Just taking some pictures of the tortillas. And then moving along…

Marinated pollo el Food City? Si por favor!

Here’s the thing. I have a bunch of Latino pals and those that know and appreciate my affection for Food City hipped me to an even greater mecca on south 6th: El Super.

“You’ve never been to El Super?”, my buddy asked, sounding confused. “Dude, if you like Food City so much, you need to make a pilgrimage to El Super homes. It’s like a ghetto AJ’s (a very upscale expensive supermarket with sushi chefs and sommeliers running around in ambient light) but instead of a fancy wine list you can get like bags of pigs feet for a dollar.”

Why did I not know about this place?

A ghetto AJ’s? Pigs feet for a dollar? Sir….you had me at El.

And he wasn’t kidding! El Super (3372 S, 6th Ave) is indeed a bustling haven for Mexican food, products, produce and people. Literally, I was the only Caucasian there and that alone made me feel at ease knowing I was in for an authentic treat. The meat and fish counter were sprawling and glistening, hot pork rinds simmered under ancient heat lamps, rows and rows of pickled and bottled who knows what the heck that is and a produce section that rivals any Food City I’ve ever been to. Sorry Food City, I still love you and all but…El Super has a cheese lady doling out free samples of queso so, please don’t take it too personal.

Come to papi...

El Super actually reminded me of a Latino version of HEB (www.heb.com), this incredible supermarket in Texas that I dream about when I am away from, which is quite often sadly enough. HEB has food demos going at all hours, have their own sushi counter (but not as stuck up as whack ass AJ’s) and just plumes with a certain life that can only come from a store so packed with endless possibilities one wonders if the dream ever come to an end. I certainly hope not. El Super is just that kind of radness which is why I felt so welcome there.

Landscape of tomatillos...

When were these baked? Last week? I'll take the lot...

So I left, exhilarated, enlightened, alive yet still a bit grumbly in the tumbly which brings me to my final stop on my day exploring south 6th Avenue.

 I’ll let you in on a little secret of mine. Alright, it’s not really a secret, it’s more of a preference. Even with all of my food obsession; cooking it, eating it and writing about it, I really don’t have much of a sweet tooth. Honestly, I never really did. When I was a kid and all of my friends were spending allowance money on Now and Laters, Whatchamacallits and Ding Dongs, I was spending my hard earned kid cash at the local deli, sucking down pastrami sandwiches and canoodling with dill pickles the size of my face.

Sweets just aren’t my bag so when Le Cave’s Bakery (1219 South 6th Ave) was recommended to me I was hesitant. Le Cave’s has a serious following and a big history, first opening up in 1935, so I decided to give my nearly nonexistent sweet tooth a workout and see what all the hype was about.
When I first walked in I was struck with a feeling of antiquity. The space is sparse; just a counter with donuts and baked goods behind glass and an area in the back to create such items. Yet it had the look and feel, and smell, of a bakery that has seen its fair share of varied customers throughout the years and an aura of something you’d notice in a 1950’s postcard advertising the place with the note “You don’t need a lot of ‘dough’ to eat at La Cave’s” scrawled on the front.

Bakery? Psssh! Metal Mark is a deli man I tell you...

It was empty except for me and the girl behind the counter. Knowing this place has been around for almost a century, I had to ask if it even gets busy here.

“Oh yeah,” assured the girl. “If you get here at 6am, when we open, there is always a line. Some people wait an hour to get a donut.”

With that said, I asked what I should get, seeing as it was my first time there. She didn’t hesitate to recommend the glazed donuts.

“Just came out of the oven,” the girl added. She then went back to a sheet rack where dozens of the fluffy little guys sat waiting to be eaten, grabbed one and handed it over. “First one is always free,” she said. “This one’s on the house.”

Let me tell you. After that one bite I knew right then and there why there are people lining up around the block to get one of these. It was the best donut I have had in a very long time, if ever. Melted right on the tongue as the sticky glaze stuck to my lips while the light and airy goodness just permeated all of my senses. Unbelievably  tasty and instantly addicting.

Um. Nevermind. I just wept a little when I ate this.

“Guess what,” she asked. “Our donuts are one hundred percent vegan. Always have been. Isn’t that crazy?”

Apparently it’s true. She ran me down the baking process without giving away any big secrets. Le Cave’s have been using vegetable shortening and baking egg free since the 30’s. This place has been hip before the hipsters were hip and going vegan and gluten free because apparently if you have an ironic beard and tattoos on your neck and drink PBR from a mason jar, suddenly you have celiac disease. Whatever. She sold me on the donut so I purchased a bunch of fruity filled empanadas they had on display which were equally as tempting and delicious so now I guess I have a sweet tooth of sorts. Thanks Le Cave’s. It’s not like I’m pudgy enough, now thanks to you I’ll be spending money on gas, standing in line at 6am like a chump, eating donuts like a stoned beat cop and hating you for it but not really because I love you and see you tomorrow.

Is this all you got? Crap. Alright. Give 'em to me...

After a long day on south 6th avenue, I went home, plopped down on the couch, full and filled with gladness. It was nice to get out of my comfort zone and I was really pleased that I had a day filled with tacos, donuts, crazy supermarkets and even crazier people, ones that I normally don’t see on a regular basis. I mean, there are plenty of nutjobs and taco joints here in midtown, the south side though takes it to a new level. But in a good way.

That said I emailed my El Super pal about my adventures on south 6th only for him to respond back: “South 6th? Naw man, you need to drive around South 4th! Now that’s where the good stuff is…”

Are you kidding me? I just got back into my comfort zone.

Okay. Let’s go…

Metal Song inspiration:
Fu Manchu “King of the Road”
(Not super Metal but….you get the idea)

Listen to it here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Zko7pBeHkk

The (Tucson) Homeskillet is back!

Hoo doggies!

All I have to tell you kids is that it has been a rough couple of years for me. Since leaving the life of a chef, my day job consists of working in my local public library. Yeah, you'd think I would have PLENTY of time to eat and write about what I just ate. Uh, no. It's a far busier enterprise than I had anticipated and my last few posts were literally me eating junk food after too many cocktails.

Lame.

Then in 2014, my wife and I shared a most disastrous year. In early spring my step dad, my dad's husband, died from complications from Alzheimers. Then a few weeks later, my dad died from complications of a broken heart. A month later, my wife's grandmother died. Right around that time, our dog, Deacon, a Siberian husky, suffered a stroke and was living with cancer so we had to put him down. Then after that, we found our cat had been ravaged by coyotes finding only a leg and head in our back forty. So...whew! Not a good time to say the least. It was rough, but when 2015 rolled around, we knew we had to get back to work and get back to being awesome.

Which is why I am "reforging the sword" so to speak with re-launching The Homeskillet as a site that will entertain, enlighten, educate and most importantly make you hungry for more.

My goal is to focus on local (Tucson) eateries and food related businesses with a voracious yet lighthearted approach seeing as eating is fun and shouldn't be taken all that serious. I mean, I'm serious about food it's just that...well...you'll see. Plus I'm extremely adventurous and not afraid to try anything. It must be the lifelong Metalhead in me.

Speaking of which, I plan on melding my stories with whatever metal song I am listening to at that moment or ones that inspired my visit or recipe. What more could you ask for? Food and Metal! Two great tastes that go (hopefully) great together.

And, of course, I plan on travelling and eating and writing my way through my stomach sojourn. Tucson is where I call home I live but the world is where I live. But I love the food in Tucson! Beyond Sonoran hot dogs, this place is a fooder feast for the senses...and it's only getting bigger and better. Hopefully with sites like The Homeskillet, we can get the word out that the Old Pueblo is a serious threat to the  culinary world.

But not too serious. I mean... You know.

Okay. You ready?

Let's do this....

- Metal Mark

I ate one of those infernal Doritos Locos Taco...only because the commercials for them are annoying and also I had been drinking.

A "healthy" meal takes a nap, in its stead, we created Turkey Death Burgers!

The last few months have been difficult for us. Oh, it's not as if we hate our jobs, are experiencing marital qualms or even broke a shoelace lately. No, it's nothing that dire. It's just that, well....gosh...I hate to say it, but; we've been getting 'healthy' these last few months.

Oh yes. The horror. The sheer and unadulterated terror of essential sobriety, planned meals, joining gyms, making these things called "fruit smoothies" and growing our own veggies and herbs. I mean, I'm sweating just thinking about it all. For real, I wake up before the alarm goes off, feeling so dreadfully 'chipper', go to work feeling 'refreshed' and enjoy my day without bloaty beer farts and that tingly sensation of late night super burritos from the local drive-thru mistake hut grumbling in your stomach like belligerent puke mice. The mere audacity of getting older and trying to stay regular while keeping the heart palpitations to a minimum is a daily torture. Trust me here.

Although, honestly, it's actually not that bad.

But, you get my drift, right? Switching from "Let's eat whatever and whenever we want" is a shock to the flabby system. It's alright though. This is 2012. It's easy (well, easier) to find healthy and organic options to keep on truckin' into a long and happy life.

Here's the thing: New habits can die a sickening and retched disease. Once in a while, even a month or two down the road paved with flaxseeds and acai berries, you come across a diversion that sets your brain skidding into the grease trap median and sends you careering into a wreck of fried gooey bits and Twinkies topped with bacon. It happens. It's gonna happen and it will always happen. Just acknowledge this fact, you of the Insanity Workout cloth and brethren of colon cleansing diets, and when you wake up the next day all you have to do is look in the mirror, weep, brush your teeth with shame-away paste and go back to being the good little sprout soldier that you know and love.

For us, we were watching a marathon of "RuPaul's Drag U", drinking vodka cocktails and enjoying a hot and sticky night here in Tucson. We had lean ground turkey waiting and seasoned, which was going to be the centerpiece for our slimmed down version of Dan Dan Noodles, including cucumbers, organic rice noodles, spices, scallions, all that good stuff. I'd say we hit the "Fxxk this Dan Dan Noodles s--t, we're making burgers!" about 9pm.

Luckily for us we keep a stocked fridge, freezer and pantry. It's what you do when you like to cook and are all into this "Healthy Planned Meals" guide to interrupt your usual mad scientist kitchen creations that happen in a spur of inspiration. Here though, we balled the turkey meat into four flat patties, set them aside and got the grill pan hot. We cooked off about 5 to 6 pieces of thick cut bacon. Then, in the grease, we caramelized about half a red onion, using Kosher salt and sugar. Then the tater tots (that's right bitches!) went in for about fifteen minutes. I mean, hey, if you're going to go, go big.

After all was said and done, toppings laid out and chopped, our kitchen a mess of ingredients and condiments, the tots and burgs were done and now I am here to share with you the exploits of a "was planned out as a healthy meal" Friday night turning into a dripping excursion into booze and drag queen infused indulgence.

Here's the outcome:

She-Ra's Burger

 Two turkey patties (about 1/4 pound each), two pieces of bacon, pickled jalapenos, caramelized onions, Romaine lettuce, Swiss cheese and tangy BBQ sauce.

Metal Mark's Burger

  Two 1/4 pound turkey patties, three slices of bacon, half sour pickles, Roma tomatoes, caramelized onions, shredded cheddar cheese, spicy mayo and an over easy egg

All I have to say dear readers is that the next day shame (i.e. right about now) was soooooo worth it.  It's nice to stay fit, eat right and all that nonsense but, now and then, you have to let the evil demon monkeys of indulgence out occasionally in order to make the healthy stuff go down a little easier. Not that all of it's bad, oh no, most of it is quite tasty it's just that...well...it just can't compete with a last minute decision to be naughty once again, especially when cocktails and televised drag is in order. Now it's back to doing good with the dark promise of being bad awaiting down that savory and oh so necessary tunnel of uber squish grub and creffins. 

And remember, if you can't love yourself, how in the hell are you gonna love any one else?

Can I get an Amen!?

Enjoy. And don't fxxk it up...

My reaction to eating the god forsaken Filet o' Fish sandwich

(Huh...something went wrong when I posted this pic in the blog. It's supposed to say...I haven't eaten a Filet o' Fish sandwich since I...)

 

You can't get soft in these hard times.

The day before the super bowl this year I got a phone call while I was doing my taxes online. On the other end was the co-owner and manager of the bar and restaurant where I was hired as kitchen manager. Without warning, just out of the blue, she said that my services were no longer needed and thank you very much. That was almost three months ago and only recently did I land a job with the public library here in Tucson. In all honesty, getting canned from that poop farm was a blessing in disguise. Although being unemployed is pretty rough, in the long run I came out a better person for it.

How did my tenure as a jobless slob help me you might ask? Well, it taught me a lot of things; mainly humility, but beyond that I was quickly introduced to having to be extra thrifty about our food shopping. Not that we shouldn't be on a day to day basis due to our current economic vexations but I was introduced to some simple cut backs and tricks to make that dollar stretch just a wee bit more. Or even further. You'll see.

Okay, first thing we did was become almost extreme couponers. I mean, I have never if rarely used coupons but thanks to reality based TV (that doesn't involve anyone with the last name Kardashian) light was shed that literally free money is out there. For us, a local supermarket, Albertsons, always has like some kind of game thing going on and this time around they're doing a Monopoly themed one. Best part is, each piece has a coupon in it. Well, most of them do. Luckily for us, She-Ra is a very popular bartender with a lot of loyal customers and when they found out she was collecting Monopoly game pieces, people would just give her theirs and before long we were inundated with in store coupons.

This combined with raiding the Sunday paper, clipping stuff from mailings and even trolling the internet for deals, we got a $100+ shopping trip down to about $40. You have to get over the fact that clipping coupons makes you feel like a mid-west housewife, but, c'mon! We got a month's supply of, well...supplies for almost free. Sure it's kind of embarrassing to hand over a wad of coupons over to the cashier making the folks behind you wait a bit longer but, fxxk it. With the money you saved you can fill up the car with gas because there will NEVER be a coupon for that stuff. Or is there? Let me know if you have a hook up.

Another thing we do is comparative shop. We know the deli at once place has a better product at a better price and another has a better bakery for a decent deal, etc etc. Recently our local Food City was selling chicken breasts for .88 a pound. Mind you it was skin on and bone in but if you have any type of knife skills you can fillet that stuff and have a perfect chicken breast. See, the boneless skinless chicken breasts that cost $5 a pound is jacked up because someone making $30 an hour to de-skin and de-bone the stuff did the work for you. There are even YouTube videos on how to fillet chicken and all other types of meat. No really, go check it out. Sure you gotta have a stomach for that kind of work (luckily for me my five years as a chef really paid off) but now we have our freezer stuffed with chicken. We eat a lot of chicken. Apparently. Maybe I should also learn to butcher my own steaks. But...we'd need a bigger house for that one.

On a tip from a good friend, we discovered a store that sells perfectly good, normal store brand products for a fraction of what you would normally pay. Now, we've driven past this place a lot only to stick our noses up and go “Aw hell no.” Because who would buy food at a .99 Cent store? I mean, could you imagine the back alley garbage food that must be infesting those shelves? Forget it. No way.

But our friend, a medical doctor, shops there all the time. So, taking her advice we checked it out one day doing errands.

We were stunned. Yeah, there's a lot of creffy looking folks mingling around and, yeah, it is a .99 cent store so there is a bunch of cheap birthday decorations and cleaning products that just read 'Sanitary' but the food area was pretty decent.

At first we were just window shopping. Then we picked up one item. Then another. Then another. Then I had to retrieve a hand basket. Pretty soon the thing was full and before we knew it, we had become fans of the .99 Cent food store. Why? Because this haul right here cost us just $12.

For real.

As cooks and fooders, we go to a lot of diverse grocery stores. So, with this experience and knowledge, we knew that the same canned good they sell at Sprouts or Whole Foods for $6 goes for .99 cents at this place. Just like the boneless/skinless chicken that costs more than skin on and bone in, you are literally paying for ambiance. We have a really upscale market here in Tucson called AJ's and it has mood lighting, a sommelier, decorated chef's and all that stuff, but they also carry the exact same products the .99 Cent store has. You are not getting a better item just because the clientele stink of money and the vegetables have their own personal mister, you are being fleeced because they can. So, on this note, I would check out your local .99 Cent food store and stock up. Just beware of a brand of spicy chips called Takis. I'm pretty sure there is bovine hormones injected into them. Either that or my Spanish needs some dusting.

Lastly, as big time water drinkers, buying water almost every other day was starting to get pricy. Not tom mention we were getting pretty tired of throwing away large plastic containers on a regular basis seeing as there is no recycle bin nearby and hauling those things around in the car was starting to get silly.

What we finally did, but was putting it off for some bizarre reason, was purchasing refillable water containers. Now, a lot of people think you can just refill store bought water bottles, you know like in the gallon or three gallon jugs. This is something that you can do once maybe twice, after a while the plastic fibers on the inside begin to break down and before long you are ingesting synthetic grit that affect your stomach lining and make you ill.

Being the super cheapskates that we are, the idea of paying $10 to $20 for empty plastic containers seemed silly. But when we figured out that we would save over $300 annually just by using the water filling stations that are in front of most markets, we bought them and couldn't be happier that we did.

Here's the thing: Those water fill stations in front of supermarkets have to be authenticated clean water or otherwise you might as well fill up your containers from the hose. Tucson, much like my last home of San Francisco, is a bit hippie and really adamant about being “green”. In fact, I'm pretty sure Tucson just usurped San Francisco in green technology. Go look it up. No really, there are a lot of crunchy people in this weird desert town.

The one near us, which is an old school windmill looking thing, is certified clean filtered water and even has the process on the side to prove itself. And you know what...the water is pretty darn good. Thing is, we go through so much water that we are literally there almost everyday. We should have bought bigger containers. Darn it.

Oh, and I know I'm quoting a blog from the past, but to save cash and room in your fridge, something that we always do is plan our meals for the week. Like one head of romaine lettuce could be a salad one day and a Caesar wrap another. That meatloaf you made last night could be sandwiches for lunch another. Stuff like that. It's really fun and quite challenging to make the most out of your money but it is possible. You just have to be a little open and imaginative about it and you should start to see results almost immediately. We have. Enough that I'm considering buying a new pair of socks.

And maybe some underwear. Because, well....damn.

Have fun!