prog | (no subject)

Any of my fellow Somervudlians use Comcast for broadband? D'ya like it? Do you know what TCP ports they block?

They've got a $20/month special going on now for new subscribers. Of course that's only good for six months, and they do a good job of not noting on their website what it reverts to after that. Still quite tempting, since I just learned that downgrading my RCN will still cost me $60/month for broadband alone. It's better than the $90 I pay now, but...

Ordered a copy of Alton Brown's classic I'm Just Here for the Food yesterday. When I scratched out a budget a couple of days ago, I concluded that food was the slippiest variable, and the one I can carve the most out of. Currently I spend -- ulp -- probably around $600 a month on everything I eat and drink, because I buy no groceries and do no cooking. (Sometimes I brew my own coffee, or shamefully browse the "a la carte" thing of colorless microwavable nuggetoids at Shaw's with the other pathetic bachelors, but that's it.)

So, yes, I'm gonna turn this around. I think $400 is a good target number to shoot for, and conversations I've had in the last couple of days suggest that I can make it a lot lower than that if I start getting good.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

my suggestion is to invest in some semi-disposable plastic containers, and then to do some cooking in quantity, once you figure out what you like to cook (and feel like eating afterward). And then you can freeze up some meals,a nd microwave them as needed.

Rice based things work pretty well, are cheap, and can generally be flavored a lot so they are just fine after being frozen and nuked. I used to eat a lot of rice and beans (curry style).

Ramen type noodles are a lot more fun if you can dress them up with some additions (like frozen peas or pea pods, and some fresh tofu, etc). If you like soup, there is a brand of nearly instant asian noodle soups (that I can't remember now).. they are like $1 per serving, and they are actually quite good and far better than raman or cup-o-noodles.

I also used to eat a lot of pasta, which is easy to prepare (10-15 minutes, mostly just boiling water), and you can buy some very good saucces for $4 which will give you 2-3 meals at least.

even if you just stick to "gourmet" frozen food that you can microwave, it will likely be lots cheaper than eating out. Coffee also runs into a large expense.....

there is also not a lot of shame in using plastic and paper plates, if you find the cleaning up after meals to be burdensome. But there is some cost...

typo city.

Here are some favorites:

http://www.annies.com/ -- best boxed mac & cheese ever
http://www.worldfood.com/indian/pataks.asp -- Patak's Indian food

(no subject)

sounds like college days!

Re: sounds like college days!