Ramen Noodles

                                   

When we talk about having to cut back on our spending, a good starting point is to look at our major expenses and see where we can trim some fat, so to speak.

For many people, the major areas of expense are the mortgage, our cars and the cost of groceries. While it may be possible to renegotiate a mortgage in an effort to lower your payments, that is a time consuming effort that you may not be able to accomplish if you develop some credit issues as a result of declining income. Car payments are almost never renegotiated, although you may be able to find a different lender who can offer a lower rate, but your savings may not be especially significant.

One of the easiest ways to quickly reduce some of your expenses, and is something that you have direct and immediate control over, is your food and grocery expenses. A quick and easy way to enjoy some immediate savings is to cut your meat portion size by 25%. You still feel satisfied after a meal and you see some immediate savings too. Another way to lower your food costs is to buy less expensive food than you normally might. In this regard, there isn't a much cheaper food than Ramen noodles or  an equivalent brand.

The genesis of the Japanese Ra-Men noodle is the Chinese Lo-Mein noodle. Ramen noodles originally found their popularity in Sapporo, Japan and spread out from there. Ramen noodles, as we know them, were invented by Taiwanese-Japanese inventor Momofuku Ando. The noodles have become so popular worldwide that there is a Ramen noodle museum located in Osaka, Japan. Ramen noodles were introduced to the American market in 1970 by Nissin Foods.

While Ramen noodles are pretty tasty, there is one potential health issue with them, which is that they contain MSG (Momosodium Glutamate). This chemical has been linked to damage of the pituitary gland. So, if this is an issue for you, just discard the little flavor packet you get with your noodles and add your own ingerdients to the plain noodles.

Ramen noodles ARE cheap. In bulk, you can buy them for around 20 cents a pack in most places. A single pack makes a typical serving and two packs makes a meal, so, you can feed an adult a meal of Ramen noodles for around 40 cents plus the cost of heating the water.

                       

You can enjoy Ramen noodles as is or add various ingredients to the base dish. For some extra protein you can scramble a couple of eggs and dump them into the pot just after you turn off the boiling noodles. If you are a scratch cook you can take some milk and some cheddar cheese, mix a sauce, and pour it over the plain Ramen noodles for a hearty mac and cheese. The possibilites are endless with this versatile noodle. Following is a link to Ramen noodle recipes, enjoy:

 http://www.ramenlicious.com/