What spices should you buy out on your own?

Today we look at what spices you should have in order to do some of your best cooking. But not just that, how to get them cheap and easy and how to find a great place to store them. If you happen to be making the dough to buy a preloaded spice rack, good for you! You won't need this tip blog. First, let's get a place to keep your spices if you don't have cupboard space to allocate for them. Take a look at my spice rack.

I found this shelved gem at a thrift store. You're going to find that I suggest thrift stores for an awful lot of things in my blog articles. That's because you can get decent things for personal use dirt cheap. And let's face it, when it comes to getting started on your own, dirt cheap is essential. Heck, my first night table for by my bed was a empty beer keg I found by the side of the road. I made do with what I found and a bit of creativity. As for the cost of my shelves here, less than 5 bucks. Someone had already spray painted it and put the wall hangers on the back. Wall hangers are pretty cheap though and you can get them at any department store or hardware store.

If you don't see cool little shelves like these, look for other kinds. Even a well spaced shadow box can make a nice decorative place to keep your spices. If you can't find anything you may have to check department stores for small wall racks but you will pay a bit more for them.

With that in mind, you won't want to spend a ton of money on your actual spices. That's why I suggest checking your local "dollar" stores. You can get all the flavor for a fraction of the price. And pretty much every flavor you could want. Even sugar is way cheaper and you can likely get black pepper and salt as well.

What spices should you get?

Well, for some of  your sweeter creations you should have cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. Recipes will call for them in several combinations.

You should look for combo spices like "italian and cajun seasoning". You should also get some Lowry's season salt or all purpose seasoning of some kind.  Flavor seasonings like lemon pepper, barbecue, and teriyaki are nice too. Just watch how you mix them for your salt content.

Basil is a wonderful seasoning that can put a little more green flavor in all sorts of dishes. It's good to have extra of it along with Oregano, Thyme, Bay Leaf, Sage, and Parsley.

Oriental 5 spice, Cumin, Turmeric, Paprika, Curry, Allspice, Chives, Chili Powder, Alum, Coriander, Cloves and Marjoram are all good additions. Powdered Mustard is good too.

Liquid seasonings would include soy sauce, vanilla, almond, and even peppermint extract.

But of course, two of the most important spices you can use are simply salt and pepper. But why limit yourself? You would be amazed at how wonderfully you can flavor the cheapest of dishes. Even Ramen noodles! Mac and Cheese!

Start looking up recipes for what you love to eat on the internet and youtube. There is an endless library of information at your fingertips now. But if you can't do that, go to a discount book store and grab a cookbook.

Why do all this when there are so many pre packaged meals you can make. Simply put, it's cheaper in the long run and healthier too. But we'll dig into more of that in future write ups. For now, make your list of spices and head out the door. Experiment with flavor! You'll be glad you did.

You're finally free!

Image: Huffington Post

You finally have a place of your own and you couldn't feel more free. You're rules are your own. Your time is your own. You couldn't be happier. Congratulations!

But now taking care of yourself is also your own and not everything comes with an instruction manual. Most people have to learn all the cool cute tips by trial and error but from here we're going to take some of the trial out and the sting of the mistakes as well.  No matter what you learned at home there will always be that one more thing that makes you want to call Dad for advice.

That is what this blog is for. As the entries stack up I will be tackling cool and easy tips for all sorts of life's little curve balls. These will include but not be limited to:

Food: Yeah food! You know you need to eat but you live on a budget and need a few tips for cool and easy eats. I will post family recipes and tricks that help you become your personal house chef.

Bills: What are these things that keep coming in the mail demanding your hard earned money? I'll be touching on budget tips and the pitfalls to avoid in getting yourself set up for your financial future. They won't be fortune 500s but you'll have an easier time.

Cleaning: Housework sucks and some cleanup jobs defy reality. I'm going to post how to clean up some of the toughest messes with the least elbow grease and frustration.

Parenting: Yep, even parenting. I realize some of you are getting an early start in parenting. I'll touch on tips for babies and early life that will have you sleeping easier and baby too.

Legal issues: I'll be researching handling issues with the law to keep you ready for the possibilities. Even speeding tickets.

Self Defense: You wouldn't believe how many ways you have to or may have to defend yourself in the world. This will be coming from 19 years of law enforcement and security experience.

Hit me up:  Yes, hit me up in comments for what you want tips on. I'll use my research skills from years of professional evidence work and internet know how to get you direct answers.

My next entry will be how to build your first spice rack collection to get starting on awesome cooking. A request from one of my awesome daughters. Thoughts? Hit me up!