Economy and recession aside, we are always looking for ways to do more with less. Frugality often produces some of the best meals; when you limit yourself with constraints of budget or time you often find new creativity. See our post on la cucina povera for more of our philosophy here.

Having said that, yes, many of you were more budget-conscious this year than ever before, and this was reflected in our content. We collected some of our favorite tips, recipes, and discussions on frugality and budget in the kitchen. Have another? Tell us, and we'll add it to this list in 2009.

The posts referenced in the photos above are marked in bold below.

Budget Shopping

• Cook's Resource: Simply in Season Produce Guide

• Cooking from the 99-Cent Store: Eric Ripert Goes Frugal

• More Grocery Gloom and Doom: Organic Sticker Shock in the New York Times

• Finding Cheap Food in San Francisco

• Good Reminder: Buy Spices from Bulk Bins

• Supermarket Saver: How Much to Pay for Olive Oil

• Have You Ever Priced a Home-Cooked Meal?

• Saffron, Knives, Crêpe Pans, and Vanilla: What's Worth Spending Money On In the Kitchen?

• Conscientious Cook: How to Start Saving Money This Weekend

• Craigslist Saves You Bucks in the Kitchen

• Eat Cheap: Farmstands in the Country

• Have You Ever Bought a Whole Pig? (Or Lamb, or Cow...)

• Farmer's Market Frugality: Harvest Time

• No-Spend Shopping: The Housewares Swap

• Conscientious Cook: Which Foods to Buy in Bulk

• Ten Tips for Buying Everyday Wines

• Price Check: Are You Buying Less Organic Food?

• Frugal Tip: Buy Marble Slabs For Candy Making From Home Depot

• Money-Saving Tip: Buy Bone-In Meat

Budget Cooking

• Mark Bittman on Minimizing Meat

• Doing More With Less: The Bagel and Lox Edition

• Tips and Tricks: How to Avoid Wasting Food

• Thrifty Shopper: Ideas on Saving Money and Cooking with Minimal Space

• How To: Use Up Overripe Fruit

• Home Cooking: Laurie Colwin on Luxury and Frugality

• What to Cook with Cheap Cuts of Meat

• Conscientious Cook: The Cost of Running Kitchen Appliances

• Jacques Pépin Cooks Dinner for Six with $24

• Winter Wonderland Dinner for Eight on a $100 Budget

• Good Question: How To Make DIY Instant Oatmeal?