If you're looking for spices, herbs, or other flavorings for your cooking, try your local ethnic grocery!  I have a fantastic Vietnamese grocery just down the way that I can get a 4 ounce jar of yellow curry powder for US $1.29, and a Mexican grocery nearby that where an ounce of paprika is US $0.99! 

The other place to try is an Herb store.  You'd be surprised at the price difference,  1 ounce of Oregano almost fills a pint jar, and costs about US $1.35.  A jar of Oregano at the grocery store is about 1/2 ounce or less, and you'll pay US $3-5. 

So what's the difference, other than price?  Well, the nifty little jars, for one.  Herbs and spices from the ethnic grocery or herb store don't usually come in jars, but little plastic bags.  So save your glass jars (you were anyhow, right?), and ask neighbors with babies for their baby food jars.  Go buy a pack of sticker labels, and you're in business!

I always label my herbs and spices with the following:  What it is, where I got it (name of store), and the price I paid. 

Happy yummy cooking!

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