Basics: How to eat like a cheap gourmet

I've decided to post a couple basics because I've had a couple people say that they don't have the food budget to eat the way I do. Maybe, but I think if they checked my budget they would find that I don't spend tons on food (between $30 and $50 a week actually). So here are a few tips to eat like a gourmet on a budget.

1. Base you meals off the cheap stuff- The basics for my cooking? Bulk rice. Canned beans. Whole wheat flour that I bum off my parents food storage. Dried Pasta. Canned tomatoes. Cheap stuff.  I also buy my spices in bulk-- they're so much cheaper that way (Bless Winco).

2. Seasonal Ingredients- The vegetables I buy are those that are in season. No eggplant and asparagus in the winter! Taste bad and cost a fortune. I eat a lot of citrus and bananas right now. And various soups with root veggies.

3. Accent with rare ingredients- The accents are the key to making a recipe stand out. Take sauteed green beans. Add almonds and spices. TA DA! Banana bread. Add candied ginger and dried cranberries. TA DA! It's like magic!