Learn to make cheap food taste like a gourmet meal with a few simple tricks and some good, solid cooking know how. Cooking isn't some natural born talent. It's a skill just like any other and practice makes perfect.

Learning to cook can be as simple as checking out a cookbook or two from the library and investing in a few dried herbs here and there. You can turn marked down meats and vegetables into savory stews, delicious soups and amazing stir frys by simply reading up on how to put a meal together in the most basic of cookbooks.

Still feeling lost? Ask your grandparents or great grandparents how they cooked during the Great Depression or World War II. Older folks have a ton of tips on making what you have tastier.

You can even turn to websites like www.Cooks.com or www.AllRecipes.com for ideas from other home based cooks. You'll find yourself cooking from scratch like an old pro before you know it!