Equipping your kitchen from scratch for $200

I rarely go in for frugality on this blog or in daily life, but I had to link to a nifty article in this week's New York Times: "A No-Frills Kitchen Still Cooks" (found via Matthew's always entertaining and prolific food blog Roots & Grubs). I could quibble with some of Bittman's recommendations (no baking pan? I use my 8x8" one often for casseroles; the list seems geared toward someone who cooks on the stovetop but not in the oven), as I'm sure every reader can, but I really like the basic premise of 'practical ways to frugally equip a new household.'

I remember the sticker shock I felt when I left college for my first apartment in the late '90s. Not just for things like furniture, which you expect to spend up on, but for all the basic things we take for granted -- Windex, olive oil (I don't recommend using them in combination), bathroom towels, scissors, storage boxes and so on. I felt like I was running to the supermarket every hour to fling money at them for household essentials. So for new grads and others setting up house for the first time, tips like Bittman's seem essential. It's good graduation-season reading.

And on that note, off I go to my college commencement! YAAY no more classes! Now to spend the next three lifetimes working off my loans.