I feel lucky to have grown up in a household where exotic meals were the norm.

Since my mom is Japanese, her cooking often featured flavors from a variety ofAsian cuisines.

Now that Im on my own, I take a stab at beadventurous with my meals, too.

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But the thing is: The ingredients can quickly add up.

So I started thinking about how my mom had done it.

And I realized she never bought Asian products at our towns grocery store.

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Instead, she made a monthly run to the Asian grocery store in a nearby city.

[Insert lightbulb moment!? ]

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I decided to see for myself…

Is the Asian Grocery Store the Cheapest Grocery Store?

To test my theory, I used a simple standby meal:stir fry.

I made ashopping listand headed out to compare prices.

How have I not been shopping at the Asian grocery store for ALL of myproduce?

Cooking stir fry AND saving money?

What a way to make both my Japanese momandmy Jewish dad proud.

Spending too much at the grocery store?

Check out these tips and tools tosave money on groceries.

Susan Shain, senior writer for The Penny Hoarder, is always seeking adventure on a budget.

Visit her blog at susanshain.com, or say hi on Twitter @susan_shain.

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