Whether you make your own from scratch (YUM – learn how here in my go-to, be-all, end-all tortilla-making guide) or buy them at the store, regular flour tortillas are one of the thriftiest foods around. (Don't forget a cast-iron tortilla press if you are going to make your own. It's far less work and mess than rolling them out with a rolling pin.)

They can be used in a wide variety of ways that go way beyond the taco, as delicious as that may be. In this article, find out some of the fabulous fare you can create with the humble tortilla.

Burritos

You can fill a burrito with just about anything. When I lived in Mexico, there were "burrito ladies." They were little old ladies who sat on the roadside frequented by tourists and locals alike, in a lawn chair with a cooler beside them. Within that cooler was gold, my frugal friends. The ladies had anywhere between half a dozen to a dozen types of burritos in combos many don't think of and I use some of these as jumping-off points for my own burritos.

My absolute favorite was the picadillo burrito. Picadillo is a Mexican stew made with ground beef, potatoes, peppers, onions, corn, green beans, carrots, and spices all simmered together in tomato sauce. A lot of the burrito ladies used canned veggies for it. When it's simmered down to the point it's saucy instead of soupy, ladle it into your tortilla, fold, and voila!

That brings me to the fabulously frugal part about Mexican burritos: you can add a lot of inexpensive ingredients to create something delicious. Beans, rice, potatoes, drained canned veggies – as long as you season it well, your burrito will be delicious. Another thing about Mexican burritos – they rarely add cheese unless you specifically ask for it. When making your own thriftrrito, you might consider leaving out the cheese too.

Tacos

I also became an amateur taco connoisseur when in Mexico. Like the burritos, most of the time they didn't contain cheese either.