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c/budget-friendly-meals

18

sandra146•12h ago

Tried switching from dried beans to canned for my chili last week and never again

The canned ones turned to mush after 20 minutes of simmering, cost twice as much per pound, and my grandma's recipe just tasted wrong without that firm bite you only get from soaking dried pintos overnight how do you all avoid mushy canned beans or am I the only one who cares?

1

lucaslane•1d ago

Just realized my rice cooker was costing me more than cooking on the stove

I was at home making dinner last week and added up the electricity usage on my cheap rice cooker compared to just boiling water in a pot, and the cooker was using twice the power for the same amount of rice. Anyone else notice their small appliances are eating up the electric bill more than they save?

7

the_jason•2d ago

I finally broke my habit of buying pre-cut veggies every week

For like two years I spent about $20 a week on those pre-cut vegetable packs from the store. It was just easier (you know, no chopping) but I realized I was paying double what whole veggies cost. Last month I switched to buying whole carrots, onions, and bell peppers from the bulk bin at Aldi. Now I spend maybe $8 a week and just chop everything on Sunday while I watch a show. Does anyone else find that prepping ahead actually saves more time than buying the pre-cut stuff?

17

mitchell.shane•3d ago

Stopped buying pre-cut veggies after watching the grocery store demo last month

I was at the local Smart & Final in Phoenix and they had a demo on prepping vegetables. The guy showed how a bag of pre-cut onions costs $3.49 for 10 ounces. But a whole onion is like 79 cents for way more. I timed myself and it took 2 minutes to dice a whole onion. That was a wake up call. Now I buy whole produce and spend 10 minutes on Sunday doing my own chopping. Has anyone else done the math on pre-cut stuff?

6

reese551•3d ago

Vent: That $40 'meal prep' cookbook I bought was completely useless

Swore I'd save money by prepping lunches for the week, so I grabbed this popular cookbook. Every single recipe called for ingredients like truffle oil or specialty cheeses that cost more than just eating out. Ended up donating it after one try - anyone else fall for those fake budget recipes?

27

evand65•18d ago

My $7 chicken disaster in Austin back in 2019

I was living in Austin and tried to stretch a pack of chicken thighs for a week. Day three rolled around and I left them out overnight by accident. Had to toss the whole batch and eat rice and beans for the rest of the week. Anyone else lose a cheap meal to a dumb mistake like that?

35

grant569•19d ago

That leftover rice hack my grandma swore by finally clicked

I used to throw out day old rice because it got dry and weird, but last month I tried her trick of frying it in a cast iron skillet with a splash of soy sauce and a beaten egg. Cost me maybe 50 cents for the egg and rice I already had, and it turned into a solid dinner in about 8 minutes. It saved me from ordering takeout three times that week. Anyone else got a simple trick from a family member that actually cuts the food bill?

15

lee_barnes70•19d ago

Went to a discount grocery in Akron and noticed everyone buying day old bread

I stopped at a Grocery Outlet in Akron last Tuesday and saw like 8 people grabbing bags of day old bread from a bakery in Cleveland. It was marked down to 89 cents a loaf compared to $3.50 at the regular store. I grabbed a few loaves myself and froze them, they toasted up fine for sandwiches all week. The selection was random though, one week you get sourdough, next week its all rye. Does anyone else have a discount spot near them with weird bread inventory like this?

17

dixon.rose•20d ago

My neighbor's 75 cent lentil trick changed my meal planning

I was complaining to my neighbor Carol last week about how my grocery bill was getting out of hand, and she just looked at me and said 'you're overthinking it, honey.' She showed me how she buys a bag of dried lentils for 75 cents at the bulk bin at our local Food City here in Phoenix. She soaks them overnight, then uses them to stretch out ground beef in tacos, meatloaf, even spaghetti sauce. I tried it with her recipe for lentil tacos and my family didn't even notice the difference. It cut my meat usage in half for those meals, saving me like $8 a week easy. Has anyone else found a simple swap like this that actually works without making things taste weird?

11

barbara_moore73•20d ago

Just realized my cheap beans aren't actually cheaper after talking to a farmer at the market

Last Saturday I was grabbing those $1.50 store brand black beans again and this older farmer at the stand next to me said 'you know those take like 4 hours of propane to cook through, right?' I never really thought about the energy cost adding up. He showed me his beans are $2.50 a bag but they're fresher and cook in 45 minutes instead. Did the math later and between the time and gas savings I'm actually losing money on the cheap bags. Anyone else ever get caught off guard by hidden costs like that?

28

theabennett•21d ago

My mom told me I was wasting money on jarred pasta sauce so I changed it up

She said I was throwing cash away for something I could make in 20 minutes. I started using a $1 can of crushed tomatoes, some garlic, and dried herbs instead. Has anyone else had a family member call them out on a food shortcut they thought was fine?

7

tara345•21d ago

Just overheard a guy at Kroger say he freezes his leftover tomato paste

He said he scoops it into teaspoon portions on a baking sheet, freezes it, then pops them into a bag. Has anyone else tried freezing small portions of ingredients to avoid waste?

13

the_aaron•21d ago

Just realized a bag of dried beans goes way further than canned

I was talking to my neighbor Carol last week outside our apartments in Phoenix, and she told me she feeds her family of 4 for under 3 bucks a meal using dried beans instead of canned. She showed me how she soaks a whole pound overnight and slow cooks them with some onion and garlic. Now I'm wondering if anyone else has a favorite cheap bean recipe that isn't just chili or soup?

27

the_aaron•22d ago

Had to choose between ground turkey and chuck for tacos last night

I was at Aldi trying to save cash for a taco night and saw ground turkey was $3.50 a pound while chuck was $5. I grabbed the turkey since it was cheaper but the texture came out kind of dry and crumbly in the pan. Anyone have a trick to make lean ground turkey work better for tacos?

17

the_sage•23d ago

The week I tried to eat on $20 and ended up spending $50 anyway

Last month I decided to prove everyone wrong about the $20 a week challenge. I figured I could do it with just rice, beans, and frozen veggies from Aldi. By Wednesday I was so sick of plain rice I grabbed a $4 jar of salsa and some tortillas. Then Friday hit and I caved on a $12 rotisserie chicken and a six pack. Has anyone else found that these super low budget plans just set you up to overspend later?

9

garcia.miles•25d ago

Tried to stretch ground beef with oatmeal and ended up with weird meat porridge

Thought I'd be smart and bulk out a pound of ground beef with half a cup of rolled oats to save money on tacos. The texture was awful, like lumpy mush mixed with meat, and my kid asked why dinner was crying. Has anyone actually gotten this trick to work or is it all a lie?

7

wyatt_fox68•27d ago

Saw a guy at the farmers market turn old carrot peels into stock for $0.50 a batch

He was just simmering them with onion skins and garlic ends in a big pot and now Ive saved like $8 this week alone on broth, anyone else do this or am I late to the party?

6

ninam86•28d ago

Frozen veggie packs saved my grocery budget in Denver

I was spending like $60 a week on fresh produce and half of it would go bad before I could use it. Switched to the $1 bags of frozen broccoli and mixed vegetables from Walmart. Now I just grab what I need and nothing rots in the fridge. Has anyone else noticed how much longer frozen lasts compared to fresh stuff?

30

matthewbarnes•29d ago

Cheap rice cooker changed my meal prep game completely

Spent months burning rice in a pot before grabbing a $15 cooker at Walmart. Has anyone else found a single tool that seriously cut their weekly food costs?

4

paigewood•1mo ago

Am I the only one who stopped buying pre-chopped veggies?

I used to grab those bags of pre-cut onions and peppers for $4 each from the store. Then I started chopping my own a year ago and now I spend maybe $1.50 total on the same amount. Has anyone else made that switch and actually noticed a difference in your grocery bill?

-1

garcia.miles•1mo ago

Burnt a pot of beans so bad I had to throw it out

I was trying to save time by cooking dried pinto beans on high instead of simmering them low, walked away to fold laundry, and came back to this black crusted mess that smelled up my whole kitchen for two days. Had to buy a new $12 pot from Target and now I'm wondering if anyone else has ruined a cheap meal by trying to rush it too hard.

6

susanm22•1mo ago

Old lady at the farmer’s market taught me how to stretch a pound of ground beef

I was buying a single pound of 80/20 at the Saturday market in Portland and this older woman next to me said “grate a zucchini into that and you’ll get two meals instead of one.” I tried it with a cup of shredded zucchini last Tuesday and my tacos were actually bigger and juicier. She said she’s been doing it since the 70s to save on meat costs. Has anyone else tried bulking ground meat with veggies like that?

15

lily_sullivan82•1mo ago

The day I found out I was rinsing my beans wrong for like 5 years

So I've been making black bean soup every other week since college, it's like my go-to cheap meal. Last weekend my friend Jen came over while I was cooking and watched me dump the whole can of beans into a colander and rinse them under the faucet. She just stared at me and goes 'uh, you know you're supposed to rinse them in the can first, right?' I had no idea. I thought that cloudy liquid was just bean juice you had to get rid of, but apparently I was supposed to let the beans sit in fresh water for a minute before draining. My soups always had this weird texture and I just thought that's how beans were. Now I'm wondering what other basic kitchen stuff I've been doing totally backward. Has anyone else had a cooking epiphany like this way later than they should have?

13

perez.cole•1mo ago

I was dead wrong about bulk buying frozen veggies

Always thought bulk bags of frozen broccoli and spinach were all stems and mush, but after grabbing a 5lb bag from Aldi last month I found solid florets for half the price. Any other skeptics get converted by one good batch?

2

terry_mitchell•1mo ago

My sister told me I was wasting money on pre-cut veggies and it got under my skin for a week

She broke down the cost difference with actual math from the grocery store on Miller Road and showed me I was paying almost double for a bag of chopped onions versus buying the whole thing, so now I'm stuck wondering if the time saved is worth the extra $2 every trip.