c/budget-friendly-meals

My mom's old way of making soup stretched a chicken for 4 meals

Back in the early 2000s, my mom would boil a whole chicken and use the meat for dinner, then make stock from the bones for two more soups that week. Now I see people buying pre-cut chicken parts and it costs triple for half the meals. Anyone else notice families used to get way more out of one ingredient 20 years ago?

I used to buy all my spices from the grocery store...

For years I grabbed those little jars for $4 each at Kroger. Then I found a Mexican grocery store selling bags of cumin and chili powder for 89 cents each, and I haven't looked back. How do you source your spices without breaking the bank?

Comparing meal prep Sunday to batch cooking Wednesday was a clear winner for me

I tried doing all my Sunday prep for the week, but by Thursday stuff was wilting in the fridge. Switched to batch cooking Wednesday on my day off and making double portions of stews and rice bowls, and I stretched $40 to cover 12 meals instead of 8. Anyone else find a specific day or method that just works better for keeping food fresh and costs down?

Hot take: That dry beans vs canned math took me 3 hours to crack

I figured canned beans were always cheaper so I never bothered with dry. Last month I sat down and actually calculated it for my local grocery store in Columbus. One pound of dry black beans makes about 7 cups cooked and costs $1.80. Canned is $1.20 for 1.5 cups. So dry saves about 70 cents per cup but you gotta soak and boil for over 2 hours. It took me a full afternoon to work out the numbers for all the beans I use. Has anyone else clocked the actual time cost of cooking dry beans?

Frozen veggies beat fresh for my wallet last month

I spent $42 on fresh produce at the store and half of it went bad in a week. So last week I tried buying a big bag of frozen mixed vegetables for $3.50 instead. I ended up using them in stir fries and soups for like 10 meals total. Has anyone else had better luck stretching their budget with frozen stuff?

Found out my grandmother's depression-era meatloaf recipe costs $3.75 more today than it did in 1995

I was digging through old recipe cards my mom gave me last month. My grandmother wrote the cost of each ingredient next to the amounts on her meatloaf card. Ground beef was $0.89 a pound back then. I priced it out at the grocery store yesterday for kicks. Same amounts, same basic ingredients. Came to $8.23 total. That's almost double what she paid. I knew food went up but seeing it written out like that hit different. Has anyone else noticed a specific old recipe getting way more expensive?

Just realized canned tomatoes save me $8 a week compared to fresh

I switched to canned whole tomatoes for my chili and pasta sauces back in January, and my grocery bill dropped about $8 each week. Has anyone else noticed how much cheaper canned stuff works for cooked meals?

I finally figured out why my grandma's cheap chili tasted better than mine

For years I followed fancy recipes with ground beef and fresh tomatoes, spending like $12 a batch. Then I noticed my grandma always used canned stewed tomatoes and a spoonful of instant coffee from the jar. Turns out those cheap canned tomatoes she got at Aldi in Detroit gave it that deep flavor I was missing, and the coffee just made it taste richer without adding cost. Anyone else had a family member's weird cheap trick blow your mind?

TIL freezing shredded cheese actually works and doesn't ruin the texture

I was super skeptical about freezing shredded cheese because I thought it would get all clumpy and weird. But I bought a 2 pound bag of cheddar from Costco for $8 and stuck half of it in the freezer about 3 weeks ago. When I thawed it out last night for tacos it crumbled perfectly fine and melted just like normal. Has anyone else tried freezing other dairy stuff like sour cream or cream cheese with good results?

I used to think dried beans were a waste of time compared to canned

My daughter convinced me to try cooking a batch of pinto beans from scratch last weekend, and after seeing how much better they tasted and that a $2 bag made enough for three meals, I'm a total convert now. Has anyone found a good trick for remembering to soak them the night before?

Question about stretching ground beef with cheaper ingredients

I started adding a can of black beans and some oats to my ground beef for tacos a few months back. It stretched a pound of meat into enough for dinner plus lunches for two days. My kids didn't even notice the difference, which honestly surprised me. Has anyone else tried mixing in lentils or something else to save money on meat for a family meal?

Hit $50 a week on groceries for a family of 4 and I'm torn on if it's genius or just sad

I managed to feed us for exactly $50 last week using rice, beans, eggs, and frozen veggies, but my wife says we're basically eating like college students while our neighbor spends $200 on steaks and organic kale, so what's your take does frugal mean boring or am I missing something cool to cook on the cheap?

Blew $60 on a 'budget' meal kit box that was a total ripoff

I tried that EveryPlate meal kit last month because the ads promised $5 per serving. After delivery fees and taxes my first box came to $60 for 8 meals. Half the produce was already turning brown when it arrived and the portions were TINY. I could have bought the same stuff at Aldi for maybe $35. Don't fall for those introductory prices the real cost hits after the first box. Has anyone else gotten burned by a meal kit that was supposed to be 'budget friendly'?

TIL a coworker spends $12 a week on groceries by meal prepping oatmeal and rice bowls

I was in the break room yesterday and this guy from accounting was eating his lunch. Just a bowl of rice, black beans, some frozen veggies, and hot sauce. I asked him about it and he said he spends like $12 a week total on food. I thought he was joking but he showed me his meal plan. He makes a big batch of oatmeal for breakfast every Sunday, then cooks a huge pot of rice and beans for lunches. Dinner is the same thing. I spend like $60 a week on random stuff from the store and still feel like I'm hungry all the time. Makes me wonder if I'm just buying too many snacks and extras. Has anyone tried living off like just two or three cheap staples for a week?

Still not sold on dry beans being cheaper than canned

I used to swear by buying bags of dried beans to save money, but after tracking my time and gas costs for a month, I realized canned beans win for me. Between soaking overnight and simmering for 2 hours, plus the extra electricity, I'm only saving about 30 cents per can. Has anyone else done the math and switched back to canned?

That bag of frozen veggies I bragged about lasted 3 days, not 2 weeks

I was in the break room at my office in Denver telling everyone how frozen broccoli saves me money and reduces waste. Then I got home and realized my freezer is too small and my roommate keeps stealing my veggies for her stir fries. Anyone else have a cheap meal plan fall apart because of a shared fridge situation?

Bought a $15 rice cooker at a garage sale and it's already paid for itself

I was looking at my grocery receipt from last month and the amount spent on fresh herbs was insane

TIL most people overcook their lentils and it makes them taste bad

I kept making lentil soup that was just kind of mushy and bland, and then my friend in Portland said to only simmer them for about 20 minutes, not the 40 my old recipe said. They keep their shape and have a much nicer, nuttier taste that way. Has anyone else found a simple cooking time change that made a cheap ingredient way better?

My neighbor's comment about her grocery bill made me switch up my meal plan

I was chatting with my neighbor, Sarah, on Tuesday and she mentioned her family of four spends about $80 a week on groceries. I was shocked because I spend almost that much for just myself. She said the key is planning three meals that all use the same cheap protein, like a big pack of chicken thighs. So this week I bought a 5 pound bag of lentils for $4 and built my dinners around that. Has anyone else tried this method of focusing on one main ingredient for the whole week?

Warning: The new 'budget' food hall in Austin charges $14 for a basic rice bowl.

I saw it last Tuesday and it made me think we're losing the plot on what cheap food really means. Has anyone found a good spot there that actually fits a tight budget?

Just fed my family for a whole month on $150

I kept all my grocery receipts from March and added them up yesterday, and I was shocked to see the total. I spent exactly $152.37 by sticking to cheap stuff like dried beans, big bags of rice, and frozen veggies. I planned all our meals around sales and used a lot of spices to keep things from getting boring. Has anyone else managed to hit a budget goal that low, and what was your main cheap meal?

Appreciation post: my 50 cent bag of dried beans just fed me for three days

I finally tried cooking a whole bag of pinto beans in my slow cooker, and I was shocked by how much food it made. I spent maybe two dollars total on onions and spices to go with it. Anyone have other cheap ways to flavor a big pot of beans?

My neighbor gave me a bag of dried chickpeas and it changed how I shop for protein

I made a big pot of chili with ground turkey instead of beef for the first time last month