c/budget-friendly-meals

Beans from dry vs canned - which actually saves more when you factor in the gas?

So I tried making black beans from dry for the first time last Tuesday. Soaked them overnight, simmered for like 2 hours, saved maybe $1.50 compared to canned. But then my gas bill came and I'm wondering if I even came out ahead with all that stove time lol. My roommate says I'm overthinking it but I clocked almost 3 hours of burner use. How do you guys figure the real cost on this? Does anyone actually track the utility angle or is that too extra?

My $3 box of baking soda turned into a 2-hour foam volcano cleanup

I tried using expired baking soda in a muffin recipe last weekend thinking it was fine. Things looked normal until the batter started fizzing over the muffin tin like a science fair project. Now I check the date on the box before I mix anything.

Found a farmers market that sells "ugly" produce for $1 a bag

I was walking through downtown Austin last Saturday and saw a stall called The Wonky Veg. They had a bin full of crooked carrots, lumpy tomatoes, and bell peppers with weird bumps. Everything was $1 per bag, no matter what was inside. I grabbed two bags and made a big pot of roasted veggie soup for dinner that night. Anybody got a favorite way to use up oddly shaped squash?

Checked the price of pre-chopped veggies at my Kroger yesterday

I needed diced onions for a chili recipe and grabbed a bag of pre-chopped ones for $3.49. Then I looked at the whole onions right next to them and a 3-pound bag was $2.99, so I did the math and I was paying about 8 times more per onion for the convenience. Has anyone else switched to just chopping your own after a shock like this?

Pro tip: hit the local farmers market right at closing time

I swung by the farmers market in Oak Park last Saturday about 15 minutes before they shut down. One vendor dropped his price on a flat of tomatoes from $12 to $5 just to clear them out. Got enough to can a batch of sauce for the whole winter. Anyone else find good deals that way?

My $5 grocery store rotisserie chicken hack turned into 4 meals last night

I used to just eat the chicken straight from the container and toss the bones lol. Last week I decided to actually break it down and boil the carcass for broth. Got 2 chicken dinners, 1 pot of soup, and 1 lunch wrap out of that one $5 bird from Aldi. Has anyone else stretched a rotisserie chicken further than they thought possible?

Walmart brand rice cooker died after only 4 months - what a waste of $25

The day I realized I was wasting money on pre-chopped garlic every week

Why does nobody talk about meal planning falling apart when life gets crazy?

So I was trying to stick to my $50 weekly grocery budget, had everything mapped out for three days of beans and rice meals. Then my kid got sick Tuesday morning and I spent the whole day at urgent care instead of home cooking. By dinner time I was starving and grabbed a $12 takeout burger combo from a place near the hospital. That one blowout basically ate up a quarter of my weekly food money in one sitting. I ended up scrambling to stretch the rest of the week with just eggs and canned veggies. Now I'm wondering if it's even worth planning so tight when unexpected stuff always messes it up. Does anyone else struggle with keeping your budget meals on track when real life hits?

Vent: Had to choose between ground beef and chicken thighs this week

I stood in the meat aisle for like 10 minutes trying to decide. Ground beef at $5.49 a pound or chicken thighs at $1.99. I hate dealing with raw chicken but my wallet made the call. Made a big batch of chicken and rice casserole on Monday. Honestly it came out dry and I'm still annoyed about it. Does anyone have a trick for keeping cheap chicken thighs from turning into shoe leather?

Unpopular opinion: My aunt's tip to add a tablespoon of vinegar to cheap ground beef actually makes it taste worse

She swore it tenderizes the meat and cuts the grease, but after trying it three times last month, I ended up with a weird sour flavor that ruined the taco meat, and now I'm back to just draining the fat and seasoning heavy, has anyone else had this backfire?

Rant: Spent 2 hours trying to find a cheap way to meal prep chicken thighs and it shouldn't be that hard

I was split between slow cooking them for shredding or roasting for texture, and the roasting took like 45 minutes longer than every blog said because my oven runs cold. Has anyone else wasted half a Sunday just figuring out a simple protein prep?

My mom told me I was wasting money on canned beans. She taught me how to cook dry ones and now I'm not sure which side I'm on.

TIL I was overcomplicating chili by browning meat separately

I always thought you had to brown ground beef in a separate pan, drain it, then add it to the pot. My grandma did it that way, my mom too. Last month I was short on time and just dumped raw beef right into the pot with onions and beans. Stirred it around until it cooked through. Took maybe 10 minutes less and the texture was actually better. Anyone else do it this way or am I missing something?

Am I the only one who remembers when a full cart of groceries cost under 50 bucks?

Last week I spent $78 on just milk, eggs, bread, and chicken at the Walmart in Austin and it made me think about how 3 years ago that same trip was maybe $45, so what are you all doing now to stretch a grocery budget that actually works?

Tried making lentil soup with cheap dried lentils from Aldi

I soaked them for like 8 hours and they still came out crunchy as hell after cooking for an hour. Anyone else have luck with a certain brand of lentils that actually soften up right?

Stopped buying pre-shredded cheese 2 months ago and my grocery bill dropped $12 a week

I used to grab those bags at Aldi without thinking. Now I spend 5 minutes with a block of cheddar and a grater, saves me money and the shredded stuff has that weird powder coating anyway. Anyone else notice how much more you get from a block?

Found out frozen vegetables work better than fresh for meal prep

I kept buying fresh broccoli and bell peppers for Sunday meal prep but by Thursday they'd be slimy and I'd throw half away. Last month I tried swapping to frozen bags from the grocery store and honestly they hold up way better in the fridge after cooking. The trick is to pan fry them dry for a few minutes first to get the water out before adding oil or seasoning. Has anyone else made the switch and noticed a difference in how long your meals last?

My roommate swears frozen veggies are cheaper than fresh, I'm not so sure anymore

Had a debate with my roommate Marco last night after we split the grocery bill. He bought all frozen broccoli and bell peppers for $12 total, while I got fresh at the farmers market for $18. He pointed out that frozen lasts weeks without going bad, so no waste. But am I really saving money if the texture is mushy and I end up tossing half of it anyway? What do you all think, is the cost savings worth the downgrade in taste?

My roommate and I had a huge fight over using dried beans vs canned

Last week in our Portland kitchen, she wanted to make chili with canned beans because it's faster. I argued that a bag of dried black beans for $1.50 makes way more food than a $1 can. We ended up making two separate pots to prove our points, which was kinda silly lol. So, for a tight budget, is the time to soak and cook dried beans really worth the cash you save?

Wasted $40 on meal prep containers that fell apart after 2 washes

I bought those cheap thin plastic ones from a dollar store and they cracked in the dishwasher within a week. Anyone else have a go-to container that actually lasts?

Why does nobody talk about the price difference between dried and canned beans at the store on 5th?

I mean, I bought a 1lb bag of dried black beans for $1.49 that makes like 6 cans worth, but a single can is $0.89, so you're paying over 3 times as much for the canned stuff without even realizing it.

Just saw the price of a basic bag of rice at the downtown market

It was $12 for a 5-pound bag, which is DOUBLE what I pay at the ethnic grocery across town. Has anyone else noticed wild price jumps at certain stores lately?

Rant: I was wrong about buying pre-cut veggies

For months I bought those $4 bags of pre-cut broccoli and carrots, thinking it saved time. Then I tried buying a whole head of broccoli and a bunch of carrots for $2.50 total at the Food Lion near me. Chopping them myself took maybe five extra minutes and I got almost double the amount. Has anyone else found a simple switch like that that saved a bunch of money?

My grocery bill went up $20 a week after the new store opened

The Fresh Mart on Oak Street replaced our old discount market about six months ago. Everything looks nicer, but the prices on basics like rice and beans are just higher now. I had to switch to buying dry beans in bulk at the ethnic market across town to make my usual meals. How do you deal when your regular cheap spot closes down?