c/budget-friendly-meals

Finally caved and bought dried beans after years of canned

I saw this video from a food blogger showing how a 1 lb bag of dried black beans ($1.50) makes the same amount as 4 cans ($4.00). Has anyone else switched and found a good trick for remembering to soak them the night before?

Took me 3 months to realize I was overpaying for chicken thighs at the grocery store

I kept buying bone-in skin-on thighs for $3.49 a pound at my local Kroger in Nashville. Then last week I walked past the meat counter and saw they had a whole tray of skinless boneless for $1.99. I asked the butcher and he said they run that deal every Tuesday morning because they overorder. I was mad at myself for not asking sooner. Now I just go Tuesdays before 10am and save about $6 a week. Has anyone else found a weird store day or time that cuts your meat bill in half?

Just saw the price difference on canned tomatoes vs fresh at my local Aldi

I was at Aldi in St. Louis last week stocking up for chili season and noticed something wild. A 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes was $0.95 while the same weight in fresh roma tomatoes was almost $3.50. I always thought fresh was cheaper but I guess not for something cooked down like sauce or soup. Found a breakdown from a food blogger who did the math on 5 recipes and canned stuff saved like 60% on average. Now I'm rethinking my whole approach to winter meals. Has anyone else seen big gaps between fresh and canned for other veggies like corn or beans?

Just found a $3 bag of lentils that made 4 meals

I stopped by the Bulk Barn in Halifax last week and grabbed a bag of red lentils for $3.20. Cooked them up with some onions and a can of tomatoes I had in the cupboard. Got 4 solid dinners out of it and still have half the bag left. Anyone else find a cheap ingredient that just keeps going?

My roommate said "beans are boring" and I lost it

I was meal prepping on Sunday and my roommate walks in, sees my pot of pinto beans simmering, and goes "ugh beans are so boring." I didn't say anything but inside I was screaming. Like girl, I stretched that $2 bag of beans into 8 meals last week with just some onion, garlic, and a ham hock I got for $1 at the butcher. Have you ever had refried beans on a crispy tortilla with salsa? Boring is not the word. What's your go to cheap bean recipe that shuts people up?

Changed my mind about frozen veggies after visiting a local market

Honestly, I used to think frozen veggies were just for when fresh stuff was out of season. But last month I stopped by the farmers market in Austin and saw a guy selling bags of frozen collard greens for $2.50 each. He showed me how they blanch and flash freeze them within 2 hours of picking, which keeps more nutrients than the wilted stuff sitting on a shelf for days. I bought a bag, cooked it up that night, and it tasted just as good as fresh. Now I'm grabbing frozen broccoli and spinach there too, saving like $8 a week. Has anyone else found a good source for locally frozen produce?

Spent 3 years overcooking rice before a roommate from Vietnam set me straight

PSA: Freezing leftover tomato paste in ice cube trays saved my wallet

I got so tired of buying a can of tomato paste for a recipe that only needed a tablespoon and then throwing the rest out a week later. Tbh it felt like throwing dollar bills in the trash every single time. Finally tried scooping the leftover paste into an ice cube tray and freezing it. Each cube is roughly 2 tablespoons so I just pop one out when I need it. No more wasted paste and I don't have to buy a new can every time I make chili or spaghetti sauce. Has anyone else tried this with other canned stuff like chipotles in adobo or coconut milk?

Hot take: That $40 bag of frozen chicken breasts was a total bust for me but my friend swears by them

I bought a big 10-pound bag of frozen chicken breasts from Costco for $40 last month, thinking it would save me money on meal prep. But every single piece came out dry and tough no matter how I cooked it, even after brining. My buddy in Chicago says she gets the same bag and her chicken stays juicy every time. Anyone else have wildly different results with the same bulk buy?

Had a week where I stretched a single whole chicken into 8 meals

My aunt told me my chili was too watery so I stopped adding canned tomatoes straight

She came over for dinner last week and after one spoonful said it tasted like soup. I always just dumped a whole 28oz can of crushed tomatoes in without draining anything. Now I drain them first and add a little beef broth instead of water. Has anyone else had to adjust their chili game based on a blunt family member?

Just found out my $1.50 bag of dried beans equals 7 cans worth of protein

I was meal prepping yesterday and got curious about how much I'm actually saving by using dried beans. So I went online and looked up the conversion on the USDA website. Turns out one pound of dried pinto beans makes about 7 cups cooked, which is basically 7 of those $1.50 cans from the store. That's like $9 saved for every bag I cook. Has anyone else done the math on other dried staples like lentils or chickpeas?

My mom told me I was wasting money on pre-shredded cheese and she was right

She pointed out that a block of cheddar is $2.50 at Aldi vs. $4 for a bag of shredded stuff, and I save about 30% on every taco night now. Has anyone else switched to block cheese and noticed a big difference in their grocery bill?

Vent: My cheap rice cooker from a garage sale last month almost burned my apartment down.

The cheap plastic plug melted into the outlet after I left it on for 20 minutes to make a big batch of beans, so now I'm looking for a safe, affordable way to cook in bulk, any ideas?

Heard my niece call a bag of dried beans 'weird pantry stuff' and it took me back

Honestly, my mom's lentil soup was a Tuesday staple growing up and cost maybe $3 to feed all four of us. Has anyone found a good way to get kids interested in those basic, cheap ingredients?

Okay, I just had to pick between a $4 bag of salad mix or a head of lettuce and some carrots. I went with the bag because I was tired. Big mistake.

I finally tried making my own bread after a bakery trip shocked me

I was at a fancy bakery downtown last month and saw a single loaf of sourdough for $8. I bought it, but it felt like such a waste. The next day I looked up a simple recipe online, got a bag of flour for $3, and just mixed it in a bowl. After a few tries, my third loaf came out perfect and costs maybe 50 cents. Anyone have other cheap staples they learned to make from scratch?

My buddy in Phoenix said my bean soup was just salty water with beans, so I started using a leftover ham bone from the grocery store deli for about $2 and now it's actually good.

What's your cheap trick for making a simple soup feel like a real meal?

My $15 lentil soup experiment turned into a week of dinners

Last week, I had a bag of brown lentils in my cupboard that I bought for $2.50 at the local market. I threw them in a pot with a chopped onion, three carrots, some garlic, and a can of diced tomatoes I had on hand. After letting it simmer for about an hour, I ended up with a huge pot of soup that tasted way better than I thought it would. What other cheap, filling soups do you guys make when you need to stretch your food budget?

Appreciation post: my neighbor's garage sale changed how I cook

I was at a garage sale in my neighborhood last month and saw a pressure cooker for $5. I had never used one before but figured it was worth a try. I made a pot of black beans from scratch in under an hour, which used to take me all day. Now I make big batches of cheap dried beans every week. Anyone have other good pressure cooker recipes for cheap ingredients?

PSA: I was wasting so much money on fresh herbs until my neighbor in apartment 4B said something

I used to buy those little plastic packs of cilantro or basil for $3 each, and half would go bad before I used it. My neighbor saw me throwing a bunch out and told me to just buy a live herb plant from the garden center for the same price. I got a basil plant for $3.50 at the local hardware store and it's lasted me over a month so far. Has anyone else tried growing a couple basic herbs on a windowsill to cut costs?

Just found out how much cheaper dried beans are than canned

I was reading a food blog from a lady in Tucson and she said a pound of dried beans costs about $1.50 and makes the same as 4 cans. I always grab the cans for convenience, but that's a huge price jump. I tried cooking a batch of black beans last night and it was way easier than I thought. Has anyone else made the switch and have tips for making it less of a chore?

My pressure cooker's seal split right before I was going to cook a big pot of beans.

It happened last Tuesday, and I was planning to use a $2 bag of dry beans for three meals. I ended up soaking them overnight and cooking them in my regular pot for about two hours, which worked fine but used more gas. Has anyone else had a pressure cooker fail and found a good, cheap way to replace just the seal?

Spent $8 on a giant bag of lentils and now my kitchen looks like a crime scene.

I tried to cook them all at once in my biggest pot, which was a huge mistake because they expanded way more than I thought and now there's lentil soup dripping from my cabinets. What's your best way to use up a massive amount of one cheap ingredient?

My brother said a $5 meal can't be healthy, but his plate of beans and rice looked better than my takeout.