c/budget-friendly-meals

My cheap pasta sauce experiment: jarred vs. a can of crushed tomatoes

I used to always grab a $3 jar of basic marinara for quick dinners. Last month, I tried the 'just a can of crushed tomatoes' method I saw online. For about $1.20, I simmered the can with some garlic and dried herbs I already had. The homemade version made double the sauce, tasted way fresher, and saved me almost $2 every time. Has anyone else made the switch and found it's just a no-brainer for your wallet?

The $2 bag of frozen mixed veggies changed my whole soup game

I was sick of my cheap soups tasting watery and boring. Last week, I grabbed a bag of those frozen carrots, peas, and green beans from the store brand. I dumped half the bag into a pot of boiling water with a bouillon cube and some old pasta. It made the broth taste way richer and filled me up for almost nothing. What other cheap frozen stuff do you guys use to bulk up meals?

Just fed my family of 4 for $22 this whole weekend

Did a pantry challenge and only bought a $5 rotisserie chicken, the rest was rice and frozen veggies we already had. Anyone else try a no-spend grocery week lately?

Finally bought a big bag of rice and it's a game changer

I spent $12 on a 20 pound bag of jasmine rice at the Asian market last month. It felt like a lot at the time, but we've used it as a base for like 15 meals already. Just had it with some cheap black beans and salsa for lunch. Has anyone else found a single cheap ingredient that stretches your food budget like crazy?

Bought a $30 slow cooker from a yard sale and it's the best thing I ever did for my wallet

I was really tight on cash last month and saw this old crockpot for sale. Figured for thirty bucks, why not give it a shot. I've been making big batches of bean soup and cheap cuts of meat like pork shoulder, which costs maybe $8 to feed me for four days. It cooks while I'm at work so I don't get tempted to order takeout. Honestly, it's saved me more money in a few weeks than I spent on it. Anyone have other good 'set it and forget it' recipes for tough, cheap meat?

Can we talk about how people waste money on fresh herbs?

I saw my neighbor buy a $4 pack of fresh basil for one pasta dish and then throw most of it away. I've been growing a small pot of basil on my windowsill for months from a $2 seed packet. It's way cheaper and you just snip what you need. What other fresh ingredients do you think people buy when they could grow or swap them cheaply?

Appreciation post: My buddy's 'soup week' idea was a game changer

My friend Mark told me to try making a big pot of bean soup on Sunday and eat it all week. I thought it would get boring fast, but I was wrong. I used a bag of dried pinto beans for about $2, a ham bone from the butcher for a dollar, and some onions and carrots. It made enough for six full meals. The key was he told me to change the toppings each day, like adding cheese one day or hot sauce the next. It kept it from feeling like the same old thing. I saved so much money and time that week. Has anyone else tried a similar plan with a different base meal?

Saw a guy at the grocery store in Boise buy 10 pounds of chicken leg quarters for $7. What do you do with that much chicken?

Overheard a guy at the grocery store say frozen veggies are a waste of money...

He was in the frozen aisle telling his friend that fresh is always better and frozen is just cheap filler. I buy a 16 oz bag of frozen mixed veggies for 99 cents at my local Aldi... that's my base for three or four meals a week. The cost of fresh bell peppers and broccoli to get the same amount would be over five dollars here. I think a lot of people forget that 'budget friendly' isn't just about the price tag, it's about reducing waste... frozen stuff lasts for months. Anyone else have a go-to frozen staple that saves them a ton?

Vent: Everyone in my building swears by the 'dollar store spice rack' but my chili tasted like cardboard until I spent $4 on cumin at the market in Denver last month.

I swapped out the cheap stuff for the good stuff in my big pot of beans and rice, and the flavor difference was so huge that I think saving money on spices is a total waste if it makes your food taste bad, so has anyone else found a cheap ingredient that's just NOT worth skimping on?

My grocery receipt had a line for 'packaging weight' and it blew my mind

I was checking my receipt from Food City yesterday (you know, the one on Elm Street) and saw a 35 cent charge for 'packaging weight' on my ground beef. I looked it up and that little foam tray and plastic wrap can legally add up to 4% of the total weight you pay for. So I'm literally buying trash. Has anyone else noticed this and started asking the butcher to weigh the meat without the tray?

I was spending $8 a week on fresh herbs before my roommate called me out

I bought a little pack of cilantro every single grocery trip for my taco nights, which added up fast. My roommate saw me toss half a wilted bunch and asked why I didn't just grow a plant. I got a $3 starter pot from the garden store, stuck it on the windowsill, and now I just snip what I need. Who else has a simple swap that cut a dumb weekly cost?

My power went out for 12 hours and I had to cook everything in my fridge before it spoiled

I ended up making a huge pot of 'kitchen sink' stew with the chicken, carrots, and half an onion I had left, which fed me for three days on about $2 worth of extra beans and rice. What's your go-to 'use it up fast' meal when you're in a bind?

My old way of making chili was a total money drain

I used to buy all the fancy cuts of beef and fresh peppers from the fancy grocery store, easily spending over $25 on one pot. After my car broke down in January, I switched to using ground turkey, a can of beans, and a cheap spice packet from the dollar store. Now the whole thing costs maybe $8 and honestly tastes just as good to me. Anyone got other cheap protein swaps that actually work?

Rant: My neighbor in apartment 4B showed me how to stretch a single chicken into three meals last Tuesday.

She basically took a whole bird, roasted it for dinner, then used the bones for broth and the leftover meat for sandwiches and a pot pie, which blew my mind for how cheap it was.

I just found out my rice cooker was costing me way more than it should

For the last year, I've been using a small 3-cup rice cooker that came with my apartment. I thought it was fine, but I finally checked the wattage last week (it's 600 watts). I did the math, and running it for 45 minutes costs about 7 cents each time. That doesn't sound like much, but I make rice 4 times a week, so that's over $14 a year just for rice. My friend showed me her instant pot, which cooks the same amount in 12 minutes for about 2 cents. I feel silly for not checking sooner. Has anyone else found a cheaper way to cook staples like rice or beans?

My sister called my cheap chili 'bean soup' and it stung

She came over last month, took one look at my pot, and said 'Mark, this is just bean soup with a sprinkle of chili powder.' I was using a single can of tomato paste and a ton of water to stretch it. I changed it up. Now I use two cans of crushed tomatoes and a whole extra packet of seasoning, costs about $1.50 more total. The flavor is way deeper and it actually tastes like chili now. Anyone else get called out on a 'budget' meal that was just too cheap?

Vent: My grocery bill in Phoenix went from $180 a week to under $100

This happened over the last two months after I finally started planning meals around what's on sale at Fry's and stopped buying any pre-cut or pre-seasoned stuff. The biggest change was buying a whole chicken for $7 and breaking it down myself, which gave me meat for three different dinners. Anyone else have a simple switch that cut their food costs in half?

A lesson from my neighbor about soup bones

I was at the butcher counter in my old town about ten years ago, just looking at the prices... feeling a bit stuck. This older lady, Mrs. Ellis from down the street, saw me and pointed at the big bin of beef soup bones. She said, 'Honey, those are fifty cents a pound. You take three pounds home, roast them, and simmer them all day with an onion and some salt. That's two days of meals right there, just add whatever's left in your fridge.' I did exactly what she said. The smell filled my whole apartment, and I stretched that broth into soup and then a pot of rice. It taught me that the cheapest things can be the best base. Has anyone else had a neighbor give them a simple tip that really worked?

Saw something at the new bulk store in Cedar Rapids that made me think

Everyone says buying in bulk is the best way to save on food, but the entry fee and huge package sizes at this place lock you into a big spend upfront. I saw a 25 pound bag of rice for $18, but that's a lot of money and space if you're just cooking for one. How do people with small kitchens or tight cash flow actually make bulk buying work?

Pro tip: I started freezing leftover pickle juice to stretch a jar of pickles

I was annoyed at how fast we went through a $3 jar of dill pickles. I saved the brine after they were gone, poured it into an ice cube tray, and froze it. Now I drop a cube into a bowl of sliced cucumbers from the garden, and in a day, I have cheap 'quick pickles'. Has anyone else tried this with other leftover brines, like from olives or peppers?

Just figured out my bean soup was costing me way too much

I used to buy the pre-cut mirepoix mix from the store, which was about $4 for a tiny bag, but now I just chop a single carrot, onion, and celery stalk myself for maybe 75 cents total. The switch happened after I saw my grocery bill hit $120 for just me, and I needed to cut back hard. What's your cheapest trick for cutting veggie costs in a recipe?

My attempt to make a cheap lentil soup turned into a 3 hour spice hunt

I found a recipe online that called for 'a pinch of asafoetida' and figured it was no big deal. After checking my usual grocery store and two others, I spent over an hour just driving around. I finally found it at a tiny international market, but the whole trip took almost three hours for one spice. The soup itself cost maybe $4 to make, but I burned like $10 in gas, lmao. Has anyone else had a simple budget meal get derailed by one weird ingredient?

My $3 bag of rice just saved dinner after a grocery store mix-up

I was at the store in Springfield yesterday and realized I'd grabbed the wrong can of beans, leaving me with just rice and some frozen veggies at home. I ended up making a huge pot of fried rice with soy sauce and an egg, and it was honestly better than my original plan. What's your go-to meal when your shopping trip goes sideways?

Warning: Everyone in my building keeps throwing out their chicken bones after making stock

I saw three neighbors toss the bones last week, but you can simmer them a second time for a weaker but still useful broth. It saved me buying stock for a week of rice and beans. Do you guys get another boil out of your bones or is that just me?