c/budget-friendly-meals

My 'cheap' taco night in Austin ended up costing more than a steak dinner

I tried that viral hack where you use lentils instead of ground beef to save cash... spent $4 on a bag of lentils, $3 on seasoning, and $2 on tortillas. The problem was the texture was so mushy my partner said it felt like eating baby food, so we ordered pizza anyway. Has anyone actually made that swap work without it being a total letdown?

Thought I could make a week of soup in an hour. Took three.

Wanted to use up a cheap bag of dried beans. Forgot to soak them overnight. Tried the quick soak method. Boiled for two minutes, then let sit for an hour. Still took forever to get tender on the stove. The whole pot simmered for over two hours before they were edible. Anyone have a better trick for dried beans on a tight schedule?

Okay, I just read that a single 5lb bag of potatoes can make over 15 meals for one person. That's like 30 cents a serving. I found it in a USDA cost breakdown from last year.

My neighbor said my soup looked like 'brown water' and it made me rethink my whole approach

I used to just throw whatever cheap veggies and a bouillon cube in a pot and call it a meal. My neighbor, who's a much better cook, saw my pot last week and was honest. She said, 'Beth, that looks like brown water. You need to cook your onions way longer first, like 15 minutes, and add a spoon of tomato paste.' I tried it with a can of paste that cost 79 cents, and it made a huge difference. The soup had a deeper flavor and felt more like a real meal. Has anyone else gotten a simple tip that totally upgraded a basic dish?

My $3 bag of lentils turned into a kitchen disaster

I bought a bag of dry lentils thinking I'd make a cheap soup, but I forgot to check the date. They were so old they basically turned to dust when I tried to rinse them. I ended up with a pot of weird, gritty water that smelled like a basement. Has anyone else had a pantry item totally fail on them like this? What's your go-to cheap dried bean that actually cooks up okay?

Vent: My roommate used my last can of tomatoes for a 'fancy' sauce

Honestly, that was my base for three days of chili planned for this week, and now I have to figure out a new cheap dinner plan. Anyone got a good bean recipe that doesn't need tomatoes?

My neighbor gave me a 5lb bag of dried chickpeas she didn't want, and it made me think about how we buy beans.

I see a lot of folks at the store grabbing those single cans of beans for a dollar fifty each, when a bag of dried ones costs about the same but makes way more food. After soaking a cup overnight, I got the same amount as two cans for a fraction of the price, and they tasted better too. Do you have a favorite cheap bean or lentil you always keep on hand?

Shoutout to the guy at the Portland farmers market who convinced me to buy a whole 10lb bag of ugly potatoes for $3

I was broke and needed to stretch $20 for a week, so I roasted them all with oil and salt on Sunday, and having those pre-cooked spuds in the fridge meant I could throw together a cheap hash, soup, or breakfast bowl in under 10 minutes every night.

My grocery bill dropped 30% after I started buying dried beans instead of canned

I saw a breakdown on a cooking blog showing canned beans cost about 300% more per serving. Anyone else have a simple swap that saved a ton?

I finally gave up on those pre-cut veggie trays after wasting $12

The convenience is a total lie, they go bad twice as fast as whole vegetables. Anyone have a better system for quick weekday prep?

Honestly, the new 'budget' section at my local grocery store is a joke

Tbh, I was at the Fresh Value on Oak Street yesterday and their 'value wall' is just a sad rack of instant noodles and off-brand soda. Ngl, a single bell pepper was still $1.89. How are you supposed to make a real meal from that? What's the best actual cheap grocery spot in your area?

Pro tip: I was wasting so much money on fresh herbs until my friend pointed it out

I always bought those little plastic packs of cilantro for my tacos, but they'd go bad in a few days. My friend saw me toss a wilted bunch and said, 'You know you can freeze that, right?' I chop them, put them in an ice cube tray with water, and now I have herb cubes for months. What other little tricks have you found to stop wasting food?

My grocery bill dropped $40 a week when I stopped buying those pre-cut veggie trays.

I used to grab one every trip for quick snacks, but the markup is crazy. Now I spend 10 minutes on Sunday chopping my own carrots and celery. Anyone else find one habit that was secretly costing them a ton?

My brother told me to always buy a whole chicken instead of parts

He said it would be cheaper, and he was right. I got one for $7 at the store, roasted it for dinner, and used the leftover meat for sandwiches. The carcass made about two quarts of soup stock. Has anyone else found a specific cut or item that stretches your food budget way further than expected?

I found out a bag of dried beans costs about the same as a can but makes way more food

I mean, people keep saying dried beans are cheap but they never talk about the time cost. I spent like 3 hours on a pot of pinto beans last Tuesday and my electric bill spiked.

My neighbor swore by adding a can of chickpeas to stretch chili for a whole extra meal, and after trying it last week, I saved $15 on groceries.

She said to just rinse them and toss them in during the last 10 minutes, and now I'm curious what other cheap pantry staples work like that for soups or stews?

My slow cooker died right before a big potluck at my apartment in Phoenix, so I had to improvise with a Dutch oven on the stove for 4 hours.

Has anyone else had a kitchen appliance fail right before a big meal, and what's your go-to backup plan for a cheap main dish?

I bought a $20 rice cooker at a garage sale and it completely changed my dinner game.

TIL frozen spinach is way better than fresh for my cheap pasta sauce

I always bought fresh because it felt fancier, but a friend in Chicago showed me her trick. She uses a whole 10 oz block of frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed, in her tomato sauce. It costs about a dollar, adds bulk and nutrients, and you can't even taste it. Anyone have other cheap veggie hacks that disappear into meals?

Shoutout to the dried bean people

I always thought cooking beans from dry was a huge pain for maybe a dollar saved. My friend in Austin made a pot of black beans with just an onion and some cumin, and they were way better than canned. I tried it last week and a two dollar bag made enough for three meals. What other cheap dry goods are worth the extra time?

Shoutout to the $1.99 rotisserie chicken at my local Kroger

I was sick of buying chicken breasts that cost over $8 a pack and barely lasted two meals. I started grabbing one of their hot chickens on the way home, shredding the whole thing, and using it for three separate dinners. We got chicken tacos, a big pot of soup, and chicken salad sandwiches all from one bird. What's your favorite way to stretch a cheap rotisserie chicken?

Just realized my expensive rice cooker was a waste of money

I spent about $80 on a fancy rice cooker with a bunch of settings because everyone said it was a game changer. In my experience, it just takes up counter space and my $10 pot from the thrift store makes rice just as well. I followed the instructions exactly, but the rice still stuck to the bottom sometimes. Has anyone else had a kitchen gadget that didn't live up to the hype for simple meals?

My big plan to save money on chicken stock backfired hard

I read you could make stock from leftover rotisserie chicken bones, so I saved them in my freezer for three weeks. I boiled them for eight hours in my biggest pot, using a lot of gas. The result was about two cups of the weakest, saddest broth I've ever seen. I basically paid more in utilities than a can of good stock costs. Anyone have a better method that doesn't waste this much time and energy?

Back in 2019 I thought dried beans were a huge pain to deal with

I finally tried the 'quick soak' method where you boil them for 2 minutes then let them sit for an hour, and it cut my prep time in half. Anyone else have a better hack for cheap protein staples?