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Thread Number: 78847
/ Tag: Recipes, Cooking Accessories
What are today's most economical foods at the store? |
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| Post# 1028310 3/29/2019 at 15:11 (1,854 days old) by scoots (Chattanooga TN) | ||
 I'd like to see what I can do to control my food costs. Back in the day when I was first living on my own (I will let you guess the decade, but think pooka shells) , the rule of thumb was that fish, root vegetables, "greens" and beans were valuable in stretching the food dollar, but today it doesn't seem as true... it seems like everything's expensive.
What would you all buy to build a cheap meal around twice a week?
I'm sorry if this feels like a "google it" question, but it always seems like the internet is intended to sell things, not give advice... and also I happen to be remarkably "price blind" about groceries. The prices just don't stick in my head long enough to do a multi-variable price comparison.
Thanks.
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| Post# 1028311 , Reply# 1 3/29/2019 at 15:15 (1,854 days old) by Oliger (Indianapolis, Indiana) | ||
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Limit the amount of meat you use, and add potatoes and rice to anything that you can. When I am broke, my choice of cheap foods are: Rice Potatoes Ground beef Dry beans You can add seasonings, broth etc. to make it not taste like dirt. | ||
| Post# 1028348 , Reply# 3 3/29/2019 at 21:48 (1,854 days old) by IowaBear (Cedar Rapids, IA) | ||
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| Post# 1028349 , Reply# 4 3/29/2019 at 22:00 (1,854 days old) by Maytagbear (N.E. Ohio) | ||
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Homemade soups are easy, and almost always inexpensive, and taste better the next day(s). Lawrence/Maytagbear | ||
| Post# 1028367 , Reply# 5 3/30/2019 at 03:52 (1,853 days old) by LordKenmore (The Laundry Room) | ||
I'm seriously low income, and my grocery budget is tight. So keeping things cheap is day to day necessity at Lord Kenmore's manor, not just a few meals a week.
Most of my tactics have been mentioned above. Plus they may be obvious. Still, perhaps they will be of value to someone... I don't eat meat, which is a huge savings. Even years ago, when I had a more robust grocery budget, I tended to avoid meat, noting that it wasn't cheap. Vegetarian chili, for example, was less than 1/2 the cost of chili with even cheapest possible hamburger. Beans are cheap, even if bought canned. I've heard (here, I think) that dry beans can cook fairly fast with a pressure cooker or Instant Pot, which gives an excuse to get more appliances! Lentils are cheap, and they cook fast, even in a regular pan. I eat oatmeal for breakfast, which I get out of a bulk bin. I can get it for about 1/2 the cost of the store brand equivalent of Cheerios. As mentioned above, deals probably vary by area, and even store to store in that area. Also it pays to pay attention to a store's clearance deals. Also it pays to shop by season. Yes, we can get almost everything year round now, thanks to the wonders of stuff shipped from across the globe. But things "in season" are still cheaper--and better. Come summer, it might pay to shop farmers' markets. One can possibly get good deals--especially as the market is closing for the day. It might be worth buying stuff to freeze. It's also worth noting that a bunch of small numbers added up can hit a sobering total. It's too easy to grab something without thinking because "it's only a dollar." But twenty one dollar items will add $20 to the final bill. | ||
Post# 1029437 , Reply# 6 4/10/2019 at 08:31 (1,842 days old) by dermacie  (my forever home (Glenshaw, PA)) |
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Post# 1029471 , Reply# 7 4/10/2019 at 12:32 (1,842 days old) by philcobendixduo (San Jose) |
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Rice-a-Roni.....
......and Pasta Roni at 99 cents a box (or less) are VERY economical and tasty. I mix in some vegetables (frozen) or sometimes canned chicken. A box with the "add-ins" makes three meals for me. They have a large variety of flavors so I stock up on 1 or 2 of each. These are also good "emergency rations" as most only require water and butter to make (some DO need milk...).
I also enjoy pasta (any kind) with jarred tomato sauce. Buy on sale and it's VERY cost-effective! | ||
| Post# 1029514 , Reply# 8 4/10/2019 at 17:52 (1,842 days old) by stricklybojack (South Hams Devon UK) | ||
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| Post# 1029520 , Reply# 9 4/10/2019 at 18:22 (1,842 days old) by stainfighter (Columbia, SC) | ||
Aldi -Greek Yogurt...
Friendly Farms’ Greek plain yogurt.
Mix with your favorite Mustard, Ranch dressing or Mayo.... About a 1:3 ratio. I’m a Mayo-holic. If I mix in a heavy tablespoon with Helmanns...it still is Mayo-ie...and I am not gorging in it, plus some protein in the final result...even if you cannot stand yogurt give it a try !!! | ||
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Post# 1029642 , Reply# 11 4/12/2019 at 05:25 (1,840 days old) by askolover (South of Nash Vegas, TN) |
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 When I was newly single and inherited all the bills after my ex left, I just stuck with beans & taters and cornbread. My cats ate better than I did! At least they got the brand name stuff ;-) I'd buy stuff at Sam's and put it in the deep freezer. Bought a huge amount of fresh green beans from the Amish near us...canned them. Of course, there's always Ramen pasta. | ||
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Post# 1029665 , Reply# 13 4/12/2019 at 10:09 (1,840 days old) by ea56 (Cotati, Calif.) |
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All of the suggestions in previous posts on this thread are excellent.
My secret to economizing on groceries is that I only shop once a week, plan the meals of the week ahead and make a list. I buy store brands whenever they are just as good as the name brands, and today most of them are. I buy items that we use regularly an sale and always have a backup on hand, like mayonnaise, peanut butter, tomato sauce, canned pinto beans, pasta, ect. And we never throw food away. I only buy fresh fruit, vegetables and meat that we will be able to consume before it spoils. I make casseroles, soups and other large meals and we will either eat leftovers for 2-4 days, or I’ll freeze portions for later consumption. And I buy very little preprepared food, I make most of everything we eat from scratch. Eddie | ||
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Post# 1029679 , Reply# 14 4/12/2019 at 12:51 (1,840 days old) by jamiel (Detroit, Michigan and Palm Springs, CA) |
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Post# 1029693 , Reply# 15 4/12/2019 at 17:14 (1,840 days old) by appnut (TX) |
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Post# 1029698 , Reply# 16 4/12/2019 at 19:04 (1,840 days old) by Launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage) |
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All great responses thus far
Mine in no particular order:
Find and use coupons, both online and paper versions. Check weekly store circulars for sales and stock up. Get said weekly circular early in week or check online, then go through and mark or make a list. *NEVER* grocery shop on an empty stomach. Stock up on staples when they are on sale; rice, pasta, canned goods (soups, tomatoes, tomato paste, tuna fish, etc). These things last forever when stored properly and are the basis for many inexpensive meals. Check vintage cookbooks, online, or ask older family members for recipes using cheaper/inexpensive cuts of meat. Many a housewife had to feed a large family when things were tight, and thus learned a thing or two on how to stretch her grocery budget. Ditto for learning to use some of the tools of our mothers, grandmothers days. Pressure cookers, slow cookers, slow roasting and so forth can make great meals out of cheap cuts of meat. Then there is offal; something one does not particularly care for but for those that do things like souse, scrapple, and other "ahem" things often are cheap but can make very tasty meals. Again if one is up to that sort of thing. Cannot be stressed enough to "WATCH For SALES". Learn how to properly freeze meats (maybe invest in a vacuum sealer or something) so you can stock up on things when cheap. If you don't know how learn to cut up a chicken; whole birds most always are cheaper than parts. At least for the better quality chicken we find anyway. That "yellow" stuff which is largely water may be another matter. Don't know because never buy. Finally again think like our mothers/grandmothers and learn to love/use leftovers. If you splurge out on a roast for Sunday, remains can be made into other dishes for rest of week. Carcass from roast chicken, and or otherwise bones can be used to make stock. Also learn what expiration/sell by dates truly mean. For instance contrary to what some may believe things like yoghurt last far longer than date stamped on carton. Have personally consumed yoghurt months after sell by date without any ill effects. Your nose and eyes are excellent judges of when something is "off". Make the basics ahead of time in bulk and freeze. When there is a sale on for say canned tomatoes and paste, make up a nice big pot of sauce. Keep some aside for immediate use, then freeze the rest in pint or quart containers. One likes to think of tomato sauce as instant dinner in a container. You only need to add some sort of carb (pasta, noodles, potatoes), maybe meat, fish or poultry and bam! You've got dinner. | ||
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Post# 1029727 , Reply# 18 4/13/2019 at 01:15 (1,839 days old) by robbinsandmyers (Conn) |
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Whatever you do........ | ||
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