c/budget-friendly-meals

My old trick for stretching ground beef with lentils backfired hard last night

I spent 45 minutes simmering red lentils to mix into a pound of 80/20, but they turned to complete mush and my kids called it 'beige slop' so now I'm trying to figure out if green lentils hold up better in taco meat.

Talked to a cashier at Aldi who feeds her family of 4 on $60 a week

My slow cooker cracked mid shift and I lost a whole batch of chili

I had a big batch of chili going in my old slow cooker last Tuesday before heading into work, figured it would be done when I got home. Came back to find a crack running down the side and burnt chili all over the counter, probably from the thermal shock of going from cold to hot too fast. Anyone else had a slow cooker give out on them and found a decent replacement under $40?

Just had a grocery store checkout clerk show me the light on cheap eats

This lady at Aldi last week pointed out that my bag of black beans was 79 cents vs $2 for canned ones. She just shrugged and said 'soak em overnight, same thing.' Now I always do that and save like $5 a week on beans alone. Anyone else got a cashier or random person drop a budget tip on you out of nowhere?

My rice cooker gave out mid dinner and I had to get creative with a pot

Last Tuesday I was all set to make a big batch of chili to stretch out for the week. I threw everything in the slow cooker but forgot to check my rice cooker before starting the rice. About 20 minutes in I heard a weird pop and the rice cooker just stopped working. I ended up having to cook the rice in a regular pot on the stove which I always thought was harder but honestly it turned out fine. The bottom got a tiny bit crispy but it was actually pretty good like a crust. I think I'm going to stick with the pot method from now on because it's faster and I don't have to worry about another appliance breaking. Plus it saved me from having to buy a new rice cooker which would have been like forty bucks minimum. Has anyone else ditched their rice cooker for just a plain pot for budget savings?

Decided between dried beans and canned last month for chili

I used to always grab canned beans because it's faster, but my grandma swore dried were cheaper and tasted better. Last month I finally tested it side by side for my Sunday chili. The dried pinto beans cost about $1.50 for a whole bag versus $2.50 for three cans at the store near me in Spokane. After soaking overnight and simmering for an hour, the texture was way creamier and the broth was thicker. It took a little planning but honestly saved me around $8 over a month of chili meals. Anyone else switched and noticed a big difference in their grocery bill?

Warning: That $2 bag of dried beans takes way longer than you think

I grabbed a 2 pound bag of dried pinto beans from the bulk bin at WinCo thinking I'd save big on chili. Figured I'd soak them a few hours and cook them up in the afternoon. Six hours later they were still hard as rocks after boiling. I didn't read the package close enough and trying to soft boil them without soaking overnight cost me a whole wasted evening and a hangry family. Has anyone else fallen for the shortcut on dried beans when you're in a hurry?

My grocery bill dropped $40 a week after I started meal planning on Sundays

I used to just wander the store and grab whatever looked good, and my weekly total was always around $120. Then I started planning 5 dinners each Sunday around whatever meat or veggies were on sale at Kroger - now I'm usually out the door for $80 even. Has anyone else seen a big shift from a simple habit like that?

That $7 bag of bulk bin granola I bought because it was cheap turned out to be basically just oats and sadness after I got home and weighed it

I paid for what I thought was a deal but the scale at checkout rang up 0.8 pounds for what looked like a pound bag, so I basically threw away $3 on air and that was my whole snack budget for the week - anyone else get burned by trusting the bulk bins at the grocery store?

I always threw away my celery leaves until a neighbor stopped me last Tuesday

She asked why I was tossing the best part and showed me how to chop them up for soups and stir fries. Now I save like $2 a week on herbs by using those leaves instead. Anyone else been sleeping on veggie scraps they could be using?

Cooked dried beans for the first time instead of canned...

I figured I'd save like 50 cents but honestly the texture was way better and I got 3 meals out of a $2 bag of pintos. Has anyone else made the switch and noticed a difference with simmer times?

Unpopular opinion: is meal prepping actually cheaper than cooking fresh every day?

Last week I spent $45 on ingredients for a 5-day meal prep and ended up throwing out two portions because I got sick of eating the same thing by Wednesday. But my coworker in Portland swears she saves $20 a week by prepping versus buying fresh each night - so is it really about saving money or just knowing your own habits?

My $20 thrift store rice cooker changed everything

I was at Goodwill last Saturday and grabbed a beat up Zojirushi for $20. Tried it on some bulk jasmine rice and it came out perfect every time without watching the pot. Anyone else find random kitchen gear that actually saves you cash in the long run?

My aunt called me out for using too many spices and now I feel weird about my cooking

My slow cooker died halfway through a pot of lentil soup last night

I came home from work around 6pm and the whole house was cold, no smell of cooking at all. The slow cooker I got from a garage sale two years ago just stopped heating up. I had soaked the lentils already and chopped onions and carrots, so I panicked for a minute. Instead of tossing it all, I dumped everything into my big cast iron pot and simmered it on the stove for about an hour. It actually turned out fine, maybe even better because the vegetables got a little browned on the bottom. But now I need a new slow cooker and I only have $15 to spare this paycheck. Has anyone found a decent one at a thrift store or discount place that actually lasts more than a few months?

Swallowed my pride and $25 on a set of those meal prep containers with the snap-lid vents that claimed to keep salad crisp for a week

After tossing out a soggy, fermented mess of romaine and cherry tomatoes on day three I'm wondering if anyone has found a container that actually works for more than 48 hours or if I should just go back to making salads the morning of?.

Blew $30 on a fancy spice blend that was just salt and paprika

I bought this 'authentic' jerk seasoning from a farmers market booth last weekend for $30. Got home, read the ingredients and it was mostly salt with a little paprika and sugar. Has anyone else been ripped off by these overpriced spice mixes?

The $3 bag of lentils I keep seeing people overlook at Aldi

I was at the Aldi off Broadway last week and watched a mom grab a $5 box of seasoned rice packets instead of the $1.29 bag of lentils right next to it. The rice had like 4 servings and the lentils make 12 portions easy with the same prep time. Why do people skip the plain legumes when they could stretch that budget so much further? Anyone else got a go-to cheap staple that folks seem to ignore?

PSA: I spent 3 months cooking dry lentils before I figured out the trick

I got really into making lentil soup last winter cause it's cheap and filling, right? But every batch came out kinda crunchy and bland no matter how long I simmered them. I'd soak em overnight, cook em for an hour, still like little pebbles. Turns out I was using old lentils from a bulk bin I bought back in August at the Winco in town. They must have been sitting on the shelf forever cause fresh ones cook in like 20 minutes flat. Also I learned you gotta salt them at the end not the beginning or they stay tough. I felt so dumb when my neighbor told me after I complained about it for months. Has anyone else wasted time and money on pantry staples that were past their prime?

Worst meal prep week I've had in years after trying that bulk rice trick

I bought a 25 pound bag of jasmine rice from the Asian market last Sunday thinking I'd save money, but I didn't check the seal properly and ended up with pantry moths hatching out of it by Wednesday. After tossing the whole bag and scrubbing my cabinets with vinegar, I was so demoralized I just ate cereal for dinner three nights in a row. Anyone else ever get burned by bulk buying something that seemed like a no-brainer deal?

Had to pick between cheap ground beef and a whole chicken last week

Was standing in the grocery aisle with about $12 left for the week. I could get a big tube of ground beef or one whole chicken. I went with the chicken because it stretched further. Roasted it on Sunday with some potatoes I already had. Made soup from the bones that lasted me until Wednesday. Then I used the leftover meat for sandwiches and tacos. The ground beef would have been gone in two meals. The chicken gave me five different meals for the same price. Anyone else found whole chickens way more worth it than ground meat?

That time I tried to meal prep at Costco and it backfired hard

I went to Costco last Saturday thinking I'd save big by buying in bulk for weekly meals. Grabbed a giant tub of spinach and a 5lb bag of chicken breasts, felt like a pro. Got home and realized I don't have enough fridge space for half of it, and the spinach went bad by Tuesday. Now I'm stuck eating wilted greens and chicken for a week straight. Anyone else get tricked by the bulk savings only to waste half?

TIL my total grocery spend for the month was under $200 for the first time since college...

I tracked every single receipt and realized I was spending over $50 a month just on those little 'convenience' items like pre-shredded cheese and single-serving snacks, which is crazy when a block of cheese and some reusable containers cost a fraction of that.

Had to choose between buying fresh herbs or just using dried for my big pot of chili

I went with the dried stuff to save the $4, and honestly, I couldn't tell the difference after it simmered all day. Anyone have other cheap swaps that actually work out okay?

My best budget week ever started with a $3 bag of lentils

I was down to my last $20 for food, so I grabbed a huge bag of lentils and a few carrots and onions. I made a giant pot of soup that lasted me six full days, and I swear it got better every time I reheated it. Anyone else have a cheap ingredient that just saves the week?