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What food hacks are you using to save money?

Aspychata

Aspychata

Serenity waves, beachy vibes
V.I.P Member
I am starting to buy in bulk from Amazon. Frontier Co-op l used exclusively in AZ. I found Azure Standard, l need to check their prices. There are restaurant websites that also sell in bulk. We have three big box stores including Costco in my area. Plus l hate food shopping. l just bought a 2lb bag of black lentils, l have never tried them but they cook fast.

Commercial Supplies & Equipment from WebstaurantStore
 
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Amazon fresh has been a cost cutting savior for me. Their delivery is convenient and most grocery items cost about 10%-40% less than going to an actual grocery store. On average I’m saving about $150-$200 per month buying online.

Less impulse buys when shopping online and it’s easier to see what is on sale. I cannot afford to buy in bulk and have no where to store bulk items
 
I tried mixing red lentils with minced beef, I believe people in the US call it ground beef? Anyway, its supposed to be a good way of stretching your minced beef. We used to make mince and dumplings as its pretty straightforward, filling comfort food and we thought "heck, what a great idea!". Unfortunately I had a major texture nope for some reason and I've never been able to eat mince and dumplings since 🙁

Assuming it doesn't make you react the way I did its supposed to be a good way to stretch your food budget and eat a little healthier in theory.
 
I love red lentils. Have you consider mixing in black eye peas? They have a great mouth feel, not a strong taste like black beans to mix in with your ground meat @MildredHubble ? l have made burgers out ot them only, with spices, chopped onions, tasted great.
 
@Rocco , Amazon prices surprised me. Plus l have a bigger selection, don't have to deal with people, wear and tear on my car, or bad drivers which we have a lot of.
 
I like canned chili products, but seldom will eat an entire can. I prefer to use half for one meal, adding to it with white onions and fiesta cheese, along with some kind of hot sauce. Becoming for more economical making two meals from one can.

I also take El Monterey burritos, run them through the microwave for 120 seconds. Then I open them up to put in diced tomatoes with green chiles, diced onions and lots of fiesta cheese. Then I wrap a slice of colby-jack jalapeno cheese over the top and nuke it for another 40 seconds.

Comes out a pleasant looking burrito draped in melted cheese. Down-and-dirty cooking.

Same with the tostadas I make. Heat up some canned frijoles, heat up a Nortecas pre-fried tortilla and then load it with cheese, onions, lettuce and diced tomatoes.

Smaller portions at less expense. A win-win for me...though I'm still struggling to fill in the gap for all the frozen dinners I used to eat. I have lost all appetite for them, even though they are so easy to prepare.

I also use rice-a-roni to create pasta and rice casseroles, adding beef, ham and pepperoni to red and green peppers, white or green onions and parsley. Even adding crushed peanuts to stir-fried rice. Very cheap to make.
 
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Aspychata said:
I love red lentils. Have you consider mixing in black eye peas? They have a great mouth feel, not a strong taste like black beans to mix in with your ground meat @MildredHubble ? l have made burgers out ot them only, with spices, chopped onions, tasted great.
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I haven't tried black eyed peas with lentils but I do make lentil soup once in a while and someone also mentioned it can be quite nice with black eyed peas. I think lentils go very well with grated carrots in soup. A little coriander works pretty nice in there too. I want lentil soup now! 😸
 
I have relied on black beans off and on. Aldi's sells organic can black beans. I like to make hummus out of cannelloni or navy beans, they have a very mild taste, and you can dip healthy pita chips for an inexpensive quick meal. l have heard of brownie recipes using black beans, l am curious what that tastes like. l totally agree, l hate shopping these days. Food prices are ridiculous.
 
My biggest savings on food is what I grow and preserve for us. I rarely have to buy fresh garlic, all kinds of peas and beans, corn, peppers, tomatoes, okra, pickled vegetables, jellies and jams, many fresh fruits and fresh lettuces and greens. If my husband gets a deer, then that's about 50 pounds of clean, low fat, wholesome venison for the freezer. He hasn't gotten one for the last two years so hoping this hunting season will be productive. I make most of our bread from scratch.

I'm thinking about dropping my Costco membership. It's about $80 per year. That means I have to save $80 per year on what I buy there, compared with what I'd spend for the same food at Kroger or Walmart, just to break even. Everything sold at Costco comes in gigantic quantities and there are only the two of us to eat/consume it. Therefore, the only things that I tend to buy at Costco are coffee, olive oil, bottled marinara sauce, mixed unsalted nuts, big blocks of cheese, beef and pork. I don't like their chicken because it is injected with water, salt, sugar and who-knows-what-else. I have to repackage the meats into small portions for the freezer which increases the cost.

I'm not keen on ordering groceries that are delivered to my house because I live in a very hot climate so the manner of transport is crucial to preventing spoilage, and I like to personally select my food rather than rely on some other person to do it.

I try to make sure we eat leftovers and not throw them away. My New Year's resolution every year is to stop wasting food. :rolleyes:
 
Ground turkey for most meat dishes, unless it's just chicken. Ground turkey can take on the flavor of anything - beef, chorizo, etc. It doesn't shrink up or need grease drainage, either. You get more for your money. If I eat fish, it's mostly tuna, salmon or trout lately - whatever has the better prices at the moment.

Frozen vegetables unless I'm getting them from local farmer markets. I can handle those crowds because the purpose is necessary. Obviously, I don't hang out after I'm done shopping, haha. In / out. Ninja shopper, elite.

Usually a lot of rice, potatoes and flour wraps on hand. Loaves of bread have been randomly climbing up in price. Meh. Wraps are just fine with me.

I tend to make meals that are large portions, so I have leftovers and always do finish them whenever throughout the week.

I've honestly spent more in buying seasonings / herbs than other ingredients a few times. Oops.

Coffee - buy the beans, and grind them yourself. You spend a lot more buying the K-cups. Those reusable, plastic and wire mesh K-cups are great.
 
Aspychata said:
I am starting to buy in bulk from Amazon. Frontier Co-op l used exclusively in AZ. I found Azure Standard, l need to check their prices. There are restaurant websites that also sell in bulk. We have three big box stores including Costco in my area. Plus l hate food shopping. l just bought a 2lb bag of black lentils, l have never tried them but they cook fast.

Commercial Supplies & Equipment from WebstaurantStore
Click to expand...
I buy meat in large quantities from a restaurant supplier, portion it myself, and freeze. This includes cutting my own steaks and thin slicing my own meat. I save about 75% over retail.

I never ever dine out any more. Always make my own meals. Restaurants priced themselves out of my life. I just hope enough stay open I can continue to purchase from their supplier.
 
I have just stopped buying/ eating meat which does help things. tofu and beans are cheap. also I go to a chain of stores that are known for having lower prices. I truly dislike the energy/ambiance but the effect on my grocery bill makes it worth it. I am also a pretty good sales shopper.
 
Stop being loyal to one supermarket chain, start hunting for best prices. Here all the large supermarket chains have websites for online ordering, I don't get my groceries delivered but I do use the websites to check on pricing. By buying different items from different shops I save a lot of money, and as PastelPetals just pointed out shopping for specials is always a good idea.

I don't buy things in bulk but I do keep a reasonable amount of stock in my home. That way if prices are a bit high one week I don't have to buy anything, I can afford to wait.

I do the same thing with when and where I buy petrol too, websites like this one really help:

Cheap Fuel Prices & Fuel Watch near Adelaide SA
 
We have a Costco membership and we haven't used it since he has been here. And there is a Sam's club down the street from us which we need to check out. Steering my partner to healthy choices. He now eats protein powder mixed in to grits, just microwave. You can mix protein powder into oatmeal also. He is on a high protein diet due to a medical condition.
 
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