c/budget-friendly-meals

I used to think a bag of dried beans was just a pantry backup. Now it's my main ingredient.

My grocery bill for the month came in at $37.50!

I challenged myself to only cook from my pantry and freezer for the last 30 days, and I only bought fresh milk and eggs. It forced me to get creative with lentils, rice, and frozen veggies I'd forgotten about. What's the lowest you've ever gotten your food spending in a month?

Appreciation post: My grandmother's 'stretch the roast' method from the 80s

She'd turn one chuck roast into three meals for a family of five, but now I use her same principle with a $12 pork shoulder and my slow cooker. Anyone have a favorite tough cut of meat that becomes amazing with patience?

The great dried bean soak time mystery

I decided to save money by switching from canned beans to dried ones, figuring how hard could it be? The bag said to soak them for 8 hours, so I planned my chili for the next day. After the soak, I boiled them for what felt like forever. An hour in, they were still like little rocks. I kept checking every 20 minutes, adding more water, and finally after 3 hours total cook time they were edible but still a bit firm. My whole afternoon was gone. I looked it up later and apparently the age of the dried beans changes everything, and old ones just take forever. Has anyone found a good way to tell if your bag of beans is going to be a day-long project before you start?

Found a goldmine of cheap veggies at the corner store on 5th Street

I popped into that little corner market on 5th Street yesterday and they had a whole bin of slightly bruised peppers and tomatoes for 50 cents a pound, which is perfect for my big pot of chili (you know, the kind that lasts all week).

Just realized a bag of dried chickpeas from the bulk bin is way cheaper than canned

I bought a pound of dried chickpeas for $1.50 at my local co-op, soaked them overnight, and cooked them. It made the same amount as about four cans, which would have cost me over $4. The texture was better, too. Does anyone have a good trick for speeding up the soaking step?

Honestly, grabbing a $20 rice cooker from the thrift store was the best food budget move I've made in ages.

Ngl, it lets me cook a huge batch of rice for pennies, which becomes the base for like three different meals a week, so has anyone else found a cheap kitchen gadget that really paid off?

Vent: My roommate insisted I try a 'budget' meal kit service for $60 a week.

It was more expensive than just buying the ingredients myself at Aldi. Anyone have a go-to cheap recipe that actually saves money?

Appreciation post: I spent $27 on groceries for a full week of dinners

I added up my grocery receipt from Sunday and it came to exactly $27. I got a whole chicken, a bag of potatoes, a bag of carrots, and a big bag of rice. I roasted the chicken for one meal, used the leftover meat for chicken and rice bowls, and boiled the bones for soup with the veggies. Has anyone else hit a surprisingly low weekly food budget lately? I'd love to hear what you're making.

My roommate tried to make 'fancy' ramen with a $15 jar of truffle salt

I was in the kitchen last Tuesday when he pulled out this tiny jar he got from some fancy food store. He sprinkled a ton of it into a 25 cent pack of instant noodles and said it would 'elevate the dish.' It tasted like feet and pennies, honestly. The whole thing cost more than just making a decent soup from scratch. Has anyone else seen a budget meal idea that totally missed the point?

I think everyone is wrong about dried beans being the only cheap option.

For about a year, I was all in on the dried bean thing because every budget meal article said it was the cheapest protein. My grocery bill for two people in Austin was still around $120 a week. Then, about three months ago, I started tracking the real cost of my time and energy. Soaking beans overnight, the long cook time, the gas or electricity used... it adds up. I switched to buying canned beans on sale, usually for 79 cents a can, and my weekly bill dropped to under $100. The time I saved meant I could actually cook a full meal after work instead of ordering out because I was too tired. I know canned costs more per ounce, but for my real life, the dried bean advice made things harder, not easier. Has anyone else done the math on their own time and found a 'cheap' staple that actually costs more?

My brother said I should buy a whole chicken every week. I thought he was nuts.

Question about stretching a single chicken breast for three meals

I was cooking dinner at home last Tuesday and realized I only had one chicken breast left. I needed to feed myself for three nights on a tight budget. I cut it into very small pieces and cooked it with a big bag of frozen vegetables and a lot of rice. It made enough for three full plates. The total cost for the whole meal plan was under $8. Has anyone else tried something like this with a different meat?

Vent: My friend swore by dried beans but I thought canned were fine

She gave me a bag of pintos and said to try them, cost me about $1.20. Cooked a big batch in my slow cooker last weekend and the flavor was way better, plus I got like three meals out of it. Anyone else switch from canned to dried and actually notice a difference?

Vent: My lentil soup turned into a weird paste and I'm not sure why

I followed a recipe for a basic lentil soup from a blog, aiming to make a big pot for under five bucks. I used brown lentils, an onion, a couple carrots, and a box of vegetable broth. Everything seemed fine until about an hour in when I checked on it. Instead of a nice brothy soup, it was a thick, almost gluey paste. I think I messed up the liquid ratio. The recipe said 6 cups of broth for a pound of lentils, but I guess my lentils soaked up way more than expected. I tried to thin it out with more water, but the flavor got really weak. Now I have a giant container of bland lentil mush. Anyone have a foolproof method for getting the texture right on lentil soup so it stays soupy?

I always thought you needed fresh herbs for good flavor, but my neighbor in apartment 3B said she just uses the dried stuff from the dollar store and it works fine.

I tried her trick with a $1 jar of dried oregano in my pasta sauce last night and honestly, I couldn't tell the difference, so what other dried herbs are actually worth buying?

PSA: I compared making my own taco seasoning to buying the packets and saved a ton

Honestly, I used to grab those 99 cent packets every week for taco night. Last month I finally mixed my own using chili powder, cumin, and stuff I already had in the cupboard. Tbh, it cost me about 15 cents per batch and tastes way better, plus I can control the salt. Has anyone else tried this and found a good spice mix ratio they like?

My grocery bill went from $120 to $75 a week after I started making my own veggie broth

I mean, I used to just buy those little boxes of broth, maybe two or three a week for soups and rice. It added up fast. About three months ago, I saw a tip online about saving veggie scraps in a bag in the freezer. I started doing it with onion ends, carrot peels, celery leaves, stuff I was just throwing away. Once the bag was full, I'd boil it all in a big pot of water for an hour. The first batch I made, I was shocked at how much flavor it had. Now I always have a big jar of it in the fridge, and I haven't bought broth since. It feels like free food, honestly. Has anyone else tried this and found other 'scrap' uses that save money?

My neighbor said my soup was just 'flavored water' and it stung, but she was right

Honestly, I used to think making a cheap meal just meant throwing a handful of lentils and some chopped carrot into a big pot of water. My neighbor, an older lady who grew up on a farm, tried a bowl once and said, 'Robin, this tastes like flavored water. You're boiling the life out of it.' That really stuck with me. I changed my whole method after that. Now I always saute a diced onion in a bit of oil first, until it's soft and smells good. Then I add my spices, like a teaspoon of cumin, and let them cook for a minute before adding the water and lentils. That one extra step, which costs maybe ten cents, makes the whole pot taste like a real meal. It's been about six months since I changed, and I haven't made a pot of flavored water since. Does anyone else have a simple trick that totally changed a basic recipe for them?

Can we talk about people buying pre-chopped veggies to save time?

In my experience, that's the biggest waste of money for a budget meal. A whole head of broccoli costs $2.50, but the pre-cut florets are $5 for half the amount. Has anyone else found a cheap kitchen tool that makes chopping faster?

My attempt at a cheap lentil loaf in Cincinnati turned into a dense, flavorless brick that my dog wouldn't even eat.

I skipped the usual egg binder to save money and used only oats, which taught me that some shortcuts just don't pay off, so what's a good, cheap binder for veggie loaves that actually holds together?

My friend told me my 'budget' chili was just spicy bean soup

I was really proud of my cheap chili recipe, using just a can of beans, a can of tomatoes, and a packet of seasoning. I served it to a buddy and he was nice but honest. He said, 'Dude, this is fine, but it's missing the body. It's just spicy bean soup.' That hit home. I realized I was skipping the step that makes chili feel like a real meal. Now, I always add a half cup of dry rice or a handful of rolled oats from my pantry to the pot while it simmers. It costs maybe ten cents extra, soaks up the flavor, and makes it way more filling. The texture is totally different, like a proper stew instead of a thin soup. It was a simple fix that made my go-to cheap dinner feel way more satisfying. Anyone else have a tiny tweak that made a big difference in a budget meal?

Trying to make my own veggie broth from scraps turned into a 3 hour kitchen mess lol

My big pasta sauce mistake that saved me money

So I was making a big pot of sauce last Tuesday and I ran out of canned tomatoes. All I had left was a can of plain tomato paste and a jug of water. I figured it would be a total flop, but I mixed the paste with three cups of water, added my usual garlic and dried herbs, and let it simmer for an hour. The crazy thing is, it turned out really good, way thicker and richer than I expected. It made me realize I've been paying for water in those big cans of crushed tomatoes this whole time. A can of paste is like a dollar and makes a ton of sauce. I'm not going back to my old way. Has anyone else tried making a whole sauce from just paste?

People keep saying you need fancy cuts of meat for a good stew.

I see it all the time in recipe groups, folks buying expensive chuck roast or sirloin tips. That's a huge waste. I've been making stew for twenty years, and the best, most tender meat comes from the cheapest cuts like neck or shank. They have more connective tissue that breaks down over the long cook. Last month, I made a pot with beef neck bones that cost me four dollars and fed us for three nights. The flavor was deep and rich, way better than any fifteen dollar roast I've ever used. Has anyone else found a cheap cut that surprised them?