c/budget-friendly-meals

Showerthought: My dad's old 'struggle meal' is now my favorite cheap dinner.

I was making a big pot of beans and rice last week, the way he always did when money was tight, and my roommate asked if it was a new recipe. I explained it was just pinto beans, onion, and a ham hock simmered for hours, and she said 'That sounds like real food, not a budget trick.' It made me realize how much pride he took in making something good from almost nothing. What's a simple meal from your past that you still make all the time?

My neighbor's soup pot changed how I shop for veggies

I was chatting with my neighbor, Mrs. Chen, while she was making a huge pot of soup. She pointed at the carrots and celery and said, 'I got all this for under $3 at the Asian market on 8th Street, the one with the bins outside.' It hit me that I always buy pre-bagged stuff at my regular store for way more. Now I go there first for any soup or stew base. Does anyone else have a specific store for cheap produce?

Question about my cheap bean soup hack that backfired

I've been adding a splash of vinegar to my bean soup for years to make it taste richer, but my roommate just asked why my kitchen always smells like feet. Turns out I was using cleaning vinegar from under the sink, not the cooking kind, this whole time. Has anyone else mixed up pantry staples in a truly gross way?

Rant: I tried making my own veggie stock for months before a simple swap saved me money

For about six months, I was saving every onion skin, carrot peel, and celery end in a freezer bag to make homemade vegetable stock. I figured it was the ultimate budget move, turning scraps into gold. The problem was, it took forever to collect enough for a decent batch, and the flavor was always kind of weak and muddy. Last month, I switched to just buying a jar of better than bouillon vegetable base for about six bucks. A teaspoon of that paste in a cup of hot water makes a way richer, cleaner tasting broth instantly, and the jar lasts me over two months of regular cooking. I was so stuck on the 'free scraps' idea that I didn't see I was wasting my time for a subpar result. The bouillon paste costs pennies per cup and actually makes my soups and rice taste good. Has anyone else found a store-bought base that works better than the from-scratch version for them?

Can we talk about people throwing away chicken bones after making soup?

I saw my neighbor toss a whole pot of bones from a $5 rotisserie chicken, which is wild because you can boil them again for a second batch of broth. I've been doing this for months and it cuts my stock cost to basically zero. Does anyone else get a second boil out of their bones, or am I just being extra cheap?

Remembering how my grandma's 'stone soup' night worked back in the day

Three years ago, she'd have everyone bring one cheap veggie, like a potato or an onion, to her house in Toledo. We'd throw it all in a big pot with some broth bones she saved, feeding our whole family for maybe ten bucks total. Does anyone still do a version of this with their friends?

My neighbor Frank showed me his trick for a $4 dinner after I complained about grocery prices.

He pulled a bag of dried lentils from his pantry, pointed at his pressure cooker, and said, 'This thing and a 99-cent onion make a pot of soup that feeds me for three days.'

Unpopular opinion: I think the 'never buy pre-chopped veggies' rule for saving money is a trap for some people. My partner and I spent 45 minutes (and a lot of frustration) just dicing onions and peppers for chili last night.

Pro tip: I found out canned beans are way cheaper than I thought

I was at the store in Phoenix and saw a can of pinto beans for 89 cents. I always bought the dry ones to save cash. But I did the math at home, and after you add the cost of the gas or power to cook dry beans for hours, the canned ones are basically the same price per serving, sometimes less. It blew my mind because I wasted so much time soaking and cooking. Has anyone else done this cost check and found a different cheap food that's actually a better deal ready-made?

Serious question, does anyone else's lentil soup turn out weirdly sweet sometimes?

I made a big pot of red lentil soup last night with just onion, carrot, and a can of tomatoes, but it came out tasting weirdly sweet, like dessert. I checked the tomato can and it didn't have added sugar. What could cause that, and how do I fix it for next time?

My uncle in Cleveland told me his 'poverty meal' from the 80s was just rice, a can of cream of mushroom soup, and a handful of frozen peas.

He said he still makes it sometimes because it costs about $2.50 total and reminds him of getting by, so what's your own version of a cheap meal that's stuck around?

Saw a sign at the Kroger in Dayton for 'manager's special' meat packs

They had these big packs of chicken thighs for $1.99 a pound, which is a solid deal. But they also had ground beef marked down to $2.49 a pound, and it looked a little gray. Is it worth buying the cheaper beef if you cook it that night, or should you always stick with the fresher-looking chicken? What's your rule for those last-chance markdowns?

My neighbor's kid said his favorite dinner is just rice with a fried egg and soy sauce.

He told me it's what his mom makes when she's tired, and it made me realize I've been overcomplicating 'cheap meals' for years, trying to make them fancy instead of just simple and filling.

Hot take: I always thought dried beans were a pain, but the savings are wild

I was watching a random cooking video on YouTube last night and the person said a single pound of dried beans makes the same amount as four cans, but costs like a third of the price. I did the math and it's true. A bag of dried black beans was $1.49 at my store, and four cans would be over $4. I always avoided them because of the soak time, but you can just do a quick soak in boiling water for an hour instead of overnight. I made a huge pot of bean soup with them today for maybe $3 total, and I've got leftovers for days. It's crazy how much we pay for the convenience of the can. Has anyone else switched to dried beans and found a good way to cook them fast?

Just realized I've been wasting a ton of money on fresh herbs

I was making a big pot of lentil soup last week and saw my little packet of fresh cilantro was already wilting after two days. I looked it up and found out a single $3 packet is about the same as a whole dried jar that costs $4 and lasts for months. I felt so silly buying fresh every time a recipe called for a sprinkle. What other little things do you guys buy fresh that you could get dried instead?

Hot take: I used to think buying cheap meat was the only way to save money on food

For years, I'd buy the cheapest ground beef or chicken, thinking that was the smart budget move. Then, about 6 months ago, I switched to buying one big, cheap cut of pork shoulder for like $12. I'd roast the whole thing on a Sunday, and it would give me shredded pork for tacos, sandwiches, and fried rice for the entire week. The flavor is way better, it's less work on busy nights, and I'm actually saving more money because I'm not buying small, expensive packs of meat every other day. I wasted so much time and cash on my old way. It completely changed how I shop. Has anyone else found that buying one big thing and using it all week works better than just grabbing the cheapest single item?

My grocery bill in Atlanta dropped by $30 last month when I started making my own veggie broth.

I was throwing out onion skins and carrot ends for years, but now I keep a bag in the freezer and simmer them with water for an hour. What other kitchen scraps do you guys save to avoid waste?

Question about buying spices in bulk

I was making chili last month and ran out of cumin. At the store, a small jar was almost $6. The guy at the bulk food section said I could get the same amount for about 75 cents if I used my own container. I felt so silly for always grabbing the fancy jars. Has anyone else found good bulk spots for basics like rice or beans?

My neighbor called my 'budget' chili a 'luxury stew' and it made me mad

I was telling him about my big pot of chili, proud I kept it under $15. He looked at the list and said, 'You used two pounds of ground beef? That's not budget, that's a luxury stew.' He showed me his version with a single pound of beef and a full can of black beans, which cut his cost in half. I always thought more meat was better, but his point about stretching the protein really hit different. What's your go-to trick for making meat go further without feeling cheap?

PSA: I read that a single rotisserie chicken can make three meals for under $10 total

Found this in a library cookbook from 2015, and it works if you use the bones for broth. Anyone have other cheap protein stretches like this?

My roommate kept buying those pre-chopped veggie bags for $4 each

I showed her how to get a whole week's worth of peppers and onions for that price by just cutting them herself on Sunday. Anyone have other simple prep tricks that save a ton?

Just compared making my own taco seasoning to the little packets

I mean, the packet from the store is like $1.29 for one meal. I got the spices in bulk from the WinCo bulk bins for maybe $4 total, and it made enough for like 10 batches. The homemade stuff tastes way better too, you can adjust the heat. Anyone have other spice mix recipes that save a ton?

Honestly thought a $2 bag of lentils was gonna be the most boring dinner ever until my buddy showed me his 'lazy chili' recipe that convinced me with a single can of tomatoes and a spoonful of chili powder.

Ngl, I was fully prepared for a bland mush, but after simmering for 45 minutes with those two cheap extras, it turned into a legit meal that fed me for three days straight, so what other 'sad bag' ingredients have you guys totally transformed?

My slow cooker changed how I make cheap meals

I used to buy those $5 frozen dinners for work lunches, but my friend in Denver gave me her old Crock Pot last year. Now I make a big batch of bean chili for about $8 that lasts me all week. What's your favorite cheap thing to cook in a slow cooker?

My whole dinner plan fell apart when the store was out of ground beef

I was at the Food Mart in Springfield on Tuesday, all set to make my usual chili, and they had zero ground beef left. I had $15 for the week and panicked a little. I grabbed a bag of lentils for $2 and some extra veggies, threw it all in the pot with the spices I already had, and it turned out great. Anyone have other cheap backup plans when your main ingredient is gone?