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40 Cheaper Options People Have Realized They Actually Prefer To The More Expensive Alternatives
Nowadays, my grocery shopping consists less of making a list and grabbing everything on it and more of simply buying whatever I can find on sale. And when it comes to staples, I’ve gotten used to purchasing the least expensive options available. But according to many Reddit users, the cheapest products can sometimes be the best choices!
Frugal individuals have recently been sharing some of the affordable items that they’ve learned to love due to inflation, so we’ve gathered their thoughts down below. Keep reading to find a conversation with Lydia Beiler of Thrifty Frugal Mom, and be sure to upvote the replies that will help you cut down on your weekly grocery budget!
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Using bar soaps again rather than shower gels and liquid hand soaps😊 The natural soap bars last a long time.
RELATED:
#2
Unless there is a big noticible difference, i buy all almost store brand things when i shop. why spend more for things that are essentially the same.
#3
Not a brand, but I’ve started buying my veggies at small local mom and pop fruit and veggie markets. I can walk down there and buy a couple of things I need, they may cost a bit more (and actually sometimes i find they’re the same/less), but I haven’t had to use my car to get there. And I’m not in a large grocery store where I’m going to buy a ton of different things I didn’t need while I walk through to get to the cash. And I’m supporting small local businesses. It’s a win for everyone, I’m so f*****g tired of the large grocery chains and their price gouging.
Edit: their/they’re
The Darkest Timeline 1 year ago
Most farmers markets I’ve been to in my area cost a LOT more than the grocery store
To learn more about how to save money amidst inflation, we reached out to Lydia Beiler, aka Thrifty Frugal Mom, to hear which affordable items she's realized she actually prefers.
"Whole chicken/bone-in chicken versus boneless chicken," Lydia shared. "The meat is so much more tender and moist. I bought them rarely before this but now buy them regularly!"
#4
Liquid dish soap and laundry soap instead of pods. We had switched to pods several years ago and when proces started going way up last year, we switched back. I have no idea why we were ever paying for pods!
Same with k cups. We stopped using our Keurig and started buying ground coffee. Got a French press and even buying fancy ground coffee, we are still coming out ahead.
No Amazon Prime. Decided not to renew last year and haven't missed it; in fact, the temptation to just buy whatever, whenever is completely gone. We have to be more thoughtful with purchases now.
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 1 year ago
Keurig is just plain evil. It's like some evil bastard decided to find a way to make people kill the planet faster and feel good about it. Back when I drank coffee, it was always drip coffee or sometimes, when camping, cowboy coffee. Those plastic pods disgust me by their very existance.
#5
Frozen veggies. They were always a staple but now I buy them in bulk and eat them daily!
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 1 year ago (edited)
Just to be clear, fresh frozen vegetables contain all the vitamins and nutrients as fresh vegetables. CANNED veggies on the other hand do suffer. HEAT breaks down vitamins, not cold. That's basic food chemistry. I know because I have a degree in food science. And misconceptions like that drive me crazy.
#6
90% of my winter veggie intake is now cabbage related. I refuse to pay the high price for off-season produce anymore.
Jack Burton 1 year ago
Off-season fruits and vegetables are some modern worl crazyness... we can survive without tomatoes during winter and nature handles it perfectly with different stuff for different seasons.
We were also curious what things Lydia purchases less frequently now that they've become so expensive. "I've stopped buying pastries as much," she shared. "I used to buy them pretty regularly as a family snack on the weekend, but have switched to other less expensive things. I do miss them, but not enough to make them a regular purchase again!"
"Also chicken broth!" the Thrifty Frugal Mom added. "It's way cheaper to buy a whole chicken and then use the carcass to make my own bone broth. I've started to do that as much as I can! I do miss the convenience of buying store bought all the time, but it feels like it's worth the extra savings."
#7
We started shopping at our local Asian and Hispanic grocery stores. We go to Aldi's for bread, bagels and paper products. Fresh produce lasts a lot longer and is cheaper too. Our food budget has dropped from $200 a week to $125 consistently for two adults the last 10 months. We pack lunches, usually last nights dinner leftovers and we have saved a substantial amount of money.
#8
I discovered overnight oats. Holy cow! They're great. I also figured out that dried blueberries are cheaper than frozen or fresh blueberries, and taste identical in overnight oats. No more bran flakes. No more milk. Just water, oats, blueberries, a little cinnamon, and some sugar.
#9
I stopped buying pine nuts. They're like $30 a bag now. I get sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds instead.
I'm making my own herb and spice blends from bulk ingredients plus things we can grow in our yard.
I'm cooking more beans and lentils from dry instead of buying canned beans or frozen prepared meals.
Lydia also shared some tips that might help you save money on groceries. "Don't be scared to try store brands. They often are made by the same company as the name brand, and we've discovered that for most products, we don't mind the cheaper option!" she told Bored Panda.
"Buying in bulk can be a great way to save on things you purchase a lot too," Lydia added. "Just be sure to check the cost per unit on the shelf price tag to make sure you really are getting a better deal!"
If you're looking for even more money-saving tips, be sure to visit Thrifty Frugal Mom!
#10
I used to make chili with mostly meat and onion. Nowadays it's 50% beans, and I prefer it. Originally, when I would put beans in chili, I'd use red kidney beans. Nowadays I'll use anything bean related - I think red kidney beans are the least interesting you can find. I'll use tins of mixed beans, black beans, butter beans, chick peas. Heck, I've even added some (British) baked beans and thought they came out really well. Secondly to that, this one was only mildly frugally related, but as we started to cut down on our meat consumption, we started to use a wider variety of vegetables. I had barely used "Chinese Leaf" (AKA Asian cabbage) before, and it works so well in a stir fry, as well as a variety of other things. It's given me a newfound appreciation for all things cabbage, including red cabbage in salads, sauerkraut and kimchi. Where before I had only eaten cabbage as boiled cabbage, now cabbage is a big part of my weekly diet.
#11
Indoor farming.
I work as a data analyst and fulfillment.
I have built entire spreadsheets around my indoor farming hobby and it is now cheaper to grow most of my produce at home hydroponically than to go shopping at anything owned by Loblaws, Sobeys, or Walmart.
All of my equipment has paid for itself in the first year in savings. The only time it becomes more expensive, is when something goes wrong, and I lose a portion of a harvest. Most of the time, I have so much extra I either have to try selling it off or give it away.
Lyuben Petkov 1 year ago
broccoli grown in pot on my balcony - better than those in the grocery
#12
Steak, weirdly enough. The weekly ad steak is the same price or less than ground beef these days, so when I’m craving beef, screw it, steak it is!
The Darkest Timeline 1 year ago
I drop by the meat department every time I’m at the store just in case I spot a good sale
#14
Tofu. I eat it at least once a week now. Cheaper and more protein than meat. I never ate it pre-pandemic.
Breadcrumb. 1 year ago
I'd like to remind everyone eatting tofu does not make your d**k fall off, well maybe if your masculinity is fragile enough.
Ace 1 year ago
Trouble is, for ever person saying "I've tried tofu a few times, it has a weird texture and doesn't taste of anything" you'll get three vegangellsts saying "you just haven't had it prepared and cooked properly". You want me to keep trying something I've found that I dislike just on the off-chance that somebody, somewhere, can turn it into something edible? No thank you.
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majandess 1 year ago (edited)
I don't avoid tofu, but seriously, I can buy a whole chicken for $0.99/lb and use the whole thing from the bones to the meat to the drippings. But the cheapest tofu is like $2/lb where I live. I can't even imagine the cost of groceries if tofu is the cheaper alternative.
Ace 1 year ago
Where do you get chicken that cheap? Across Europe even the worst 'budget' factory-farmed ones are at least three or four times that, with decent ones (i.e.free range) starting from a minimum of 7 or 8 Euros. Oh, that's per kilo, of course, so divide by 2.2 for pounds comparison, but EU2.20 per kilo is unheard of over here.
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Christel Nellemann 1 year ago
And we do not need to be vegetarians to eat this, the whole culture war about this is bogus. I wanna learn how to cook it in different ways, local thai place makes it soooo good, needs spice and perhaps panko?
M O'Connell 1 year ago
Tofu + Lao Gan Ma (Chinese chili-oil sauce). Is pretty amazing.
Load More Replies... Panda Kicki 1 year ago
I start to think prices is very different at some places. Tofu is twice the price compared to chicken and pork here.
Lame Llama 1 year ago
Tofu DOES NOT have more protein than meat. It's easy information readily available. Please dont peddle false information.
Flora Porter 1 year ago
Personally I don't like the texture of tofu, but for me Quorn is a great alternative to meat. In something highly aromatic like a Thai green curry it's indistinguishable from chicken.
Colleen Glim 1 year ago
Try it deep fried. The texture is entirely different
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Mama Penguin 1 year ago (edited)
I'm far from being a vegan but I can confirm tofu is tasty. White tofu by itself is quite bland but it's also a sponge. It will absorb whatever flavor you put on it. Few tips I've learned if cooking with regular white tofu is to quickly rinse it after you take it out of the package and to let it soak or simmer in salted water for a few minutes. The salt will draw out some moisture and add flavor. It will change the texture of the tofu and add some flavor to it. Also, if you can find an Asian market, try to peruse the tofu section. There are so many types of tofu out there from silky egg tofu, pre-fried tofu, smoked tofu, seasoned tofu, tofu sheets to make yummy soup or dimsum dishes.
Anna Drever 1 year ago
For those who don’t like the texture you might try freezing it before using it. It changes the texture and makes it a bit more chewy. I like it both ways but often I have too much left so I freeze the remainder of the block.
Donald Crocker, Jr. 1 year ago
Ymmv, where I live the cheapest tofu is $3/lb verses $1/lb bulk chicken legs, $1.50/lb bulk precooked ham, $2.50/lb beef liver, and $3/lb beef heart.
Satya Bain 1 year ago
I need someone to teach me how to cook tofu. There's a local restaurant (she's from Singapore and he's from Laos) and they make the most amazing tofu dishes!
Nykky 1 year ago
Plant protein is much different compared to animal protein though. Our bodies are very strange. Our teeth are designed mostly for plant materials, but our digestive tracts are designed mostly for animal materials. Include more veggies into your diets, of course! But if your issue with meat is that it has less nutrients, it just has different nutrients. And for the love of christ, do not get rid of fats entirely. Your system runs on fats, you need some every day
Nimitz 1 year ago
It can be especially good for you if you regularly smoke weed. I can't remember the whole article, but there's a harmful element in most weed that can cause heart problems down the line, but it is easily neutralized by an estrogen found in tofu. And no, it's not the kind of estrogen that will affect your hormones
Shayla Katherina 1 year ago (edited)
As much as I love tofu, it just doesn't fill me up as much as animal protein does. If I eat 4 oz of tofu, I'm hungry a couple hours later. If I eat 4 oz of chicken, I'm good until the next morning.
Zoe Belen 1 year ago
I love tofu. I don't smoke or drink, and I've often thought that many of the people who claim it doesn't taste very good, are the ones who overuse the condiments on their food - eg, chicken nuggets, barbecued ribs, etc... in other words, they have tastebuds that are damaged. Try eating commercial meat without any condiments. Ugh! iI you've ever tasted an organically raised chicken the meat is delicious, just needs a bit osf salt and maybe a splash of Tabasco if you like that. Same with beef. Commercial meats have little or no flavour, it NEEDS to be covered in condiments to make it edible. Which is why we have the McRibs and nuggets c**p. Just my opinion.
Kraneia The Dancing Dryad 1 year ago
My only complaint is that it has little taste by itself, you have to make it taste like something. You may as well just cook the beef or chicken or whatever. Not that I'm saying it's a bad thing to cut down on meat. Just sayin 🙂
Lame Llama 1 year ago
Many Asian culture enjoy the aste of tofu on its own. Its delicate.
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SadieCat17 (she/her) 1 year ago
So is meat if you cook it wrong (like you've probably been doing with tofu if it's "tasteless")
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Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 1 year ago
Never cared for the texture. I'll take beans for my vegetable protein.
Muhammad Fauzi Rizal 1 year ago
more protein does not mean "more". animal based protein still the best according to science
Christel Nellemann 1 year ago
Dont quote science , when used wrong. Animal protein is more readibly digestible, but not “best”. It is easy to get plenty protein eating the right plants. And science supports adding more plants to our diets in western style diets a lot. When medical doctors associations say so, there is a ton of evidence behind it https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/heart-matters-magazine/nutrition/protein/how-to-get-protein-without-the-meat
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MontanaMariner 1 year ago
To all the vegans saving the world with tofu, there is an allowable level of animal protein (from harvesting) in most foods we eat. Being a true vegan is almost impossible. Rodents get ground up in machines, vegetables eat bugs, etc.
Anna Drever 1 year ago
The point of being vegan is to do the LEAST harm. We know it can’t be eliminated 100% but that doesn’t mean not trying. 🙂
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Lame Llama 1 year ago
Tofu does not have more protein. Pleae dont make false claim.
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#15
Suave shampoo. I tried it in a summer rental and it was great, so my fancy stuff is sitting unused. I thought I might use it for a week or two and get tired of it, but it’s working great. I use the fancy stuff every few weeks and Suave most days now.
#16
Bone-in cuts of meat
Added bonus is they are more nutritious in vitamins/minerals and taste a hell of a lot better than boneless.
#17
Ok I am a sunscreen-every-damn-day girlie and DO NOT SLEEP on the Walgreen’s brand moisturizing one (in a yellow container.) My grandma let me use hers once and I loved everything about it so much I ran out to buy some. A lot of times they’re buy one get one 1/2 off or have coupons, too. I prefer it over any name brand sunscreen, including the neutrogena I used to use.
PS. Yellow container only, do not buy the blue “sport” variety, it separates and feels gross.
#18
Already bought this pre inflation craziness but Kirkland (Costco brand) Zyrtec. Get a year’s supply for pennies compared to regular Zyrtec. 100% the same ingredients too
The Other Guest 1 year ago
I find Kirkland brand *anything* is usually as good as the branded stuff.
#19
Meal planning and shopping online for pick up. I'm sitting on the couch when I order my groceries, so I can check if there is something I already have. I can price Check between stores. And I'm ordering nsded on a meal plan. Instead of wondering and being tempted, I pull into my stall, message the ap and they bring them out.
#20
Lidils brand of margherita pizzas are only 5.5$ for 3 700 cal pizzas. I buy some Romano cheese to top them with and some sausage and it’s really great for the price
Honestly getting bidet to stop buying toilet paper was cool
#21
I know this is meant to be food related but tinting my own eyebrows. I used to get expensive treatments at the salon at $50 per month, now I get Just for Men beard eye and use that with a q-tip. Works amazing and I have way more control over the colour/darkness/frequency of it, not to mention time saved by just doing it 5 minutes at home instead of allocating an hour in my day to go to the salon.
#22
Microfiber cleaning cloths instead of paper towels. You can catch them on sale for less than $0.40 per cloth. They pay for themselves after 8 uses, and can easily last 100 uses. They are superior to paper towels in every way, except for cleaning up tomato sauce or dog vomit. For that, you should stick with paper towels. Only downside is having to fold them when the dryer is done. That part gets old pretty quick.
LadyRougarou 1 year ago
I cannot stand the feel of microfiber it's the grossest feeling material imo
#23
I’ve started making my own snack bags of trail mix. I found them so handy since I’m breastfeeding and always need a snack in my bag. Trader Joe’s have some affordable options, but then I moved and there isn’t one close by. Publix has a sale right now for BOGO Blue Diamond Almonds and Walnuts so I stocked up with some dried cranberries and snack-size sandwich bags. Voila!
Geoffrey Scott 1 year ago
Just got done with a large container of homemade Chex mix. Fill sandwich bags, take them. No muss, no fuss.
#24
I don't buy milk. I buy whole powdered milk, about 3 lbs for $15 for adding to my coffee. So instead of spending $4/5 a gallon a week, this lasts 6 months at least.
Breadcrumb. 1 year ago
I don't think it foams the same as oat milk in my cappuccino maker? This is the hill I'll die on life is to short for s**t coffee.
#25
I love refried beans from better (not all) Mexican restaurants. I don’t like canned. I’ve tried making from scratch but they’re not as good. But I found a brand that Walmart sells in a plastic pouch that is very good, and also inexpensive. The brand is La Sierra. The only kind I’ve tried is the regular, but there’s also a chorizo flavor.
#26
I used to buy Gardein beef crumbles until I realized that they're just TVP, which is exceptionally cheap. Same with buying mung bean to make vegan egg substitute instead of shelling out for JustEgg. So much easier to customize when you make both of these things at home
Esist Nosrep 1 year ago (edited)
In my twenties i was all about vegetarianism and veganism, now looking back i can see how most of the products are chemicaly induced and horribly made and farmed with more harm to the nature. Eat local, avoid mass production, thats about best what you can do. When i eat keto i personally feel the best I've felt in years
#27
Bought a soda stream instead of buying seltzers. My seltzer habit was getting a little much for how expensive even off brand seltzers were getting
Flora Porter 1 year ago
A plumber told me to fill a jug from the tap and keep it on the side in the kitchen. Chlorine and other tastes seem to evaporate and it tastes like it comes out of a filter jug.
#28
Popcorn over chips and crackers. I made a great batch last night by popping kernels in veg oil, adding a bit of melted butter and then some cheese powder.
Granola over cereal too if you have extra nuts, trail mix or can make nut-free.
ETA: Check out Hoosier Farms for cheese powder.
Seriously so good. That or flavacol with coconut oil.
Nae who and where 1 year ago
Make your own granola. Not only is it cheaper, but it tastes better and your can control the amount of sugar/salt in it.
#29
Unflavored creamer for my coffee. Like heavy whipping cream or half and half.
I stopped using the sweetened or flavored creamers and now I can't stand them. The after taste is so horrible to me.
I buy cream for cooking so always have some on hand, I don't buy different cream just for my coffee anymore.
Same with flavored coffee. I will now and then get a certain brand as a treat, or see a flavor that sounds interesting and I want to try but I usually regret it. Lol Plain coffee is preferred.
I've always shopped generic/cheapest so can't say inflation has been the main cause of most of my preferences or maybe it's the only cause for my generic preferences. Lol
#30
Drinking water and meatless dishes. I have cut out meat, alcohol and coffee. I didn't consume them much before so it wasn't hard to cut out. I do buy some meat but a lot less. I don't miss them. I prefer water now too.
#31
4lb bag of sliced frozen strawberries at Sam’s Club instead of fresh berries. So convenient, no waste, DEELISH. $9
Fran Morasco 1 year ago
Lookup farmer market or outlets in your area. Just got large strawberries for a dollar each container same I got blackberries and cut up cantaloupe in a large container. They were all dollar each and they were not expired
#32
Aldi brand Oreos are considered far superior to brand name Oreos in my household
#33
Give up on Car dealers for maintenance.
Make my own pizza or little Caesar’s vs the other pizza place where one pizza was $30-35.
Haircuts.. just cut my own.
Starbucks
Diet Pepsi
Packaged/processed food
#34
Hibachi bowls. I like going to the hibachi grill but is an expensive treat. But when I don’t want to spend the money I can create some at home.
Same for form sushi bowl. I make with salmon, white rice, cucumber, avocado, yum yum sauce I diy myself, and some sriracha. Then eat with some seaweed wraps
majandess 1 year ago (edited)
Ooh! I have one! Chinese BBQ pork (char siu). The stuff is so expensive pre-made, but it's super easy to make! And it uses pork shoulder, which semi-frequently goes on sale for cheap (last time I bought it for $0.89/lb). I buy a large bone-in piece, cut the bulk of the meat off the bones (don't work too hard at this!), and then make soup with the bones (gotta leave enough meat on to keep in the soup). We eat the char siu in bowls like this, and it's so good!
#36
Ground meats. They're a lot cheaper than other boneless cuts and can be used in a lot of the same applications. I use ground pork for my stir-fry & rice bowl and it's amazing -- crispy and soda soft, soaks up the sauce and you get a little with every bite.
#37
Plant-based protein. Meat is way too damn expensive
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 1 year ago
Beans. It's all about the beans. If you can nail down how to cook beans, you got your protein set.
#38
Whey protein prices increased like crazy. Protein from MyProtein tastes the same as big name brands and it's almost half the price. Supplements from Bulk Supplements are actually pretty cheap. I get their creatine and it has a bitter taste, but if you mix it with something you don't notice it. I also am realizing how many of the name brands I used to buy are exactly the same as the name brand. Just with different colors on the packaging.
Lyuben Petkov 1 year ago
Indeed - most different brand products are made/sourced by the very same 1 company/factory, but different packages and aromas makes the price
#40
Lamb instead of steak.
Explore more of these tags
What do you think ?
Pittsburgh rare 1 year ago (edited)
These posts are useful but also depressing. I bet most people here works 40h/week if not more, yet we see them giving up meat or fresh produce. I'm having French Revolution ideas.
Mike F 1 year ago
I buy the family pack of meats then wrap or bag them and freeze them. I even do that with frozen fries and tater tots. Saves a bundle.
N. 1 year ago
Keep an eye out for a used vacuum sealer. I live alone so I freeze leftover portions of food to cut back food waste. I preseason some meat before sealing. And soups and sauces are frozen flat in small plastic containers before transferring to vacuum bags. Also keeps me from eating the same leftovers all week if I can just thaw out a bowl of chili or 2 cups of pasta sauce!
Load More Replies... Cat servant 1 year ago
Some of these suggestions are so big city oriented. If you live in smaller cities with little choice these are just not available. When your area has 2 grocery stores, plus Walmart, and Dollar General there is only so much you can do with grocery costs. Forget lamb, maybe you can get it around Easter but chances are not good. Farmers market? 1 day a week downtown with little choices since this is a cotton and cattle producing semi arid region. You really can't afford the water to grow your own vegetables some years when we are under water restrictions. If you are in an area with that kind of variety go for it.
Fran Morasco 1 year ago
Great job on this article. Love hearing about everyone else’s experiences. And so relevant now
Karl 1 year ago
A mate of mine only shops at Waitrose (high end UK supermarket) and insists of brand name items - his weekly bill is several hundred pounds. He refuses to believe that Aldi or Lidl sell non-branded food of comparable quality - even though it would more than halve his shopping bill. More fool him (& his wallet)
The Starsong Princess 1 year ago
I make a big pot of whatever I’m making to use up ingredients so less waste. I freeze it in portions and vacuum seal them in individual portion. They are shaped like bricks so you can fit a huge amount even in my standard fridge freezer. I’ve always got something good to eat that I can heat up quickly. so I get takeout less. Right now, there’s spaghetti sauce, squash soup, chickpea curry, tomato soup, white chili, burrito filling and chicken stock. Also, if I get pizza, I size up as that’s cheaper than buying another pizza and vacuum seal the leftovers. Ten minutes in the air fryer and it’s great.
Livingwithcfs 1 year ago
Bulk cooking, I make enough to feed about 6 and pack 5 into the freezer (live alone) no meat, I spend about 1/4 a week on what I spent making meals every night
Csaba Horvath 1 year ago
What if i buyed the cheapest stuff even before Covid and inflation? :D
Flora Porter 1 year ago
I gave up my freezer because it was enabling me to stockpile ice cream and batch cook treats for no good reason. Also, we refrigerate more than we need to, and a cold larder handles most things.
Ken Beattie 1 year ago
I hate to say it, but that was not your freezer's fault. A decent freezer means you can buy bulk cuts of meat and freeze it, and bulk vegies. Whether it's healthy frozen or junk is on you. I wish I'd had a big chest freezer a few months ago when bulk rump steak dropped to $13/kg here at IGA (Woolies was selling it for $27/kg at the time).
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Pittsburgh rare 1 year ago (edited)
These posts are useful but also depressing. I bet most people here works 40h/week if not more, yet we see them giving up meat or fresh produce. I'm having French Revolution ideas.
Mike F 1 year ago
I buy the family pack of meats then wrap or bag them and freeze them. I even do that with frozen fries and tater tots. Saves a bundle.
N. 1 year ago
Keep an eye out for a used vacuum sealer. I live alone so I freeze leftover portions of food to cut back food waste. I preseason some meat before sealing. And soups and sauces are frozen flat in small plastic containers before transferring to vacuum bags. Also keeps me from eating the same leftovers all week if I can just thaw out a bowl of chili or 2 cups of pasta sauce!
Load More Replies... Cat servant 1 year ago
Some of these suggestions are so big city oriented. If you live in smaller cities with little choice these are just not available. When your area has 2 grocery stores, plus Walmart, and Dollar General there is only so much you can do with grocery costs. Forget lamb, maybe you can get it around Easter but chances are not good. Farmers market? 1 day a week downtown with little choices since this is a cotton and cattle producing semi arid region. You really can't afford the water to grow your own vegetables some years when we are under water restrictions. If you are in an area with that kind of variety go for it.
Fran Morasco 1 year ago
Great job on this article. Love hearing about everyone else’s experiences. And so relevant now
Karl 1 year ago
A mate of mine only shops at Waitrose (high end UK supermarket) and insists of brand name items - his weekly bill is several hundred pounds. He refuses to believe that Aldi or Lidl sell non-branded food of comparable quality - even though it would more than halve his shopping bill. More fool him (& his wallet)
The Starsong Princess 1 year ago
I make a big pot of whatever I’m making to use up ingredients so less waste. I freeze it in portions and vacuum seal them in individual portion. They are shaped like bricks so you can fit a huge amount even in my standard fridge freezer. I’ve always got something good to eat that I can heat up quickly. so I get takeout less. Right now, there’s spaghetti sauce, squash soup, chickpea curry, tomato soup, white chili, burrito filling and chicken stock. Also, if I get pizza, I size up as that’s cheaper than buying another pizza and vacuum seal the leftovers. Ten minutes in the air fryer and it’s great.
Livingwithcfs 1 year ago
Bulk cooking, I make enough to feed about 6 and pack 5 into the freezer (live alone) no meat, I spend about 1/4 a week on what I spent making meals every night
Csaba Horvath 1 year ago
What if i buyed the cheapest stuff even before Covid and inflation? :D
Flora Porter 1 year ago
I gave up my freezer because it was enabling me to stockpile ice cream and batch cook treats for no good reason. Also, we refrigerate more than we need to, and a cold larder handles most things.
Ken Beattie 1 year ago
I hate to say it, but that was not your freezer's fault. A decent freezer means you can buy bulk cuts of meat and freeze it, and bulk vegies. Whether it's healthy frozen or junk is on you. I wish I'd had a big chest freezer a few months ago when bulk rump steak dropped to $13/kg here at IGA (Woolies was selling it for $27/kg at the time).
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