Food hacks to deal with rising food prices/inflation

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For those of us who enjoy meat, one of my “hacks” is to use half ground beef/half ground turkey for any ground meat recipe like chili, bolognese, meatloaf, etc. You get that savory meaty taste, since the beefy flavor still dominates, but you save money since ground turkey is cheaper.

Not much cheaper.

How about meatloaf?

Oh, never mind, I see you already listed meatloaf. Sorry.

[Anonymous]

We just eat less red meat. Good for us anyway. Have more meals that aren't protein main and sides. But all together like rice bowls with lentils and a fried egg. More soups. More eggs for dinner in a variety of ways. I just shop less in an effort to throw out less. It helps.

[Anonymous]

I made sure at least one or two of our weekly meals are super low cost (think sweet potato and quinoa or French toast) really makes a difference

[Anonymous]

We are more careful with our produce, so as to make sure nothing goes to waste. If the berries are not looking as fresh, we'll chop them up and heat with a little sugar to make a fruit topping. I've got one of my kids taking care of this. It keep longer in the fridge and they like it over pancakes or yogurt.

We've also been keeping track of bits of leftover veggies and using them for frittatas for dinner every so often. Often, I'll add just a little bit of sausage or bacon, to make DH happy.

[Anonymous]

1. I cook from scratch with in season foods
2. We almost only buy proteins on sale, and favor larger cuts (pork butt; bone-in turkey breast) that I can roast or smoke and will last many meals.
3. Protein is an accent, not a main event.

In addition to inflation, climate and logistical issues are making some foods scarce. I think we need to be adaptable with recipes.

[Anonymous]

I focus on the stuff that has always been cheap:

- Chicken
- Whole pork shoulders (slow cook for pulled pork)
- Ground beef is still pretty affordable
- Cabbage
- Bananas
- Broccoli
- Eggs

I'm less good about this, but shopping in person twice a week tends to really help me reduce waste

[Anonymous]

I +1 the previous PP!


Cabbage is awesome as a filler and really healthy for you. If you are in a rush, you can get a little bag of coleslaw cabbage and use that. Yes, it's more expensive than a head of cabbage, but it's still cheap.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here’s a “hack” for you, OP.
Stop eating so much meat.

+1. It also saves you money on medical bills down the road

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I +1 the previous PP!


Cabbage is awesome as a filler and really healthy for you. If you are in a rush, you can get a little bag of coleslaw cabbage and use that. Yes, it's more expensive than a head of cabbage, but it's still cheap.

Cabbage also lasts FOREVER. Like I think it is impossible for it to go to waste. At worst you strip off the outer leaves.

My biggest Cabbage Hack: shred a bit for a salad and massage it with kosher salt to make the texture a little more tender and flavorful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:1. I cook from scratch with in season foods
2. We almost only buy proteins on sale, and favor larger cuts (pork butt; bone-in turkey breast) that I can roast or smoke and will last many meals.
3. Protein is an accent, not a main event.

In addition to inflation, climate and logistical issues are making some foods scarce. I think we need to be adaptable with recipes.

I really wish the fresh food is cheaper myth would die. Maybe that was true at some point in history, but processed and frozen food is far cheaper than fresh fruits and vegetables. There are plenty of great reason to from scratch, but cost savings are not one of them

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here’s a “hack” for you, OP.
Stop eating so much meat.

I came here to post the same thing.

This, OP. For so many reasons, you should be eating less meat.

Did you read her post? The OP doesn't even eat meat - this is for her DH and it sounds like he's cutting back.

Thank you for reading carefully! Yes, this is OP + I have not eaten meat for 30 years. And, I know a lot of people (especially men) who still want to eat some. We just stopped eating certain foods this summer such as avacados- once they hit $3.00- I just said "no". We are also just eating less in general.

[Anonymous]

I buy marked down meat (usually with a close sell by date).

I cook cheaper recipes (pasta and stir fry come to mind).

Drastically limit takeout (we are down 75% this month).

I try to use what we have.

Plant our own herbs.

Freeze leftovers instead of them going to waste.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I buy marked down meat (usually with a close sell by date).

I cook cheaper recipes (pasta and stir fry come to mind).

Drastically limit takeout (we are down 75% this month).

I try to use what we have.

Plant our own herbs.

Freeze leftovers instead of them going to waste.

Forgot to add on the marked down meat, I stock up and put it in the deep freezer.

[Anonymous]

I grew lots of vegetables in my garden in the summer. We had tons of tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers. We grew other stuff too, but had tons of peppers, tomatoes and cucumbers. It did save money since I buy those every week when I’m not growing them. I’m currently looking into what I can grow during fall/winter. Also thinking of what I’ll grow next spring/summer.

Other than that, I buy extra of something if I see a good price. We keep a storage shelf in the basement to store extra food like canned goods etc. I also quit buying certain things if the price is too high. The prices have tripled on many things. It’s unacceptable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I buy marked down meat (usually with a close sell by date).

I cook cheaper recipes (pasta and stir fry come to mind).

Drastically limit takeout (we are down 75% this month).

I try to use what we have.

Plant our own herbs.

Freeze leftovers instead of them going to waste.

Forgot to add on the marked down meat, I stock up and put it in the deep freezer.

Those are all good ideas!