Food hacks to deal with rising food prices/inflation

[Anonymous]

A couple of years ago I made some drastic changes to the way we eat/shop that have allowed our grocery bills to remain pretty stable:

1. I cook almost entirely vegetarian meals. I was amazed how HUGE the savings are when you don't eat meat. Lots of beans, lentils, eggs.

2. I buy high-quality specialty dried beans, lentils, and grains from online companies and stock up when they have sales or I get a coupon. I try not to make grocery store trips.

3. I belong to a local CSA and only use the produce provided, so I eat locally and plan meals around what is available. This is $44/week for a family of four and provides more produce than we can actually eat.

4. I buy eggs, milk, and dairy products from a local farm. I pay $99/year for free delivery and the cost of the products is lower than the grocery store ($3.90 half gallon of organic, glass bottled milk and $4.30/dozen for free range organic eggs).

5. A few times during the summer and fall I go out to a good pick-your-own farm and stock up on berries, tomatoes, fruits, etc. and then can so I have preserved food year-found.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What ideas/changes have you made to deal with/react to rising food prices?




Eat squirrels.


Always share with your neighbors.

Okay, unless you are surrounded by acres of your own wilderness, don't do this. These little guys probably ingest a lot of pesticides from the surrounding environment, not to mention other things you might have to worry about.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What ideas/changes have you made to deal with/react to rising food prices?




Eat squirrels.


Always share with your neighbors.

Okay, unless you are surrounded by acres of your own wilderness, don't do this. These little guys probably ingest a lot of pesticides from the surrounding environment, not to mention other things you might have to worry about.

[Anonymous]

We don't eat red meat, but we just buy in season and on sale. We're also careful about using up leftovers.

[Anonymous]

1. Watch for sales on things we consume normally and stock up. When HT has our coffee at almost half price I buy 3 or 4 bags of it. Same with other shelf or frozen staples like crackers, dried pasta or bags of frozen vegetables. Same thing with basic meats like ground turkey or chicken breasts.

2. I'm flexible on brands when it comes to things like bread, toilet paper, canned beans, ice cream and as many other things as possible.

3. When shopping buy based on unit price, make sure you're getting the most for your money.

4. My DH is a big meat and potatoes kind of guy, but I am working on getting at least 2 meatless meals into our rotation per week. It's a start. We both pack lunches.

[Anonymous]

How about we pray that an elected leader fixes our inflation crisis? Then we can go back to eating normal food.

[Anonymous]

Soylent Green!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How about we pray that an elected leader fixes our inflation crisis? Then we can go back to eating normal food.

Elected leaders can't fix inflation. If that was the case, we'd still be in big trouble as we have no ability to elect leaders in countries around the world that are also suffering from inflation. Global economy = global issue.

[Anonymous]

Lots of great ideas. I would just add a few

1) make stock. It's really simple if you have a crockpot. It's a great way to add the flavor of meat to a dish without the expense.

2) Sweet potatoes, chickpeas, eggs, bananas in addition to the previous suggestions of broc and cabb pack a lot of nutrition/$. I tend to think more about the nutritional value of food for the money.

3) Meal planning in general or making sure there is no waste.

4) Add your favorite flavors to a basic dish. I love an aged soy sauce that is pricier than the average soy. But I love it and I need only a small amount to make eggs/broc/rice taste a bit more special. Sometimes something can seem too pricey, but it really offers a way to enjoy meals that can feel a bit plain or utilitarian. If you love avocado, maybe it's fewer pieces in the salad but you don't have to cut it out.

5) Stews. Maybe this one echoes the recommendation to use meat more as a component of a meal than as a main. There are so many cheaper cuts that are flavorful but need some extra cooking time.

6) You might try pre-ordering from local farms to be picked up at a farmer's market. Sometimes, they may have some better pricing/quality than ordering/shipping.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

+ 1
- Lentils & Beans are shelf-stable and you can buy in bulk. It gives you fiber and protein.

- Eat a lot more veggies and jazz up your food with herbs and spices.

- Cook from scratch

- Make dishes that have lots of veggies and only some amount of meat in it to flavor it well.

- Experiment with different cuisines and shop in ethnic stores, farmers market.

Most important is to buy less food. I shop every 3 days. I no longer have to throw away moldy fruits etc, because for a family of 4, I will buy only 3 days worth of fruits. For example - 12 bananas, 6 peaches, 6 apples, 6 pears, 4 oranges, a bag of grapes or box of berries. Family average 2-4 helping of fruits every day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

OP, this is what is included in a popular Omaha Steaks Value Freezer Filler:

4 (6 oz.) Bacon-Wrapped Filet Mignons
4 (5 oz.) Butcher's Cut Top Sirloins
4 (5 oz.) Air-Chilled Boneless Chicken Breasts
4 (6 oz.) Omaha Steaks Burgers
4 (3 oz.) Gourmet Jumbo Franks
4 (4 oz.) Caramel Apple Tartlets
1 (3.1 oz. jar) Omaha Steaks Seasoning

This gives you 100 oz. of meat, or 6.25 lbs. It is currently 53% off, which means it is "only" $169.99. Let's assume that they are the most expensive apply tartlets and steak seasoning on the planet, and together they cost $45. You are still paying $20/lb for all the meat included, and the majority of it is hot dogs, burgers, and chicken.

If you think this is a hack, I really don't know what to tell you. You'd be better off eating all the $3.00 avocados you can find.

[Anonymous]

I like to make blended vegetable soups like squash and carrot and potato. Now, instead of just using it as a starter for a meal, I will put the soup over rice or millet or barley (from the bulk bins of course) and eat it as the main course.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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

It's cheaper in the sense that it tastes better, so people will eat more of it compared to processed/canned veg. Plus it's healthier, so you will pay less in health costs in the end than if you just ate processed food. Finally, you can indeed get very cheap fresh food, if you know where to look. Grocery store apps that are giving way close to expired fresh food away for cheap, farmer's market end of the day sales, buying in season, etc. I use these options all the time.

I’m pretty sure cabbage, beans, eggs, rice, bananas, are cheaper than frozen and canned meals.

[Anonymous]

The squirrels in my yard have become fat gorging on my abundantly-producing fig trees, all organic.

[Anonymous]

Some grocery stores put meat on "managers special" sales the day before they are even due - you will find these first thing in the morning, if you have a flexible schedule. Also, no lines.

I have been buying larger pieces of meat - like entire pork tenderloins (10+ lbs.) when they are 1.99 and then processing them myself for thick pork chops for grilling, thin ones for making cutlets and also stir fry. Not hard to do with a sharp knife - and I would buy even more if I had a storage freezer. One of these can last close to a month in our family of four. We eat meat 3-5 nights a week.

No fruit out of season - so we are eating apples and pears now. Soon to be lots of citrus. Berries only in the summer, unless frozen.