Food hacks to deal with rising food prices/inflation

[Anonymous]

I now do most of my shopping at Lidl. Some things are so much cheaper, especially milk, eggs, and some meats. They have a bakery and often have day old breads at half price. I also buy dried beans now instead of canned, and make a lot of vegetarian soups with beans.

[Anonymous]

Make coffee at home. The biggest $$$ saver in our hh.

Eggs & veggies omelet for dinner.

Eat the bagged salad greens before they go bad.

If we eat out, actually take home the leftovers instead of saying "no thanks" --- someone at home will eat them

[Anonymous]

Some things I make from scratch because I prefer my version over store-bought, but have the added benefit of being cheaper:
Broth / stock - virtually free if you use leftover bones and veggie scraps
Yogurt - 2 qts for the price of a half gallon of milk + starter
Soup - so many options, and you can really stretch a pot of soup with extra broth and rice/noodles

Mix lentils & ground beef 50/50 for tacos, pasta sauce, meatloaf, meatballs, anything you'd use ground beef for.

I'm not convinced that most of my vegetable garden really saves me money, but the herbs definitely do! One little rosemary plant I started 3 years ago is still keeping me supplied. I use a ton of basil all summer. Can grab a few snips of parsley, where I used to end up wasting half of a bunch from the store.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

You're a moron. Who do you think decides how much money the government spends and puts into the economy? Who determines the fed rate? Who affects the money supply (M0, M1, M2)? Debt ceiling? Oil production leases? Gas reserves? Who talks to OPEC members? Who negotiates peace deals? Get a clue!!!! People are in charge of these matters.

Look at this money supply chart:

https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/M1SL

Look at just the incredible amount of extra money recently put into circulation since the pandemic. Its mind boggling.

ok, now explain why inflation is world wide and hitting countries with austerity spending measures in place

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Use the self checkout and give yourself a discount on small expensive things like good cheese, salami, cherries, etc.

Lol!!! I wouldn’t recommend this, but it gave me a laugh.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Use the self checkout and give yourself a discount on small expensive things like good cheese, salami, cherries, etc.

Lol!!! I wouldn’t recommend this, but it gave me a laugh.

Not funny. This will ultimately only make food cost more for everyone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

You're a moron. Who do you think decides how much money the government spends and puts into the economy? Who determines the fed rate? Who affects the money supply (M0, M1, M2)? Debt ceiling? Oil production leases? Gas reserves? Who talks to OPEC members? Who negotiates peace deals? Get a clue!!!! People are in charge of these matters.

Look at this money supply chart:

https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/M1SL

Look at just the incredible amount of extra money recently put into circulation since the pandemic. Its mind boggling.

ok, now explain why inflation is world wide and hitting countries with austerity spending measures in place

Explain why the economy goes to sh- - every time a democrat is in charge. Explain why gas prices skyrocket when a dem is president. When that happens everything gets more expensive. Keep saying that the dems are innocent and looking out for the less fortunate but anyone with a brain and eyes can see what’s really happening.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

I mean, yes, but have you tried eating cabbage twice a day every day? My husband is fine with this and has done it some weeks. I...am not. Other vegetables are not necessarily cheaper fresh, especially from a CSA or farmers market.

[Anonymous]

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

Frozen and canned foods often have more nutritional value because they are preserved immediately upon harvest.

[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.

“Fresh” fruits and vegetables are not healthier than frozen or canned vegetables. That’s a myth. I love a fresh picked tomato as much as anyone, but small farms and farmer’s markets are also very inefficient from an energy standpoint.

[Anonymous]

Eat more soup.

Eat more grains, legumes, and vegetables.

Eat in season.

Buy in bulk.

Don’t buy prepared foods, processed snacks and individually wrapped items.

Just drink filtered tap water - no soda, juice, bottled tea, seltzers, and other drinks.

Good for the wallet and good for your health!

[Anonymous]

If you tend to eat organic, it’s often cheaper to shop at Whole Foods with the Amazon Prime discount instead of buying organic at « regular » supermarkets like Safeway. Recently organic Gala apples were on sale for less than $2/lb and organic eggs were on sale for just over $3 a dozen. The last couple of times I went, some of their frozen organic vegetables and alternative milks were on sale so I stocked up on those. For meat, I buy at the farmers market because the grass fed and pasture beef I buy from Whole Foods has really gone downhill.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

You're a moron. Who do you think decides how much money the government spends and puts into the economy? Who determines the fed rate? Who affects the money supply (M0, M1, M2)? Debt ceiling? Oil production leases? Gas reserves? Who talks to OPEC members? Who negotiates peace deals? Get a clue!!!! People are in charge of these matters.

Look at this money supply chart:

https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/M1SL

Look at just the incredible amount of extra money recently put into circulation since the pandemic. Its mind boggling.

ok, now explain why inflation is world wide and hitting countries with austerity spending measures in place

Explain why the economy goes to sh- - every time a democrat is in charge. Explain why gas prices skyrocket when a dem is president. When that happens everything gets more expensive. Keep saying that the dems are innocent and looking out for the less fortunate but anyone with a brain and eyes can see what’s really happening.

None of what you said is true. Try listening to some real sources to get your info next time and get out of your bunker.

[Anonymous]

OP probably already knows this one but I've switched to gold dust instead of gold leaf for your everyday, non-holiday garnishes.

[Anonymous]

Shopping at Aldi for staples (milk, flour, olive oil, pasta, etc), eating a bit less meat, meal planning so we’re only buying what we actually need for the week/aren’t wasting things.