I shop at Costco probably once/month.

I subscribe to a grocery delivery service. It seems counterintuitive, but the cost of the service is really minimal when divided over the course of the year and when I know I can get another delivery quickly later in the week I don’t buy as much on a one weekly trip because I have to “ stock up” and then inevitably I wind up throwing things out because our plans change. It’s much more economical to just order a small amount of groceries to be delivered every two or three days.

We buy meat from a farm that cost less than half of what it would in the store, and is still even less expensive than Costco.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am also shocked by people who refuse to eat leftovers. I take my lunch to work and often it’s a hodge podge of bits of leftovers on a bed of greens or over rice. I save SO much money that way and I truly do enjoy it (aka I’m not suffering)

My coworkers doordashing $100/week for 5 lunches look at me like I’m the crazy one.

NP, and same here, but I do this with breakfast. I get free lunch at work, and some coworkers say they would NEVER eat that, we HAVE to order in, why would you even CONSIDER it. Well, because it's balanced, tasty, reasonably healthy, and free. Some coworkers order in breakfast and lunch.

Free lunch and they don’t take it???

+1 on the meal planning and leftovers for lunch.
-The kid's snacks really add up over here so I try my best to limit/shop the sales.
-I make most food from scratch and don't buy precut vegetables unless it's something I find annoying to cut. I've pretty much cut out organic.
-I try to do one tofu meal a week because it's insanely cheap.
-Homemade pizza is also a cheap meal so I put that into the rotation frequently.

Stop buying chips and junk food

Honestly, we rarely eat out, skip Starbucks, boba drinks, etc. Those add up quickly.

We shop at Aldis and lidl for many things.

We also shop Asian grocery stores.

Some of them have food courts and we eat there for sushi and noodles.

I grocery shop at aldi maybe every other week, Costco maybe once a month or longer. I may go to the closest supermarket for little something in between ( wegmans for cheese bread or Harris teeter for banana). I may buy things I need when I see it’s on sale, but I don’t buy things because it’s on sale. I don’t really check sales ad because Aldi price’s lower already, and going to more stores I may buy more spend more and waste time. We barely eat out, we do take out from store like Taco Bell or Chipotle 1-2 times a month.

I stopped buying organic long ago (unless it’s a great sale)

I have found a few generic products to replace brand name.

I reduced meat consumption

I try to plan meals two days at a time rather than doing 4-5 because that leads to food waste when our plans change. In addition, I buy produce as I go because I find it rots too quickly

I try to only purchase items that are on sale unless they are essential (out of milk or eggs)

I live in NYC and do the majority of my shopping at Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods, which is actually one of the cheaper options relative to local chains. I review the sales flyer at Whole Foods every week (it comes out on Wednesday) and if there’s meat or fish on sale that I like, I’ll buy it and freeze for later.

Also, learn to like and cook tofu. It’s dirt cheap.

Shopping sales (and buy extra when something nonperishable goes on sale), meal planning, and double-batchinggl and freezing leftovers are your best bets

Start small, trying one thing to improve your budget, and if it goes well, try one more. Don't make a lot of big changes all at once, you won't be able to sustain it

For a while I was buying the 90 sec rice pouches. Now I buy the 20 min rice and make a large bath and refrigerate some and freeze some. Not a genius idea I know but I can’t believe how long it took me to do this.
We all like potatoes. Potatoes are cheap and good for you.
I buy the Trader Joe’s lentil soup and add black beans. We have that over rice or potatoes with some shredded cheese on top at least once a week.
Make minestrone soup. Vegetables are cheap, kidney beans are just over $1 a can, whatever mini pasta you like. I make enough for 2-3 meals.

PP again—I also make a salad or “bowl” with leftovers for lunch every day and take it to work. DH mostly eats leftovers for lunch too or he makes a sandwich. I finally got him to stop buying expensive breakfast sandwiches and eat overnight oats or egg bites that I prepare for the week.

-I make my own chicken stock from veggie scraps and reserved chicken carcasses (collected and stored in freezer until ready to use). Any time I roast a chicken/turkey or chicken parts or buy a rotisserie chicken I reserve the bones so I almost never have to buy stock.
-Freeze bread, cheese, fruit, herbs, and vegetables that won’t get used before they go bad. Bread just goes in the toaster oven or gets used to make panade for meatballs or breadcrumbs. Fruits go in smoothies or coulis. Veggies and fresh herbs get used in sauces or stock. Freeze tomato paste in 1-2 tablespoon increments. Same with pesto (although can do with a larger container if you have a lot). Ginger can be grated straight from the freezer. Cheese can be made into fromage fort (see Jacques Pepin’s recipe or ATK).
-plan upcoming meals around what’s still in the fridge to use up leftovers.
-Make some low-cost dinners each week like veggie frittata, crepes with banana and peanut butter, grilled cheese and crudités w/ hummus.
-A few days after entertaining, have a cheese and crudités platter for dinner to use things up.
Basically, my main strategy is to reduce waste and use up what I have.

Anonymous wrote:I am also shocked by people who refuse to eat leftovers. I take my lunch to work and often it’s a hodge podge of bits of leftovers on a bed of greens or over rice. I save SO much money that way and I truly do enjoy it (aka I’m not suffering)

My coworkers doordashing $100/week for 5 lunches look at me like I’m the crazy one.

NP, and same here, but I do this with breakfast. I get free lunch at work, and some coworkers say they would NEVER eat that, we HAVE to order in, why would you even CONSIDER it. Well, because it's balanced, tasty, reasonably healthy, and free. Some coworkers order in breakfast and lunch.

Fried rice is really inexpensive to make, and everybody likes it. It only needs eggs (and add a tbsp of Chinese bean paste when you beat the eggs before scrambling, a $5 jar would last a month), frozen peas and corns, leftover rice, and oil and salt (you don't even need soy sauce). If you like more protein, add ham, chicken, shrimp, tofu.... whatever you have in hand. Just make sure you stir fry everything separately then add back to the rice. And it is quick, takes 15 minutes or less.

We stock up using sales. We shop at multiple grocery stores. We buy store brands. No meat unless it is both not-almost-expired and on sale. Walmart, Aldi, and Lidl are great for many staples.