Reducing grocery and dining costs

[disneysteve]

We live in fly over country so our restaurant bills aren't as high

Have they seen similar inflation though?

We ordered out last night. 3 people. 3 entrees. No appetizers, extra sides, desserts, or beverages. $5 off coupon. 10% tip. Pick up so no delivery fee. Bill came to $67.76. It was good, but that's a lot.

[scfr]

This is an excellent topic. Everyone needs to eat, and food cost is an area that often starts to creep out of control, even before inflation.

We buy many of our groceries at Walmart, using the Walmart credit card for 5% cash back.
We buy some items in bulk at Costco.
I haven't been to Grocery Outlet for a couple months because there isn't one close to our new house; I should plan on making a trip there soon. Same with Winco.

We eliminated waste awhile back by making a pantry inventory. In our new house, the layout of our pantry is good --- it's large and easy to organize & see everything --- in our apartment the pantry was small, narrow and deep and things got lost in the back. I can't remember the last time we threw away something from the fridge or freezer (except for something like the odd leaf of spinach that got crushed and turned ooky).

We are not big on eating out. I'm currently reserving eating out for: 1) treating my mom & brother to an outdoor (or in the car with the windows open) dining out trip for fun. Neither one of them drives now so Mom especially is mostly stuck at home. It may sound small, but sitting in a park munching on a fast-food sandwich can be a real mood booster for her. 2) once a month DH & I get Chinese takeout and stretch it for several meals.
We also buy prepared food at Costco sometimes, for convenience and to NOT eat out.

I'm not a gardener or canner, but I'm using more "stuff in jars" (artichoke tapenade, roasted red peppers, sun dried tomatoes) to jazz up inexpensive staples or even the previously-mentioned frozen pizza. For the pizza, I also add fresh vegetables --- whatever needs to be used up.

I just bought a silicone microwave popcorn maker for making an at-home-movie-watching snack.

A fancy coffee treat is Starbucks instant coffee (see link below if interested) + chocolate Ovaltine + milk.

Tiny spatulas have long been part of my "no food waste" arsenal, to scrape the last little bits out of jars and cans.

What are your favorite things to make in bulk and freeze? I make a big pot of steel cut oatmeal and freeze portions in muffin tins (can explain my technique if anyone's interested). I also make and freeze mini waffles using a Dash mini waffle maker and Kodiak Cakes mix.

https://www.foodbusinessnews.net/art...instant-coffee

[disneysteve]

What are your favorite things to make in bulk and freeze?

Meatballs. This also provides several containers of sauce to use for pasta dishes.
Chili
Soup
Pancakes
Chicken pot pie
DW likes to bake a batch of muffins and freeze those
We make our own limoncello a couple of times a year. I then juice all the lemons and freeze the juice in 1-cup portions to use to make lemonade or for any other things that call for fresh lemon juice.
We've only done it once but I found a good recipe for calzones last year and we made a batch of those for the freezer. They're all gone now. We need to do that again sometime.

[Fishindude77]

The most simple way to keep the costs down is by eating at home and if you work, pack your lunch.
We've got three deer, a hog and a bunch of fish in the freezer, plus a variety of garden produce. About the only meat we ever buy is some chicken or the occasional good steak. Anything that calls for burger uses ground venison.

Eating out is getting pretty crazy.
Dinner and drinks with tip for two of us at a local restaurant / bar the other night was $90. Lunch the other day was $30.
Was with a buddy the other day, pulled into Wendys for two small ice teas and it was $6.50

[disneysteve]

will need a small freezer.

The very first appliance we bought when we got married was a freezer. We were renting a house that had everything else but the spare freezer allowed us to cook and shop in bulk to save money back when frugality was a necessity. We've maintained one ever since. It has saved us thousands over the years.

[kork13]

What are your favorite things to make in bulk and freeze?

I do this alot!
- Pasta sauce (and other sauces) -- make a big pot & freeze it in ice cube trays. 4-5 cubes per person, thawed in a pot with a bit of milk.
- Waffles & pancakes -- make a bunch on the weekend, freeze them between wax paper in- Spinach -- buy a huge Costco bag, freeze it in reusable gallon bags, & crunch it up into the blender for smoothies (we do smoothies 2+ times a week).
- Ground meat -- buy it in bulk when on sale, cook it up 3-5lbs at a time, & freeze in 1lb bags.
- Stir fry -- prep chicken & veggies, individually freeze the sliced veggies & marinate chicken in a bag, then put everything together in another bag & it's ready to pull out of the freezer & cook fast.

That's just a few of our more common ones. But our biggest things for saving money on food costs is to just buy in bulk & always bring my lunch to work. We

In addition to our kitchen fridge/freezer, we have a mid-sized chest freezer (9-10ft³), and a larger (~20ft³) standing freezer. They both are often full, but we do a decent job of rotating what's in there. It's so incredibly useful, and has assuredly saved us thousands over time... We eat out only infrequently (2-3x a month), and it's easy to work with & preserve bulk amounts.

[scfr]

The most simple way to keep the costs down is by eating at home and if you work, pack your lunch.

Absolutely! Some things are so second nature I don't even think to mention. I always pack my meal, as well as my refillable bottle of water.

[kork13]

Absolutely! Some things are so second nature I don't even think to mention. I always pack my meal, as well as my refillable bottle of water.

That's a good point as well. I always have my steel water bottle with me, and we never have to buy water. Not to mention the savings of plastic bottles...

[LivingAlmostLarge]

I buy a lot of meat in bulk especially ground beef, turkey, and pork and package like kork into 1 lb bags. I've been doing it since college and I've always done chicken thighs and other meats. But now the price of all groceries is sky high. Trying to not buy much and I still spend $520 in January on Groceries. We spent $242 on eating out 2 take out meals, couple of fast food, couple of coffees, etc. Trying to keep it below $400 and groceries below $800. Last year we spent $668 average a month groceries and $486 on eating out.

[optimist]

I have a teenage boy who is into weight lifting and eats three pounds of meat per day, so grocery costs have been a major concern for me. My coping mechanism is to buy the cheapest source of protein available and cook at home with lots of veggies for a healthy and budget-friendly diet. I make multiple recipes with ground beef (korean, chinese, indian, chili, meatloaf, etc.), ground turkey (pasta sauce, meatballs), and probably 20 different recipes with chicken drumsticks. I could probably publish a cookbook on how to feed a teenager. Still, a prepaid meal plan could be a very good deal for us when he goes to college.

[disneysteve]

I have a teenage boy who is into weight lifting and eats three pounds of meat per day, so grocery costs have been a major concern for me. My coping mechanism is to buy the cheapest source of protein available

I can't help but notice you only mention meat-based proteins. Don't forget beans, soy, and other plant-based sources which are often cheaper and give you additional variety to the meals.

[scfr]

I had to run an errand near a Grocery Outlet so I decided to stop in. I added a few items to the freezer and pantry. I think the best deal was an Udi's Sweet Potato crust BBQ Chicken pizza for $2.99. In my mind, that beats the Domino's $3 off for pickup.

[optimist]

I can't help but notice you only mention meat-based proteins. Don't forget beans, soy, and other plant-based sources which are often cheaper and give you additional variety to the meals.

I wish he would eat tofu and such. No luck!

[disneysteve]

I wish he would eat tofu and such. No luck!

You just need to find a way to prepare it that he doesn't mind (or doesn't even notice). Stews and casseroles are good for that sort of thing. Some don't like the consistency of tofu but when it's baked, it really transforms it. Then there is seitan and other vegetarian protein products. Message me if you want to know how we bake it. It's quite simple but makes a big difference.

[disneysteve]

I’m trying to form a new habit of making my 3-day weekend cooking time. That’s every other week for me. Last time was chili and meatballs. This week so far it’s been Parmesan cheese crisps, zucchini potato pancakes, and a tray of chicken tenderloins.