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  • JNLjnl@hcommons.social
    Oct 12, 2026, 11:25 PM

    And finally, there are some specific recipes that are amazing value for work involved/$ spent

    This is why I posted my hilarious costo fries frittata 2 months ago and why I tell you I make amazing chicken broth with our saved vegetable scraps (big ziploc bag in the fridge, everywhere and always) every time I buy a rotisserie chicken or bone-in anything--because IT'S EASY, GOOD FOOD THAT IS ~ FREE

    One hack: buy "split top chicken breasts"- your grocer/butcher can point them out to you. They are huge, bone-in, and you probably don't know what to do with them.

    Here's what (trust me): Oven @ 350, Peel 4 carrots and 3 medium potatoes. Cut in thick slices (yes, THICK, the carrots, too). Put oil on a baking sheet- we like to use foil too, for easy clean up- put the carrots and potatoes on the sheet, flip once to coat, salt and pepper, put chicken on top of the veggies, salt, spice, oil on chix to taste, bake for like 50 min; BOOM. Amazing dinner for ten bucks. Leftovers. Bones for broth. 🙌

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Replies

  • JNLjnl@hcommons.social
    Oct 12, 2026, 11:29 PM

    I'm not into "pretend poor" but the affordability crisis is pretty intense for anyone who pays monthly bills. We are definitely paying attention; like yours, our margin is getting sucked toward serving someone else's. (This morning I held in my hands a small jar of mayo PRICED AT TEN US DOLLARS. AND THEN I PUT IT BACK. LMAO.)

    Anyway, I'd love to hear your tips, tricks, and magical know how. I think we are in for quite a winter, northern hemisphere side.

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  • Flash Mob Of OneFlashMobOfOne@mstdn.social
    Oct 12, 2026, 11:36 PM

    @jnl If you have a few minutes, I made a video on methods for avoiding surveillance pricing. That might help.

    youtu.be/U3h00WRQFn4

    Whatever your shopping list is, make an account on slickdeals.net and set up alerts for it. This is a community that boosts shopping deals and it may help you acquire grocery and toiletry items you use often in bulk.

    Apart from that, buy in bulk where possible. That's a guaranteed price reduction over the long term.

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  • monkϵyborg 🦾🐵monkeyborg@triangletoot.party
    Oct 13, 2026, 12:43 AM

    @jnl I used to pour out cooking liquid or the liquid from canned goods, now I save it and cook rice, corn grits, or quinoa in it for extra flavor and nutrients.

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  • Jenn (But, Like, Scary 🎃)titania@retro.pizza
    Oct 13, 2026, 12:45 AM

    @jnl BudgetBytes was my go-to in grad school. I don't really use it now (I have gotten a lot better at cooking and I rarely use recipes), but it's really fucking useful if you are an unsure cook, unused to cooking most of what you eat, etc. Recipes are all pretty easy and they help you think about pricing it out per serving, if that matters: budgetbytes.com/

    otherwise: if you can, split a Costco membership with someone else. plan trips together; split items that your household wants but you know you can't eat all of (for us, that's usually meat etc, because it is cheaper there per pound than most other places).

    also, this is a weird one, but: you are probably using too much laundry detergent. bad for your washer, bad for the environment, costs you a lot of money. Details here: nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews

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  • Karen ConlinGramrgednAngel@beige.party
    Oct 13, 2026, 1:34 AM

    @titania @jnl Don't sell BudgetBytes short! I've been cooking for decades and it's one of my go-to sites when I want something new.

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  • Jenn (But, Like, Scary 🎃)titania@retro.pizza
    Oct 13, 2026, 1:37 AM

    @GramrgednAngel I didn't think I did! It's a very handy site! I am more "I know what I want to make and what the ingredients likely are, what's the optimal technique" now, so my recipe-sleuthing looks very different from what they offer, but I am a weirdo who cooks something like 90% of what we eat, including making all of our bread, pasta, etc, so I am not the target audience for their recipes, and that was all I meant to imply! :)

    (Cooking is very much one of my hobbies and I enjoy it a lot; I do not think most of what I do is typical or sustainable even among people who do like to cook, and I don't recommend it unless you too are a big ol' weirdo.)

    @jnl

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  • Jenn (But, Like, Scary 🎃)titania@retro.pizza
    Oct 13, 2026, 12:59 AM

    @jnl oh, *also*!

    Recognize that your time is valuable, as is your effort, and be realistic, not aspirational, in your meal-planning.

    If you have a week where everyone has something going on after work/school and you *know* you're going to be exhausted and not want to cook...fine! Buy the premade frozen lasagna or whatever. Get the stuff for a "dump dinner" that you throw in the slow cooker or InstantPot.

    You need to look at your time and energy budgets as well as your monetary budget when you're doing meal planning, or you *will* burn out and waste ingredients (and money).

    Also if you're an unsure cook, start with recipes where the ingredients themselves are familiar. "Previously we lived mostly on frozen meals and takeout and now we want to cut our budget down, so we're reducing takeout" -- cool, totally get you, great plan, but maybe don't start with the dish that requires fourteen different things, only two of which you have on hand. Start simple, build on success, you'll do better.

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  • JNLjnl@hcommons.social
    Oct 13, 2026, 1:05 AM

    @titania omg this so much.

    Y'all, anyone reading who wants to cook but doesn't think it "counts" if it's not extremely fucking complicated, I would guess that MOST of us who learned to cook did so as small people adjacent to a kitchen that was there primarily to get people fed, overseen by a person who knew how to do what needed to be done to meet that goal. THE GOAL OF FEEDING PEOPLE.

    Getting yourself/your family fed is "cooking." It counts. It ALL THE WAY COUNTS.

    Just get it figured out in a way that works and the creative pieces come along the way. You got this.

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  • Jenn (But, Like, Scary 🎃)titania@retro.pizza
    Oct 13, 2026, 1:21 AM

    @jnl truly I think a lot of the tips re: "how to save money through cooking" like making your own stock etc are great *if you have the time and you know how to cook*. What is intuitive to people like you and me is not intuitive to the poor grad student who is living on their own for the first time and realizing how very little $25k/year gets you.

    Learning how to make meals that you like, where you will *eat the leftovers*, *if there are any*, is pretty key.

    Also learning about food safety and when to call it quits on leftovers is pretty useful, too. foodsafety.gov/food-safety-cha

    (I don't personally adhere to their chicken guidelines but only because 1-2 days is a wildly short turnaround time; I've never had anything spoil in my appropriately-temped-fridge in that time frame, everyone needs to figure out their own risk levels but this is at least a good start.)

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  • Steve Gisselbrechtstevegis_ssg@mas.to
    Oct 13, 2026, 2:27 AM

    @titania @jnl

    I don't even know how to get people to want to eat leftovers and I wish I did.

    GUYS IT'S FREE FOOD! IT'S ALREADY COOKED! YOU CAN JUST HAVE IT!

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  • JNLjnl@hcommons.social
    Oct 13, 2026, 2:29 AM

    @stevegis_ssg @titania I mean if they are people in your home, the answer is a family food budget with rewards at the end; you basically bribe yourselves to eat your leftovers but I can testify, it works

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  • Sam LevineSRLevine@neuromatch.social
    Oct 13, 2026, 2:39 AM

    @stevegis_ssg @titania @jnl When you live by yourself it's looking at the fridge and going "suck it up buttercup, it's pasta with weird veggies all week". And then sighing and putting your pasta in the microwave and knowing you have only yourself to blame for the weird veggies combo.

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  • Shaula EvansShaulaEvans@zirk.us
    Oct 13, 2026, 4:23 AM

    @stevegis_ssg @titania @jnl

    My best tricks to revive leftovers for myself:

    - Add some acid (apple cider vinegar, citrus juice) to brighten it up.
    - Add more spices/herbs
    - Add a sauce.
    - Melt (dairy or non-dairy) cheese on top
    - Reheat as a stirfry, hash, scramble, etc.
    - Put it in soup, ochazuke, congee
    - Make a portion for dinner and one for tomorrows breakfast
    - Freeze a portion for emergency back-up meals

    It works better for me to give an old dish new life than reheat/repeat for days.

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  • Shaula EvansShaulaEvans@zirk.us
    Oct 13, 2026, 4:26 AM

    @stevegis_ssg @titania @jnl I try hard to keep plastic out of my kitchen, so refrigeration often happens in recycled glass jars, and freezing is in freezer-proof wide-mouth mason jars of different sizes with silicone lids or food freezer trays (e.g., soup cubes) which I empty into larger silicone freezer containers (when I'm on top of my game, anyway).

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  • Bruno Girinbrunogirin@mastodon.me.uk
    Oct 13, 2026, 6:05 PM

    @titania @jnl
    So much this! Most of the food I cook day to day is from a small number of recipes with a few ingredients, some if them are optional or can be swapped out when I don't have them on hand. Go to "I'm tired" meal: pasta with tomato sauce. Salads are great too because they don't need cooking. Or when I do a bake, I do too much on purpose so I have some to reheat in the microwave the following days.

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  • irrational methodIrrationalMethod@social.coop
    Oct 13, 2026, 1:19 AM

    @jnl

    I had a hard time thinking of things when you first posted, because we haven't really adapted in the last year, but realized your extended thread covered a lot of what we've been doing for a long time.

    My spouse does almost all of our meal planning, starting with what's in the fridge/freezer and needs to get used up, "clipping coupons" in the store app, and watching for sales on things like shrimp or salmon that are nice to have, but an infrequent treat, and then we do a fair bit of meal prep on Sunday to have healthy/affordable options for weekday lunches.

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  • irrational methodIrrationalMethod@social.coop
    Oct 13, 2026, 1:22 AM

    @jnl

    There's a balance between buying cheap, healthy, and convenient, and it's not always easy to feel like one is successful at all three.

    Particularly with prices going up quickly, it's helpful to have a sanity check that it's not lifestyle creep on our part, so we look at the USDA cost of food reports, updated monthly, and I presume are still accurately done.

    fna.usda.gov/research/cnpp/usd

    Not a fix or tip for eating cheap, but makes it easier to know when it's not you, it's the system.

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  • LemniscateLemniscate@infosec.exchange
    Oct 13, 2026, 1:38 AM

    @IrrationalMethod @jnl I’ve been looking at these numbers over the past year too and it’s indeed very helpful to calibrate. Doesn’t make me happier about the prices, but I can at least tell it’s not me being extravagant at the grocery.

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  • LemniscateLemniscate@infosec.exchange
    Oct 13, 2026, 1:36 AM

    @jnl

    Meal planning and slow cooker usage as you mentioned. I’ve also been pressure cooking beans more often (I live at altitude so that’s a necessity for most bean prep).

    An upright freezer in the garage is a huge help, so that I can buy more of certain things when they are on sale, as well as freeze snacks and dinner servings. I try to always have some dinner options frozen to prevent emergency takeout plans when I’m not up to cooking.

    I keep most flour, all the rice, nuts and dried fruit in the freezer, which keeps it in quality shape longer.

    For spices/herbs I use the most, I look at savings on buying in bulk; the price difference in a bag or other large container over small jar can be major in some cases. I don’t buy bulk for things I use slowly as the taste deteriorates. I’m also planning on getting a bigger tin of olive oil and dispensing it into a smaller (dark glass) bottle for use as my household uses a lot of it and I’ve done some math on it.

    I keep an eye on prices for the things bought most often and, as needed, cut back on certain things or switch brand if it’s getting absurd.

    I keep a list of partially used perishable ingredients so that I remember to include them in the week’s plan. I monitor food waste closely and it’s been reduced to almost (but not quite - yet!) none.

    If you have a library card to a library with Libby use, look for good cookbooks to checkout. Having an ebook copy means it’s extra quick to search for ingredients you want to use amongst the recipes, but it’s also just a nice free way to find good recipes (I see ever more errors on some recipe sites and more things generated with LLMs.). Many libraries have a lot of the America’s Test Kitchen cookbook line and those are well tested and clearly written.

    I bake a fair bit so most treats like cookies etc are homemade and it’s way cheaper than equivalent items bought in town. It’s a more rural area so bakery goods can be very expensive.

    Last year I made and canned a lot of jam and swapped flavours with a friend who did the same. But a late freeze this year ruined the fruit harvest.

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  • datum (n=1)datum@zeroes.ca
    Oct 13, 2026, 2:11 AM

    @Lemniscate @jnl

    If you have a library card

    Oooh, on that note, lots of libraries carry Consumer Reports, and they are ABSOLUTELY worth reading before spending money.

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  • CohenTheBluecohentheblue@ohai.social
    Oct 13, 2026, 6:03 AM

    @Lemniscate @jnl What is your reasoning on EDIT: pressure cooker being a must for bean prep?

    I usually keep dried beans over night in a bowl of water, strain them / change water a few times before boiling. Similar treatment for dried peas. Beans need to boil a little longer than peas in my experience, perhaps 15 minutes before vegetables in the pot for peas and 30 minutes for beans. Then 15 minutes after adding the vegetables, comes out about right. Usually I make 3-4 litres at a time.

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  • LemniscateLemniscate@infosec.exchange
    Oct 13, 2026, 5:02 PM

    @cohentheblue @jnl I live in the mountains and it impacts baking, bean cooking, etc. due to atmospheric pressure being lower and thus boiling point being lower. It can take much longer to cook beans and some types don’t really ever get soft enough. Some are doable with a longer time like Anasazi beans. Lentils are fine, they don’t take much longer on the stove.

    I soak beans in a brine for a while and then pressure cook them, with a slight increase in the time under pressure (another high altitude factor) and they work out great.

    For baking, King Arthur has a whole page of helpful modifications for high altitude baked goods. The biggest issues I’ve noticed personally are with cakes and some yeast breads.

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  • CohenTheBluecohentheblue@ohai.social
    Oct 13, 2026, 6:06 AM

    @Lemniscate @jnl My usual approach to recipes is making a pot with one change and if it tastes ok, it's now a recipe.

    Usually I write notes about most things, I rarely do with food. More guidelines than exact recipes.

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  • Patrick McLaughlinMcPatrick@mastodon.social
    Oct 15, 2026, 6:24 AM

    @Lemniscate @jnl

    Ah, I miss our (chest) deep freezer. But we’re in temporary longer term housing and moving, so replacing it and stocking it now would be foolish. Cooking larger batches and freezing portions for later, just rough processing lots of tomatoes for winter and early spring, etc, etc., etc.

    Maybe in a year...

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  • datum (n=1)datum@zeroes.ca
    Oct 13, 2026, 2:07 AM

    @jnl Nice advice you shared above.

    A good one is overnight oats. A tiny fraction of the cost of boxed breakfast cereals, none of the added sugar, and not bad for plant protein.

    Another is connecting with a family that keeps laying chickens. Big organic eggs from happy chickens at the same price as caged, and much cheaper than free range organic store eggs.

    Farmer's boxes and CSAs.

    Sprouts!

    In harvest time, canning and pickling a year's supply.

    Buying from greengrocers and not from big stores. Around here at least that roughly halves the price of fresh produce.

    A little herb garden is easy to maintain and delicious. It doesn't save much money but it does make cheaper meals taste richer.

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  • Jayjaystephens@mastodon.social
    Oct 13, 2026, 3:09 AM

    @jnl
    If you have normal older kids / teens, likely you have a lot of packets and bottles put back in the fridge/cupboard 95% empty.
    Vigilance and working those sneaky leavings into the adults' meals & snacking can help there.

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  • Jenn (But, Like, Scary 🎃)titania@retro.pizza
    Oct 13, 2026, 12:38 AM

    @jnl split bone-in breasts can and should be used for chicken tinga, too, speaking of things that are slowcooker-friendly and pretty cheap to make.

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  • Scott VO1BAYscott@mastodon.clitheroe.ca
    Oct 13, 2026, 1:23 AM

    @jnl "bones for broth" - you are right in the mark ... having the courage to get good (or lucky, sometimes lol) at making a nice soup from almost anything is a great quality to foster in the kitchen, and it's very amenable to substitutions based on leftovers at hand.

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  • Denis 🌏constantorbit@hachyderm.io
    Oct 13, 2026, 2:47 AM

    @jnl 💯 back when I still ate meat, this was a standard dinner. SO good, so easy, so cheap.

    And honestly, it was also a standard when I had folks over for dinner. It's that good.

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  • Michael BaconMichaelTBacon@social.coop
    Oct 13, 2026, 3:54 AM

    @jnl

    Buying dry legumes and cooking them in quantity, then keeping them around for lunches (and breakfasts, for me).

    Black beans in the instant pot: put like 4-6 tbsp oil in the pot on saute mode and put in some kind of seasoning (paprika, cumin, pepper, cayenne, sage, turmeric, whatever) and season the oil. After about a minute, add one chopped onion. Saute for about 5 mins, add a couple spoonfulls of canned chopped garlic, then 4 cups of washed dry beans and about 9 cups water or stock plus some salt. Cook on high pressure for 30 minutes and let the pressure dissipate. Add 1 tbsp lime juice or cider vinegar at the end plus salt to taste and maybe basil or oregano.

    (This can also be done in a crock pot. Saute in a pan on the stove, then dump it all in, but double the water from above. About 4-5 hours on high, 6-8 on low.)

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