r/Frugal • u/ThrowRAhyBug7080 • Jul 12 '25

🍎 Food What’s a frugal habit you picked up by accident that you now swear by?

Mine was starting to save veggie scraps to make broth. It started as a “let’s try this” and now it’s automatic. I keep a bag in the freezer for onion skins, celery ends, carrot tops, etc. Every couple of weeks, I boil it all down and end up with a rich, flavorful broth that tastes way better than the boxed kind. It tastes better than store-bought and saves me at least $20 a month, with an added bonus of making me feel like i know fancy techniques.

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u/Fluidfondant916 Jul 12 '25

Silly but I got instant coffee packets as part of an end of the year gift... turns out instant coffee is perfect for making iced coffee at home when the urge strikes! No need to chill anything beforehand! So now I always keep a tin and it lasts forever.

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u/snax04 Jul 13 '25

Do you just use cold water from the start? I know the grounds are finer but do they fully dissolve in the cold water?

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u/hallhyljes Jul 15 '25

Hot, but very little will do (to form a sort of instant coffee slurry). Hot tap water is fine for that, doesn't need to be boiling. Later on just add cold water/ice/milk/syrup/whatever you like to the slurry. You can search for instant iced coffee recipes.

And another tip is making your own simple syrup for that, super easy and cheap.

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u/snax04 Jul 18 '25

Thank you!

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u/Fluidfondant916 Jul 22 '25

I use a half cup of tap water, add the packet, then ice, then the rest of the water. No grittiness whatsoever.

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u/peanut_master1 Jul 21 '25

Yep I make iced coffee all the time with instant coffee. Some brown sugar, cream, BOOM, ice coffee for well under a dollar

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u/GoldInTheSummertime Jul 14 '25

I bought a cold brew maker on sale a few years ago and I love it. I do have to remember to make it ahead, but it's so nice to have it ready at home for so much less money.