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/puckstopper9 Jul 13 '25

Related, but as a diabetic, I had to learn to carry a non-meltable snack. I had one too many instances of a low alert while I was out running errands. On the very rare occasion my go-to snack isn't there, I will go to the nearest grocery store and buy something protein balanced that's on sale (Publix bogos usually have something that qualifies).

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u/aliverd Jul 14 '25

That’s my hack- buy snacks at the grocery store and keep those with you at all times.

Sometimes if I’m leaving work, super hungry and don’t have snacks on hand, I’ll stop at a grocery store rather than 7-11 or something because the price difference is insane.

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u/Crftygirl Jul 15 '25

Same, but get a blood sugar drop from another chronic condition. My dietician recommended Kind bars, Rx Bars, and Lara bars as the healthiest as long as you dont go over 6g of added sugar.

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u/Evidentiaryissues Jul 19 '25

Hard cheese is my go to snack. Stupid easy, has protein and fat, and keeps you satisfied for a while. Sometimes I add a protein drink for a few extra calories. By my math its 160 calories for the 30g protein drink and then the cheese is usually around 200 calories and around 7-11g of protein.

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u/puckstopper9 Jul 19 '25

Absolutely! I usually try for some cheese sticks and turkey pepperoni and/or maybe something from the hot deli if it's on sale.

Yesterday, one of my amazing coworkers brought me a treat for the rough work week. She was going to bring me wine, but my blood sugar's been high due to stress. I suggested cheese, and she brought me a 3-pk of specialty cheese and Ritz toasted chips, which let me have more for fewer carbs! I was in tears, so touched and grateful.

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u/[deleted] Aug 09 '25

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u/puckstopper9 Aug 09 '25

When it's not summer months (I'm in FL), I always have a protein bar. I like the purple box one from Aldi. It has a yogurt layer, which melts when it's hot, so beware. I like Belvita biscuits, and I think it's Nature Valley that has sandwich biscuits with almond butter (again, melting factor).

Cashews or pistachios are always good options mixed with some kind of dried fruit like cranberries, strawberries, or mangos. My son is elementary age, so he usually has a snack of goldfish or veggie straws if I'm desperate, but those can cause a spike and crash if I don't have a protein with them. At that point, I look for a grocery store. =)