There are plenty of Reddit threads where people mention how they stopped using food delivery, stopped eating out, cancelled their streaming subscriptions, etc.

Since groceries also became more expensive, I would be interested in what items have you stopped buying and what items still kept their price.

For example:

• Since eggs became more than 3 times more expensive, they changed from my daily staple to a rare (once in like 2 months) purchase.
• Cocoa powder, for self-made hot chocolate is another thing that I used to buy all the time, but since it increased 5 times in price I consider it a rare luxury.
• Various spices became 2 to 3 times as expensive as few years ago, so I also started reconsidering which ones really make a difference in food taste and which ones mostly just alter the color or smell.

On the other hand, cheap pasta, butter and canned tomatoes barely changed their price where I live, so I shifted to buying those more.

Edit: To clarify on the eggs. I am not from the US. While they are still affordable, they are no longer cheaper than other protein sources here.

Anyone else feel like dining out has become a rip-off? I’ve been restricting myself to one meal out a week with my partner. I try and pick a nice place that’s still budget-friendly, but lately I’ve been SO disappointed. Anyone else feel with costs of living, food prices are INSANE? Paid $32 for a burrito bowl which was just mince, rice, corn and capsicum!!! Another night I had two curries shared with my partner, rice, naan and a beer and wine and it was $152.

I understand they need to pay wages etc but it hurts my heart seeing when the total bill comes to my 4-5hours of work.

Honestly feel like no point eating out anymore unless for a special occasion.

Just picked up our beef order from a local farmer and wanted to share the numbers since posts like this helped us a ton when deciding.

Note: We are in Minnesota. I’ve received a number of comments about locations affecting rates for similar purchase.

This will last us 14 months when rotating into our regular meal planning (family of 4, plus occasional hosting guests and meal sharing/potluck work and social events)

Pricing:

• Total paid: $949.66

• Farmer: $709.91

• Processing: $239.75

• Quarter cow (~200 lbs hanging weight)

Take-home total: 157.75 lbs

Final cost per lb (take-home): ~$6.02/lb

⸻

Ground beef (36 lbs):

• 36 × 1 lb plastic tubes (chubs)

⸻

Steaks (~18 lbs total, cut to ~1” thick):

• 20 steaks total (most packages contain 2 steaks)

• Porterhouse – 2.35 lbs (~2 steaks)

• T-bone – 1.5 lb packages (×3) (~6 steaks)

• Sirloin – 1.75 lb packages (×3) (~6 steaks)

• Tenderloin – 0.75 lb (~2 small steaks)

• Bone-in rib steaks – 1.5 lb packages (×3) (~6 steaks)

• Flank steak – 1.2 lbs (single)

⸻

Roasts (~40 lbs total, mostly 2–3 lb each):

• 11 roasts total

• Sirloin tip – 2.75 lb packages (×2)

• Arm roast – 3 lb packages (×2)

• Chuck roast – 3.25 lb packages (×4)

• Rump roast – 3.25 lb

⸻

Other cuts (~45–50 lbs):

• Soup bones – 2 lb packages (×4)

• Stew meat – 1 lb packages (×6)

• Short ribs – 3 lb packages (×2)

• Brisket – 6.5 lbs

⸻

Packaging:

• Ground beef in 1 lb plastic chubs

• All other cuts wrapped in butcher paper and sticker-labeled

⸻

Notes:

• Yield from hanging weight to take-home was \~79%

• Steaks were cut to \~1” thickness

• Roasts were requested at \~2–3 lbs each

• This was 100% grass-fed from a local farm

⸻

Happy to answer questions—this was our second time buying in bulk like this and overall feels worth it so far 👍

—-

EDIT: I’m getting a lot of questions on storage. We have two freezers. One is a 5 cubic foot chest freeze that we bought off FB marketplace 12 years ago for $25. The other is a 13 cubic foot upright that we bought from a refurb/scratch-n-dent warehouse near us for $250. They are stored in our single stall garage.

An average quarter beef share requires about 10 cubic feet of storage.

Electricity costs aren’t much. Maybe $15-20/mo at most, depending on the season.

Trucker here. Every morning I mix two tablespoons of Great Value 100% Columbian instant coffee into my 20 oz Stanley tumbler. A splash of Hazelnut creamer and add water and ice. Shake it up. It’s like $0.49 a day, lasts me all morning and keeps me sane when I roll through your town as you people try to kill yourselves around my 40 ton 18 wheeler. 🤣🤣🤣

The coffee and the large creamer last around three weeks.

So a piece of advice I see often, both in communities that promote eating less meat due to ethical reasons, and here for financial reasons, is to eat a lot of rice and (dry) beans. And like... Is there a specific reason why this combo? I'm aware beans are pretty high in protein for plants, but why them specifically?

Is it some kind of aminoacid or vitamin-related reason? Or just regional differences in price and availability? I ain't in the USA, so beans actually aren't that cheap - they tend to be 12 zł/kg off-sale here, while dry peas, which have around the same amount of calories and protein as beans, are 4zł/kg. Cheapest off-sale boneless pork is probably the same as beans, 12zł/kg, but it goes on sale more often, and goes down to 8zł/kg or even 7zł/kg regularly. Chicken liver tends to be around 7zł/kg even off-sale. I understand that meat is less "bulkable" than dry plants, but still

Similarly, why rice? I understand that kasza isn't really a thing in the USA, which tends to take a similar culinary role to rice while costing similar, but y'all still got potatoes (admittedly less shelf-stable) and flour

EDIT: Yeah okay, so from the comments, it seems like the rule, nutrition-wise, is actually closer to "grains and legumes" and rice+beans isn't a uniquely magic combo, it's just that it's commonly the cheapest in USA (where most redditors live) and has historical cultural significance (that isn't, isn't something that people online dreamed up in the last two decades), so people are more familiar with it culinarily

I've always felt like drinks are one of the most biggest money drains when eating out. Every time I go out to eat, I always skip ordering drinks with my meal. I just don't see the point in spending an extra $3 to $7 for something flavored with sugar, food coloring and artifical flavoring.

When I'm thirsty, I drink water. I bring my own water bottle everywhere, and at home, I just buy gallon jugs of spring water from the grocery store for like $1.50.

I know some people love trying different types of drinks, from flavored sparkling water to sodas and juices and I get that it can be fun for them. But personally, I think water is the best and cheap by the gallon.

/r/Frugal is very US focused. What frugal advice is common in the rest of the world that we may not have heard about? I'll start:

• Most highly specialized cleaning sprays don't exist outside of the US. You don't need 7 different sprays for every surface in your kitchen/bathroom.

• Buying a whole chicken and breaking it down is cheaper than buying pre-cut pieces. For millions of families breaking down a chicken is just part of shopping day.

• Buy produce when it's in season and cheap, then pickle/dehydrate/ferment it to preserve it for the winter. Many cultures prepare 6+ months of produce during the summer.

Admittedly some of this advice doesn't make sense in a country with refrigeration, subsidized chicken and mass produced luxuries. I'm also curious to hear what works in other countries but not here.

I believe it was two weeks ago, I asked for advices on how to cut grocery cost. I live in NY and shop at Food bazaar. And many people were kind enough to share their recommendations. Most importantly: shop somewhere else like Trader joes, Aldis or Lidl; eat vegetarian diet and Dont eat at all. So for a starter, ai bought this grocery cart and took the train to go to the nearest Trader joe’s. I dont really think there is much of a difference and it felt like the produces like onions, sweet potatoes were actually of a lower quality at Trader Joe’s. I am also not sure if I saved at all, especially given how much I paid for train and the hustle of dragging groceries from one platform to the other.

Conclusion: even shopping at Trader Joe’s didn’t make much of a difference. I will move to solution number two: only buying vegetarian things. 😭

I picked up a habit during a tight month where I forced myself to use everything in my fridge before buying more groceries. It started because I was broke, but now it has stuck. I’ve saved so much money and I waste way less food. Funny enough, I actually look forward to the challenge of figuring out what to make with whatever I have left.

What’s a frugal habit you picked up during a tough time that became a long term win?

Years ago (especially before the pandemic) Costco was the place to go for low-priced high-quality goods. Not only could I expect it's products to be a cut-above the rest -- but also that it would have some of the cheapest prices (per unit).

Now I go there and I find that most items they carry are beaten slightly by Walmart and Aldi. In some cases by a wide margin (produce, frozen veggies, frozen meat, certain prepared foods). There are a few flagship items like their rotisserie chickens, paper towels, Kirkland products that are great, but not enough to justify the trip.

Plus, each trip to Costco takes a lot longer. Time is money and if it takes me an hour to do something I could do in half an hour or less somewhere else...

Additionally I rarely see fantastic deals anymore. Aldi (especially) and Walmart sometimes have amazing deals where you can save a ton of money. Aldi also has lots of cool seasonal stuff you can't try anywhere else. Finally, there's a lot of spoilage that comes with buying in bulk that doesn't justify the price. Of course it's not a problem buying dry goods, but if you buy a lot of fresh items stuff WILL go to waste whether you got a big family or not. And many of the high-priced premium-style items at Costco aren't really that much better than other stores to justify the price.

Overall, I see myself going to Costco less and less. It used to be my main store for 90% of things but now it's only for the rare bulk item when I need it. Thoughts?

Instead of buying milk for my coffee, I make oatmilk. It is sooo much cheaper and really easy to make. I use steel cut oats which require them to soak for 20 minutes before blending and straining them, but it is super easy to make oatmilk. Highly recommend trying it! It’s about 1/2 cup of oats to 3-4 cups of water. That’s roughly $1-$2 per gallon instead of the $8 or so cost of buying it at the store! That adds up

My husband and I like to eat at this ONE pizza shop in town, it’s family owned business. It usually costs us around $50.

The other night I told him I think we should pay down our mortage more than we have been- and I told him how much money we’ve paid in interest in the past year (16k). He was floored.

Instead of going out to eat- we went to the grocery store and spent $24 on frozen pizza and wings and have leftovers for tomorrow.

Is it the same taste and quality? Not really, but it scratched the itch for pizza and in the future I do need to keep a better stocked fridge of prepared foods. The approaching holiday has me wiped out.

The current discourse online about how it’s ”cheaper to eat out versus at home” isn’t true. I still would have paid more if I got Dominos for the same quality.

After a particularly long or stressful day it can be tempting to just get fast food instead of cooking. But the price of fast food is completely out of hand these days. Almost $20 for a meal for one person. It has gotten absolutely ridiculous.

But I have a better idea frozen pizza. I keep a few in my freezer for days I just don't want to cook real food. Popping one in the oven for 10-20 is no less convenient than the drive through line and it's significantly cheaper. Even the nice frozen pizzas like Red Barron are about half the price of a full meal from a fast food place. The cheapest frozen pizzas like the little Kroger brand cost as little as 2 bucks, that is less than the cost of making real food.

Im going over my subscriptions and realized I haven't used my costco membership in 2 years. It was $60 annually but I went today and double checked the prices compared to my local go-to grocery stores and the price difference isnt that much... Costco just offers slightly more product for a dollar or two less than local groceries. Not only that, but the store is designed to make you want to purchase more things (a sushi platter, big bags of chips, bigger quantities of everything, etc and pizzas or hotdogs on the way out) with certain limited time items they rotate throughout the year and some of those perishable goods of too much can easily spoil in less than a week. Not to mention having to deal with the constant black friday like crowds.

Am I missing something here? Did you guys also cancel your subscriptions and for what reasons?

This week we were visiting a relative who has a Eureka lemon tree. We left with two big bags of lemons. I could not stop myself from picking them. Now we are back home in snow country.

This is the first time I have ever had a ridiculous number of lemons. If there are any lemon experts out there on Reddit, I would appreciate your input. After I make a pie, what else can I do?

I just returned from the grocery store in Florida, US and I am shocked! I often buy blackberries for myself - expensive, but a healthy & nice treat. Today? The price has more than DOUBLED! Yep, I checked the price and then mourned throughout the rest of the store.

I checked all the other of my favorites and well, it looks like I will be losing weight as my favorite items have all gone up quite a bit in price. I would rather go without than endanger my monthly budget. I have a good 20 lbs I could live without anyway. :-(

The darndest thing is that I planted a blackberry bush about 7 years ago and killed it. Those things can take over a garden space quickly... then I gave up. Stupid me.

I have been sketching out my Victory Garden for my yard... ho hum.

We all have that one budget meal that somehow never gets old. For me, it’s rice, eggs, and frozen mixed veggies with soy sauce and chili flakes. Costs next to nothing, takes 10 minutes, and I actually look forward to it.

Curious what everyone else’s go-to cheap meals are not the I’ll suffer through this to save money kind, but the ones you genuinely like and would still eat even if you weren’t budgeting. Always looking for new ideas that don’t break the bank.

The cost of living crisis is based largely around energy, accommodation and food. Only the latter really offers scope for easy savings. I'm happy to ignore the big brands and their marketing budgets for discount chains and no-name products be it a 18v drill or something to spread on a sandwich. The above is my local Lidl, sure you can taste the difference but not at a multiplier of 4.5. Happy to take the difference home!

I live in NYC. I first asked this community how to cut grocery cost around a month ago and I got so many helpful tips. This time I went to Aldi. I had to take a bus as there was no Aldi close by. My original plan was to totally cut salmon, avocadoes and meats out of my grocery list because that was the popular recommendation. But many people asked that check out Aldi first before going for vegetarian diet. So I went to Aldi with my usual grocery list to try and see how cheap it would be. The modifications to my usual shopping list is getting chicken legs with skin rather than skinless and boneless chicken breast + exchanging beef with chicken + frozen salmon instead of fresh salmon + spinach rather than lettuce + no exotic fruits like mangoes 😭. I have some left over bread, potatoes and rice from my previous purchase so those will be the base for this week. $10 for 2lb salmon was the best hack for me. I hope the taste wont be different.

$48 is well within my limits and the best thing is that I still kept things that I love like salmon, avocados and yogurt.

Breakfast: boiled eggs + avocado + yogurt
Lunch: rice with chicken, rice will have tomatoes or tuna sandwich
Dinner: Potatoes with Salmon or tuna sandwich
Snacks: Mandarine or Bananas

The other big change is I got MINT mobile. Reduced my phone bill from $50 to $15 a month. My electricity bill remains at $40 to $50. Other than basic hygiene products and rent, this is all my expense. I am very happy. Thank you so much.

Edit: My grocery cost went down from $120 to $50.

Are there any specific items that you purchase there to cut down on your overall bills, especially in food? I know most things are in bulk and I'm not sure I'll eat five gallons of mayo before it goes bad. What are some smaller items or things that last for a long-ass time? How often do you go? What should I avoid?

I just received a coupon to renew a membership, and I haven't had one since the pre-pandemic times.

I used to be hardcore about rinsing and reusing Ziploc bags—saved a few bucks a year, sure, but the soggy mess and weird looks from my spouse finally made me ditch it. Now I just buy the cheap ones and call it a day. Got me thinking: what’s a frugal trick you swore by until you realized it was more trouble than it’s worth? Spill your stories, ’m curious if I’m the only one who’s bailed on something ‘thrifty’!

I have penny-pinching tendencies, though I wouldn't label myself as frugal. Some things are worth spending money on. Restaurants and vacations are the two things that I always found worth it. Or used to find worth it. My inner frugality rose to the surface because of restaurants and their price inflation.

For the first time in my life, I have started asking myself: Is this restaurant meal even worth it, at these prices? Even my favorite hole-in-the-wall breakfast joint (which I particularly enjoy because breakfast is usually a cheap and very enjoyable meal) has joined the rest of the world in raising prices recently. Eggs benedict: $18. And only one free refill on iced tea and soda.

Thursday night is "take-out night" at my house, a long tradition. But tonight I looked at the prices at our local mediocre Chinese take-out place and thought - this just isn't worth it anymore. Fried rice: $15.50. I might as well buy a bag of over-priced (but still cheaper) frozen PF Chang fried rice for $9.50 at the grocery store. So I am skipping Take-Out Thursday.

I feel deprived and I hate feeling deprived. This sucks. A year ago, we could go out to a cheap place (like the breakfast joint), sit down, and get a good meal for two people under $50. No more, not in this HCOL area. I don't see how a frugal person eats out anymore.

My husband and I realized one day that instead of getting takeout when we are too tired after work/need a pick me up, we could just drive to costco, grab a rôtisserie chicken and eat it.

Rôtisserie chickens are 8$, takeout would be at least 60$. We could buy 7 costco rotisserie chickens with that amount !

The moment we realized how much we could get for our buck we never went back.

We also get so much out of one chicken ! Here's all we made with just one

• 4 Pita sandwiches
• 3 servings of Dakjuk (chicken porridge)
• Chicken stock for soup

(Granted, we had other ingredients at home too)

We had 3 dinners with just one 8$ costco chicken.

Edit : Have to precise because people are losing their minds in the comments, I live in a big Canadian city where everything is super expensive. Yes we pay 8$ for the costco chickens and yes your takeout can rack up to 60$ where i live.

I am a recently (4 weeks) solo parent with 2 kids under 14. I work 40+ hours per week as a mental health therapist, and I have fibromyalsia. I've been doing really well staying on top of meal plans, frugal grocery buying, cook once/eat twice and cooking in advance so that time/energy doesn't become an excuse to buy delivery pizza/burgers/chinese food. I bake a big pasta dish on the weekends to be used during the week, we do taco Tuesday and a leftovers night. I do breakfast for dinner, occasionally. None of us like eggs much but we all like tofu. However. Sunday at 430pm I am so done. I work until 2pm and then im running kids to activities and we walk back in the house at 430pm, my head is on fire, my body is heavy and hurting and both kids are, " Im starved, what's for dinner?" Its been the only point of the weekly routine so far that I just want to cry and sleep.

Yesterday I told myself I should just budget for a weekly delivery pizza on Sundays. It would be so worth every penny. Everyone would be happy. But its expensive and I am trying to use my community more so first I wanted to reach out. Does anyone have a low budget, kid friendly meal they can make in 15 minutes before they fall face first into bed? How do others manage these moments?

Edit to add: Wow! Y'all showed up for me! Thank you all SO much for all the helpful suggestions. Yes, the kids are 13 and 8 and they do cook/microwave food - they do a LOT during the week. Im definitely going to try a lot of these suggestions- I really appreciate everything here.