Ask Lemmy

Food pantry. It'll be full of stuff that's grocery overstock or about to expire. You'll have to toss some fresh fruit and veg that's gone off, and the breads will mold in a day or two, but otherwise it's the same stuff that's on the shelves at the store, just a more limited selection.

Not sure if it'll help, but I don't think soylent prices have gone up. At least not in Canada.

I usually only have it for breakfast and lunch especially to avoid those shitty factory burritos.

I have a farm share (CSA). At the start of the year, you pay up front for a share; in return, you get boxes of veggies during the season. Since the farmer is paid up front, they don't need to borrow money from the bank and hope for a decent harvest to repay the loan, so there's less pressure on them: they know their farm will still be around next year. And you get boxes of veggies that were picked within the past 24 hours, so they're all incredibly fresh. You'll get some stuff you can find in the grocery store (ex: roma tomatoes, bell peppers) but since all the middlemen have been cut out, they last a long time (I've had heads of lettuce last like a month); and you'll get some that's either heirloom varieties (too fragile for handling by the supply chain feeding grocery stores) or unusual (ex: pawpaws, ground cherries).

I'm going to say up front that a farm share isn't for everyone; it takes some adjustment and a bit of work to make it work well, but for me it's worth it. I'll note that I'm single (so it all falls on me) and vegetarian (so I can sometimes eat a lot of veggies).

Each farm chooses how to operate, so I can only speak in generalities. To accommodate different family sizes, some farms offer boxes of different sizes/prices; others offer a half-share, so instead of getting a box every week for 20-26 weeks, you get a box for 10-13 weeks (you choose which weeks you want a box). You can also find a friend to split the cost and content of a share, either splitting each box, or alternating pickup weeks.

Some farms will pre-pack the boxes for you; others will put the veggies on a table and let you choose among them; for example, this week's share might be something like "choose 3 zucchinis/eggplants; choose 2 lbs of a bunch of different types of tomatoes; choose 4 varieties of hot peppers", etc. Some farms you have to pick up at the farm itself; other farms have distribution points in outlying areas, will let you pick up at local farmers markets, or have home delivery for an additional fee. Some farms have work shares: instead of paying for a share, you can choose to work like 4 hours a week during the season and get a box of veggies each week in return. Most farms have pick-your-own availability for veggies that may not be to everyone's taste (okra, herbs), where some people may want extras (tomatoes, peppers, beans), or where personal taste is important (flowers).

I've been with a bunch of different farms over the years (I've moved several times; and sometimes I've joined a farm that isn't a great fit for me). For the past couple years, I've been getting my own box instead of splitting a share, and I've opted to get a 10-week share (I choose the weeks). One thing I like with the 10-week share is that I'm not facing fresh veggies to work with every week; sometimes a weekly share can seem overwhelming!

Most people make some adaptations to make a CSA work for them. It's taken me a while, but I've finally come up with a set a recipes for stuff that I like, that uses the veggies I tend to get, much of which stores well; and I have a pattern of processing that works for me:

Each week, the farm sends out an email ahead of time, letting you know what's in season and sometimes with a rough idea of how much to expect ("this'll be the last week for blackberries, but we have lots of tomatoes!"); that helps me plan what to do ahead of time.

On weeks that I have a share, I go to the farm, do the PYO (it's included in my share, and my starving Irish ancestors would be upset if I didn't get them!), and choose the veggies for my box. When I get home, I wash everything, then sit in front of the tv, watching my guilty-pleasure shows and processing the veggies - as applicable, I trim, peel, slice, dice, mince, etc. As I finish each veggie, it goes into a sealed bowl or a Ziploc and goes into the fridge. I also have a spare bowl for scraps - ends and peels of onions and carrots, trimmings from peppers and leeks, etc. Those join other scraps in a big Ziploc in the freezer; when I have enough scraps, I use it to make veggie stock. And there's another bowl for stuff I can't use, that either goes in the garbage or a compost pile (I've stopped composting in recent years).

On Saturday, I spend a couple hours cooking, usually 2-3 big dishes or 4-5 smaller ones - it depends on my mood and what's in season. Then half the food gets portion-sized and frozen; the other half gets eaten over the week or so following. While cooking, I may pickle some veggies. Pickling is easy: you put your chosen veggies and spices in a jar, heat up your pickling brine, pour the brine over the veggies, and seal the jar. During a season, I may pickle dilly beans, beets, giardinieri, garlic, onions, cucumbers, etc; I may eat them out of the jar or use them as ingredients in future dishes.

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Shopping where the deals are. Don't be loyal to a brand. It's easy, but if you're going to keep going to get Hellmanns mayo at full price, Aldi has one that's their home brand that tastes just as delicious at a fraction of the price.

I don't drink, smoke, or do drugs. I do a lot of cooking at home, and I teach myself to make delicious and nutritious foods that may be copycats of what we'd get at restaurants. It's a fun little challenge at a much cheaper price for way more than just one portion.

Sometimes I just want to go vego for a few days or weeks, so I go online and find some budget food recipes (beans, lentils, rice, etc.), and I usually find some really good ones.

Back home in Canada, I was couponing a lot. This was 8+ years, ago, I don't know what it's like now. Coupon culture is not a thing in Australia, but I shop mostly at Aldi. There's a Coles and Woolies just across the street, so I do my research on what's cheapest, and buy that item there.

I buy in bulk if I know I'm going to eat it all. I go hard on the pantry items.

Shop what's in season.

Shop your local Asian grocer! Sometimes they have stuff way cheaper than supermarkets.

In some locations some meat replacements are cheaper than meat already. I eat those or mix them in. As they should be from a production cost perspective.

Not really financially constrained, but I also don't spend a lot on groceries as I just don't like wastefulness. Some tips:

• No alcohol.
• No tobacco.
• No branded products.
• No soda. I drink mostly tap water, though considering you're American that might not be a viable option.
• I eat quite a lot of bread, though again it might be difficult for you to get edible bread.
• Frozen vegetables are good, decently healthy and easy to buy in bulk.
• Rice and dried pasta are cheap and easy to combine with the above.
• Modest amounts of animal protein, if any. Cheap alternatives include tofu and peanuts.
• Since you're alone, you can cook for two or three days and save some time and money. One option is to cook for two servings but alternate, so that you eat the second serving 2 days after. That way you don't have to eat the same thing twice in a row.

What’s your personal situation? For me I’ve got good freezer space, so a slow cooker and a bunch of freezer safe containers made for a really good investment. A slow cooker lets you use a lot of cheaper cuts of meat like beef chuck and chicken thighs, as well as making the cooking of beans and stews much easier. But it does tend to make larger portions then I need at a go, so I need to food prep and freeze a lot of stuff. On the other hand that allows me to buy in bulk, cook it all up and then freeze it. I tend to have like four to eight copies of a dozen different meals in our freezer so that does take up a lot of space.

Aldi and Lidl.

Only buy in bulk what you can and WILL eat before it spoils. Staring into a cupboard that's empty except for a huge box of something that seemed like a deal but now makes you gag is .... a life lesson.

Since it's just you, buy cooking vegetables frozen in bags, so you can take out one serving and don't have to hurry to eat up the broccoli wilting in the fridge. Unlike canned, frozen veg keep their nutrients. Which you do need. Being unhealthy isn't frugal.

Loss of appetite do to depression

I've been meal prepping more and getting into tinned fish.

Sardines are nature's protein bars and are full of healthy fat and cholesterol. Lots of vitamins too plus calcium from their bones, plus they taste good! I quite like smoked sprats or just Deenz in olive oil or tomato sauce.

They also work well as an ingredient. I haven't tried this recipe yet but it looks fantastic!

I would get dried beans and rice and make that a staple. You can soak the beans overnight, rinse them, and then boil them for 10 minutes with salt and freeze them. Then when you need beans you take a bag out (I freeze mine in flat sheets. Same with soups stews and home made stocks) and either simmer them for 3 hours or you pressure cook them for 20-60 mins (depending on what type of bean)

Mexican and Brazilian recipes use a lot of rice and beans so you can use those as a reference on what to make and which seasonings to use.

$/kcal it's hard to beat those two.

Occasionally you have to throw food that is spoiled. Not buying it in the first place is better. I'm very good at this, my gf is not. She eats half a corn cob, puts the rest in the fridge and two weeks later i have to throw it out after I find it grazing on the lettuce.

Most meat you can buy in bulk and split into smaller packages freeze If you have the freezer space. Vegetables are usually not cheaper in bulk here outside the occasional buy two for $X deal and they don't survive the freezer as a rule.

You can tinker with what you eat. But it's harder to do.

If you can stop eating candy and soft drinks that is probably the first I'd suggest. Zero nutritional value outside the sugar and a non zero cost.

Check what is most protein per $ in your area. Used to be ground beef here, but now it's frozen chicken filet and the leaner cuts of pork.

Living abroad is very comfortable and means an instant, massive reduction in cost of living. if prices get too crazy or you're interested in the idea of living abroad, feel free to reach out or head over to Travel.

Garden, Aldi

Rice and beans are useful low cost calories. Canned tuna is an affordable protein source. There are often food kitchens you can access even if you don't qualify for SNAP

Going into debt.

I used to make big woks of fried rice/quinoa, which stores and reheats well, and golgoppa is delicious, healthy, very cheap and easy to make.

if you are eating Out/take out i would probably stop, since its excessively expensive if done over a month/per month, although im not in a situation where food is costly. discount stores like grocery outlet, but the trick is eating the perishable as soon as possible, the ambient stuff you can save for much later especially things like beans and rice. as for veggies i usually buy coleslaw in those bags, since you can a little while before eating it, but fresh veggies often spoils quickly.

buying in bulk isnt useful if it expires too fast, unless you are buying things like canned goods.

Organizing