# Groceries on the cheap **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 6, 2010, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-on-the-cheap/556255 "2010-10-06T15:05:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2010, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-on-the-cheap/556255/21 "2010-10-06T20:21:49Z")
> [@Fried\_Dough\_Ho](#): > > … > > The local Honeybaked Ham store sells the ham shanks two-for-one, frozen, for about $6.00 total … :eek: I did NOT know that. Will have to find out if it’s true for the one nearest me. If so … thanking you very warmly in advance, **Dough**. That ham is _goooood._ ---
**Author:** ![lindsaybluth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90db22/32.png) [@lindsaybluth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lindsaybluth)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2010, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-on-the-cheap/556255/22 "2010-10-06T20:28:32Z")
> [@Fried\_Dough\_Ho](#): > > The local Honeybaked Ham store sells the ham shanks two-for-one, frozen, for about $6.00 total and there is always a TON of meat left on those bones. Oh my god I adore their hams as well. If it’s true for my store, Fried Dough, you’ll be my absolute HERO. ---
**Author:** ![LavenderBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e95f7d/32.png) [@LavenderBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderBlue)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2010, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-on-the-cheap/556255/23 "2010-10-06T21:24:59Z")
Do you have a dollar store near you? Some of them have food as well as paper goods. I’ve seen jars of peanut butter for just under a dollar and pasta for as little as four for a dollar around here. ---
**Author:** ![Fried\_Dough\_Ho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a88e57/32.png) [@Fried\_Dough\_Ho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fried_Dough_Ho)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2010, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-on-the-cheap/556255/24 "2010-10-06T22:15:04Z")
> [@lindsaybluth](#): > > > [@Fried\_Dough\_Ho](#): > > > > The local Honeybaked Ham store sells the ham shanks two-for-one, frozen, for about $6.00 total and there is always a TON of meat left on those bones. > > Oh my god I adore their hams as well. If it’s true for my store, Fried Dough, you’ll be my absolute HERO. > [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > :eek: > I did NOT know that. Will have to find out if it’s true for the one nearest me. If so … thanking you very warmly in advance, **Dough**. That ham is _goooood._ I hope they are two-for-one for other folks! Being single, I am usually going in just happy to buy one and they always give me a second one. These are the left-over shanks from the ham they are slicing up all day long for meals and sandwiches and it blows me away how much meat is left on the bones. I throw the frozen shank in a pot with water, beans, celery, carrots and onions. A little herbs (thyme, parsley, a bay leaf), pepper, and a couple of hours and you have an amazing soup! Just don’t add salt 'cuz there is more than enough from the ham! The last one I made included zucchini, green beans, and shredded kale; incredibly hearty and the whole pot of soup was around $6.00 total and could feed a dozen people easy. ---
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2010, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-on-the-cheap/556255/25 "2010-10-06T22:54:37Z")
> [@LavenderBlue](#): > > Do you have a dollar store near you? Some of them have food as well as paper goods. I’ve seen jars of peanut butter for just under a dollar and pasta for as little as four for a dollar around here. I don’t recomment this. There might be the occasional deal now and then, but when you work out the unit pricing, I’ve found that the dollar store is more expensive. The dollars add up… ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2010, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-on-the-cheap/556255/26 "2010-10-07T00:25:24Z")
> [@wolf-alice](#): > > - If you can, buy your vegetables from a greengrocer, because in my experience they are all slightly otherworldly and don’t understand money. I’ve never managed to break the twenty quid barrier at my local grocer, and I’ve come out with a _trolley_. Once I bought a bag of mushrooms for sixteen pence. _Nothing_ costs sixteen pence. Yes, in my experience greengrocers (or market stalls) are a better bet than supermarkets. My local one is just silly cheap because he mostly stocks with stuff rejected by supermarket buyers because it doesn’t look perfect. Who cares if the carrot looks like the bottom half of a man sporting a huge erection. It’s still a bloody carrot. > [@](#): > > - Soup! Soup is always the answer. It’s filling and all you need is a pan and some stock and some stuff. Soup. Soup is indeed always the answer. I’m not sure what they’d be called in the US, but you can get bacon off-cuts - basically the bits left over that don’t look like rashers - for next to nothing. In soup, who cares? Invent your own soups! Invest in lentils, split peas and oats. ---
**Author:** ![lindsaybluth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90db22/32.png) [@lindsaybluth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lindsaybluth)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2010, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-on-the-cheap/556255/27 "2010-10-07T03:56:14Z")
> [@Baron\_Greenback](#): > > Who cares if the carrot looks like the bottom half of a man sporting a huge erection. It’s still a bloody carrot. _solemn_ My thoughts exactly. ---
**Author:** ![sitchensis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sitchensis/32/4892_2.png) [@sitchensis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sitchensis)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2010, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-on-the-cheap/556255/28 "2010-10-07T05:03:09Z")
I have a pressure canner, expensive (200.00+$), and jars, lids, and rings, which are costly to acquire but are reusable, except for the lids. I usually use them for game such as venison and smoked salmon. When beef is on sale I buy it in large quantities and make pint jars of sloppy joe and taco meat. I also can rib meat with BBQ sauce and a bunch of stocks, shrimp, beef, chicken. Yeah its takes a few hours but it’s not labor intensive, I can do it while watching TV. When I’m working long days I can come home, pop a can, throw it in the microwave and have a healthy dinner in about five minutes. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Nader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Darth\_Nader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Nader)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2010, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-on-the-cheap/556255/29 "2010-10-07T19:22:40Z")
> [@wolf-alice](#): > > - Become a vegetarian.. Do not do this. It takes a lot of work and money and time to nourish yourself without meat. Ramen is cheap, tempeh burgers are horribly expensive, and peanut butter just doesn’t have the right vitamins. ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2010, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-on-the-cheap/556255/30 "2010-10-07T19:40:23Z")
sitchensis: mmmmm, canned barbecue. My mom used to get that from the one grocery store in her hometown that carried it, when we visited my grandparents. That and sorghum molasses. Can’t get either where I live, now. ---
**Author:** ![Motorgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2010, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-on-the-cheap/556255/31 "2010-10-07T22:14:17Z")
> [@Baron\_Greenback](#): > > Soup is indeed always the answer. I’m not sure what they’d be called in the US, but you can get bacon off-cuts - basically the bits left over that don’t look like rashers - for next to nothing. In soup, who cares? Invent your own soups! Invest in lentils, split peas and oats. In most of the supermarkets here in Boston those are referred to as “pieces and ends.” Not just bacon, either, but cheeses, weird hunks of deli meats, etc. ---
**Author:** ![iftheresaway](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ecae2f/32.png) [@iftheresaway](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iftheresaway)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2010, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-on-the-cheap/556255/32 "2010-10-07T22:38:22Z")
> [@Darth\_Nader](#): > > > [@wolf-alice](#): > > > > - Become a vegetarian.. > > Do not do this. It takes a lot of work and money and time to nourish yourself without meat. Ramen is cheap, tempeh burgers are horribly expensive, and peanut butter just doesn’t have the right vitamins. Dude, it really doesn’t. There are plenty of [vegetarian](http://www.vegsoc.org/info/protein.html) [sources](http://www.womenfitness.net/protien-option.htm) of [protein](http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/protein.htm) that are not all that expensive, like chickpeas (& hummus) at 16g protein for 7 oz., cow’s milk at 18.4g protein per pint, eggs at 7.5g protein per egg, peanuts at 7.3g per ounce, brown rice at 4.4g per 7 oz, and broccoli at 3.1g per 3.5 oz. serving. All of that is cheap stuff. Read a book or two (free to check out at the library!) on nutrition and you’ll be fine. I wouldn’t necessarily suggest becoming a vegetarian just to save money, but it’s not like vegetarians spend hours planning menus and consulting arcane sources of information to figure out how to not die of malnutrition. ---
**Author:** ![Zjestika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/8edcca/32.png) [@Zjestika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zjestika)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2010, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-on-the-cheap/556255/33 "2010-10-07T22:41:39Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > Really, the main thing I do to save money is plan menus. Every Friday night I sit down with the store’s weekly sale flyer and my recipe book and come up with six meals built around what’s on sale. (The seventh night is leftovers). > > Then I write out a detailed grocery list and put it in the order in which I will encounter things as I walk through the store. As I shop, I’m focused on “what’s next on the list” instead of “hey, that looks good…” > > It’s more fun than it sounds. I do this too, and it _is_ more fun than it sounds. I also make a spreadsheet and estimate how much each item will cost based on either the ad or past experience. Then I have a total number that I anticipate spending and I try to spend less than my estimation. This is fun for me. But I’m pretty sure that I’m odd. ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2010, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-on-the-cheap/556255/34 "2010-10-07T22:58:36Z")
I DiY a lot. I don’t buy pre-cut anything. Whole chickens are always cheaper, for example. I can break down a chicken in no time, whether I freeze them whole, and break them down, bag them, and then freeze them. Really, my deep freeze, Crock Pot, and knife are the biggest money savers in my kitchen. I can buy in bulk, when items like whole chickens are going to cents a pound, store them for a very long time, and do my own butchering. Same goes for pork loin. Rice, beans, and lentils - sure. I also make a mean chili that can feed an army. ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2010, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-on-the-cheap/556255/35 "2010-10-08T00:02:23Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > My local grocery store, about every 2-3 months, runs some 10 for $10 sales. I’d been waiting for over 2 months for the pre-packaged stuffed Chicken breasts to go on sale. Cordon Bleu, Kiev, Broccoli. Sure, not really the best for nutrition, but at $1 a piece, they’re great for a quick meal on the go. I _love_ these! Especially the Cordon Bleu. If there’s an Aldi near you, they sell their own generic of these, and they are always 89 cents each. PS: I fully intend to come back and give the OP the ‘wisdom of my years’ (heh!), but haven’t read the rest of the thread yet. Just wanted to respond to this before I forgot! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2010, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-on-the-cheap/556255/36 "2010-10-08T00:18:07Z")
OK, here are some things to think about: As already said, while buying in bulk is usually a good idea, if you don’t have storage space or won’t use the product before it spoils, you’re losing money! Meats: Look for boneless pork loin and boneless, skinless chicken pieces (I like thighs, but a lot of people prefer breasts) on sale. When these things go on sale, they are almost always cheaper per serving than the bone-in, skin-on kind, even though they are more per lb. Ground beef/ground sausage: you can season and brown it as soon as you bring it home from the store. When you need or want some to add to some veggies, rice, whatever, just grab the zip-top baggie out of the freezer, give it a good ‘whack’ on the counter to loosen it up, throw in what you need. Roasted chicken: check the deli counter at your supermarket. I can often buy one of those packaged, pre-seasoned, pre-roasted chickens for less than I could buy a raw one, which I would still have to take home and prepare. Breakfast: Oatmeal is wonderful and dirt cheap if you buy it in large packages then flavor it yourself (as opposed to buying it in those boxes of individual packages). A little cinnamon, sprinkle of sugar, a handful of raisins and/or some diced apple, and you’ve got a tasty and healthy breakfast. Fruits and veggies: if it’s not on a good sale and/or in season, buy frozen instead of fresh. Flavoring: molasses and balsamic vinegar can both seem pretty pricey (you should still shop for the best price, obviously), but they are both such assertive flavors that a tiny drizzle of either will often lend a great layer of flavor to things. Lots of good advice in this thread! ---
**Author:** ![Apocalypso](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Apocalypso](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apocalypso)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2010, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-on-the-cheap/556255/37 "2010-10-08T00:50:00Z")
If you poke around in your grocery’s meat section, you’d be surprised what you can find on the cheap. Mine has these “fillet of beef” tenderloins marinated in various seasonings for $10 to $14. They also usually have sliced baby portabello mushrooms for less than $2. Throw these in the broiler with a chopped onion, slice into 4 pieces, and I have at least 4 meals (sometimes more if I don’t feel like eating a whole piece in one meal). Even with the shrooms, it costs under $5 a serving, and is as good or better than anything you can get in a low to mid end restaurant. Throw in some veggies and potatoes/rice and you can easily stretch it to 6 meals. Pretty healthy too, these fillets don’t have much fat at all. You can also buy large packs of boneless skinless chicken breasts fairly cheap (sometimes under $2 a pound). Freeze half of it, and cook the other half (my fave is chicken tacos). When those are nearly gone, put the frozen half in the fridge to thaw out and cook up the next day. I seriously can’t understand why people buy bland, crappy microwave meals when you can get fresh meat far cheaper and tastier. I usually cook for one, and I used to eat fast or microwaved food all the time, then started to realize how easy, fast, and cheap it is to make stuff yourself. (And I lost over 60 pounds :D). The fillet of beef I mentioned takes about 40 minutes to make and almost no effort - shove it in your broiler and turn it over every 10 mins. The chicken is slightly more work, but I can still make chicken tacos in about 15-20 mins tops - and that’s including rice and a veggie. I also eat a lot of cereal, yogurt (usually around 40-50 cents a cup) and fresh fruit (bananas are dirt cheap). I don’t like the “adult” cereals, so I buy stuff like Lucky Charms, Cocoa Pebbles, etc. If you look at the cost per bowl it’s pretty damn cheap, and you’d be surprised at how much nutrition is in there. Granted it’s “added” vitamins and minerals (rather than stuff that’s naturally in the food), but it’s a hell of a lot better than fast food. ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2010, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-on-the-cheap/556255/38 "2010-10-08T01:01:49Z")
Cottage cheese is a remarkably cheap protein, and it really is mostly protein–most of the other non-meat “proteins” people talk about are really high-protein fats (like eggs and peanut butter) or high-protein carbs (like beans). Yes, these foods contain a lot more protein than many foods, but you are still getting more carbs or fat than you are protein. Cottage cheese, on the other hand, really is 70% or so protein. And it’s cheap. I add dry oatmeal, dry wheat bran, or dry oat bran (all cheap) to add fiber and change the texture. And you can flavor it with anything, sweet or savory. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2010, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-on-the-cheap/556255/39 "2010-10-08T01:32:09Z")
It’s really easy to grow some of your own stuff even if you don’t have a garden. I can get decent crops of chillies grown on a window ledge at 58 degrees north in Scotland, so any non-Alaskan American can probably do much better. It seems to me that chilli plants are pretty robust and maintenance free. They aren’t particularly attractive plants, but they smell really fresh and nice. There’s also the childish glee when one of the fruits, seemingly overnight, turns red. It’s the same deal with a whole range of herbs. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Nader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Darth\_Nader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Nader)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2010, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-on-the-cheap/556255/40 "2010-10-08T03:40:18Z")
> [@iftheresaway](#): > > There are plenty of vegetarian sources of protein … eggs. Yeah, I’m going to have to go ahead and not listen to you, mmkay? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-on-the-cheap/556255.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-on-the-cheap/556255.md?page=3)