# What's the cheapest mainstay of your diet? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [May 22, 2021, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-cheapest-mainstay-of-your-diet/942699 "2021-05-22T16:37:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2021, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-cheapest-mainstay-of-your-diet/942699/21 "2021-05-22T21:53:12Z")
Eggs. We keep chickens and I eat at least one egg a day (fried) as well as selling them ($3 per dozen). We also buy pork butt whenever it’s on sale. Slow cook and shred, then we get three or four meals out of it for about $2 a pound. Pulled pork sandwiches, quesadillas, burritos, stir fry, whatever. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2021, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-cheapest-mainstay-of-your-diet/942699/22 "2021-05-22T22:04:28Z")
Yeah, those are good. Filling and lots of fiber. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2021, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-cheapest-mainstay-of-your-diet/942699/23 "2021-05-22T22:06:35Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > I like lentils prepared as soup with carrots and onions,… I love lentils but hate peas, so I made split pea soup with leftover hambone and lentils instead of peas. It was a hit. ---
**Author:** ![Julius\_Henry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8797f3/32.png) [@Julius\_Henry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Julius_Henry)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2021, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-cheapest-mainstay-of-your-diet/942699/24 "2021-05-22T22:20:32Z")
My breakfasts usually consist of oatmeal or grits. I have a steamer, so cooking them is easy. Along with a some toast and jam, yogurt, and juice, most of my breakfasts cost under $1.50. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2021, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-cheapest-mainstay-of-your-diet/942699/25 "2021-05-22T22:31:28Z")
I’m another bean person - I usually have them every day. For a long time I had oatmeal with frozen blueberries for every weekday breakfast. Now I usually have a couple eggs. All are cheap. ---
**Author:** ![Roger\_That](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roger_that/32/8505_2.png) [@Roger\_That](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roger_That)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2021, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-cheapest-mainstay-of-your-diet/942699/26 "2021-05-22T22:31:29Z")
Where are you located, Dung-Beetle? I’d love to pick up some fresh eggs for $3/ dozen. I make a hellacious pork butt too. Prolly have some in my freezer now that you remind me of it. ---
**Author:** ![BrickBat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac91a4/32.png) [@BrickBat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrickBat)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2021, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-cheapest-mainstay-of-your-diet/942699/27 "2021-05-22T22:41:46Z")
Beans ( usually black ) and ‘chow-chow’ relish/slaw. Filling and healthy. ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2021, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-cheapest-mainstay-of-your-diet/942699/28 "2021-05-23T00:26:54Z")
Rice. I pack my lunch for work every day and it’s almost always some kind of “stew” over rice. Sometimes pork or beef or chicken but always on a bed of rice. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2021, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-cheapest-mainstay-of-your-diet/942699/29 "2021-05-23T00:32:28Z")
Thank God Steven Tyler doesn’t post here. ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2021, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-cheapest-mainstay-of-your-diet/942699/30 "2021-05-23T00:34:11Z")
Probably stir fry here. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2021, 10:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-cheapest-mainstay-of-your-diet/942699/31 "2021-05-23T10:38:17Z")
A whole chicken and a large bag of rice are probably giving us our cheapest meals. A small whole chicken can feed us for four days (roast with veg and rice, big salad w cold chicken, shredded chicken w noodles and veg, chicken fried rice) A big bag of rice, which we eat plenty of, seems awfully economical too. It goes a really long way. ---
**Author:** ![Roger\_That](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roger_that/32/8505_2.png) [@Roger\_That](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roger_That)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2021, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-cheapest-mainstay-of-your-diet/942699/32 "2021-05-23T12:09:56Z")
I find that buying a roast chicken can easily supply me with several meals for about $7. First I attack the dark meat, saving the bones for soup. Then I de-bone the (usually too dry) white meat, and make chicken salad from it. Then I make soup out of the bones. Not the cheapest (that same chicken usually costs about $4 uncooked) but far more convenient. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2021, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-cheapest-mainstay-of-your-diet/942699/33 "2021-05-23T12:11:59Z")
Popcorn. I eat tons of it, many times just hot air made with a little salt. I can get a pound bag if it, white or yellow, for a buck nineteen. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2021, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-cheapest-mainstay-of-your-diet/942699/34 "2021-05-23T12:55:22Z")
I’m near Gainesville, Florida. $3 a dozen for eggs seems to be the going rate on the farms around here. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2021, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-cheapest-mainstay-of-your-diet/942699/35 "2021-05-23T13:38:57Z")
> [@Roger\_That](#): > > I find that buying a roast chicken can easily supply me with several meals for about $7. First I attack the dark meat, saving the bones for soup. Then I de-bone the (usually too dry) white meat, and make chicken salad from it. Then I make soup out of the bones. Not the cheapest (that same chicken usually costs about $4 uncooked) but far more convenient. If you cook your own, you don’t need to overcook it, and the white meat can be good, too. I was thinking that’s a lot of meals, but then i realized I’m a family of three. We get two meals from a chicken, plus i make broth every time i have a pair of carcasses. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2021, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-cheapest-mainstay-of-your-diet/942699/37 "2021-05-23T17:27:31Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Microwave whole grain rice, with soy sauce. Rice in the 5 pound bag is pretty cheap [eggy rice knock off of a Japanese breakfast. I dope cooked rice with a splash of mirin, a splash of soy sauce, a tiny dab of hoisin sauce, mix well. Nuke gently til piping hot again, then crack an egg into it, stir in and eat.] Assorted legumes by the 1 pound bag - split peas, great northern beans, lentils are my mainstays. Split pea soup using pork bones from some other meal, lentils with diced ham, great northern beans with chunks of bacon. One mainstay is rischert/ricet. Cabbage soup is based on a very old family recipe from my Mom’s side. The original version has been found in a dig at the Halstatt Salt mines - white beans, barley, cabbage, greens, herbs, onions. My Mom’s version is based on the 17th century German version which her family brought over with them, over the centuries other veggies crept in based on migration of people and trade goods - black pepper, carrots, celery. She favored mustard greens, I favor spinach or bok choy. Meatwise, we have tried everything from squirrel, venison, horse, pig, cow, chicken, salmon [I really don’t recommend salmon] but I favor those fake country ribs that are boneless with a good veining of meat and fat. I rigged it to be a food pyramid in a pot for one person for all day eating - and cooked in the winter on a wood stove =) 4 cups shredded cabbage, 1 cup each barley and northern beans, 1 large onion, 1 bag baby spinach, 3 or 4 medium carrots, 3 or 4 ribs celery, Original was savory, mom preferred thyme, I prefer italian herb blend, black pepper and salt to taste, a pound of the country style boneless ribs. A whole pot of this, 3 large meals or 3 moderate meals with snacks in between costs under $15US and is rich and filling, and warming if you have been outside in the winter shoveling the drive or other chores. I would serve it with homemade bread and a nice wine, but it really doesn’t need anything else - and would feed a family of 4 with bread and something like fruit or whatever for dessert. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2021, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-cheapest-mainstay-of-your-diet/942699/38 "2021-05-23T18:23:06Z")
A few times I went on a chicken fast (nothing but chicken). Occasionally I caught a sale at $0.39 / lb and would have a dark meat quarter per day, I estimate perhaps $0.25 per day. Again it was a fast so not taking in huge quantities, though it was actually quite satisfying and I often stayed on it for quite some time after and didn’t increase the quantity much. I have not seen the price that low for many years however but have seen occasionally $0.69 and at $0.89 fairly often, so about 50 - 65 cents per day. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2021, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-cheapest-mainstay-of-your-diet/942699/39 "2021-05-23T19:21:09Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > 4 cups shredded cabbage, 1 cup each barley and northern beans, 1 large onion, 1 bag baby spinach, 3 or 4 medium carrots, 3 or 4 ribs celery, Original was savory, mom preferred thyme, I prefer italian herb blend, black pepper and salt to taste, a pound of the country style boneless ribs. That sounds really good. Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever cooked with barley. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2021, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-cheapest-mainstay-of-your-diet/942699/40 "2021-05-23T19:22:14Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > A whole pot of this, 3 large meals or 3 moderate meals with snacks in between costs under $15US and is rich and filling, and warming if you have been outside in the winter shoveling the drive or other chores. I would serve it with homemade bread and a nice wine, but it really doesn’t need anything else - and would feed a family of 4 with bread and something like fruit or whatever for dessert. Sounds great! ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2021, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-cheapest-mainstay-of-your-diet/942699/41 "2021-05-23T20:12:42Z")
Staple carbs, potatoes, rice and pasta. With any one of these three ingredients, I can make a meal at pennies a serving or, if I wanted, tens of dollars per serving. I also use couscous and quinoa but those are a long way from pennies a serving. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-cheapest-mainstay-of-your-diet/942699.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-cheapest-mainstay-of-your-diet/942699.md?page=3)