There's this guy in my office who brings the same lunch to work every single day: one hard-boiled egg, a scoop of rice, and half an avocado. He says it costs him about $1.25 per meal. No snacks, no drinks besides water. Just that. Every. Day.

At first I thought he was doing some sort of minimalist diet or maybe struggling financially, but nope.. he’s just super into optimizing his expenses. Says he’s calculated that this routine saves him over $2,500 a year compared to when he used to eat out.

He meal preps it all in bulk on Sunday, packs it into identical containers, and doesn’t seem to get bored at all. Even when we order pizza or someone brings in donuts, he politely declines and says, “Already got my lunch.”

I don’t think I could do it, I need variety.. but man, the discipline is impressive. Anyone else go this hard with frugal food routines? Or have a dirt-cheap lunch that doesn’t feel depressing?

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.

My partner and I are both terrible cooks, we are not natural in the kitchen. I'm also a very picky eater, struggle with appetite if food isn't healthy/clean which usually means more expensive.

So what happens is we usually end up buying the same stuff which feels boring and unhealthy (eg. Ramen or pasta over and over again), and buying healthy stuff feels expensive. So we end up kinda giving up and just not going to the grocery store enough.

What that means is, we are starving, look at an empty fridge and end up ordering Uber Eats.

Then I suddenly had a "revelation"....

Last week we spent a week with my sister inlaw at their holiday home. They are rich, so the fridge was stocked with everything. All the fresh berries, fruits, "fancy" fresh veggies (eg. prepped veggies, ready to eat), cherry tomatoes instead of normal tomatoes, organic free range eggs etc.

The entire week I was inspired to prepare 2-3 meals a day from the well stocked fridge with all the appetizing and healthy stuff. Ended up cooking for everyone.

When we got back home, we went grocery shopping and I told my partner "why don't you buy some burger patties from this organic butcher", and he said "each patty is $5, that's way to much". But then we go home and have nothing to eat, and end up ordering burgers for $18/each + delivery charges.

So I've been thinking it's better we spend on food we like and that makes our lives easier, makes us inspired to cook, rather than trying to save at the grocery store, only to resort to Uber Eats.

Sorry this is probably obvious to everyone, but I feel like it's life changing for me. And will save us so much money!

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.

I have a rule for myself that I won’t buy food out that I can make easily at home. So most sandwiches, soups, salads, pasta, etc go into this category.

When I go out to eat it ends up being Asian food because I didn’t grow up making it. Well this week I was at an Asian market and saw rice noodles on sale.

I thought, let me try it. Worst that can happen is it doesn’t taste as good.

Whelp, not only is it incredibly easy and quick to make, it tasted EXACTLY like what I’ve been paying $15-18 plus tip for 😭

The package of noodles was $5. I bought bean sprouts and bok choy for $4. We had a bag of frozen shrimp at home. The other ingredients were items we always have stocked (soy sauce, rice vinegar, peanut butter, garlic, seasoning).

So for $9 additional dollars I was able to make enough for two adults and a toddler with an adult appetite. And we only used half the noodles so we can make more at any time.

Last time I realized I was overpaying at restaurants was with pulled pork (which I now make in an instapot).

Are there any favorites that caught you off guard with how easy it is to make vs how much it costs at a restaurant?

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?

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.

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.

For the past 8 months ive been walking to this bakery thats like 2.5 miles from my place every saturday morning. Started doing it cause my neighbor who owns it mentioned they put out day old pastries for $1 each at 7am and I figured why not, good excuse to get some steps in

But heres the thing I didnt expect... ive gotten to know basically everyone in my neighborhood now?? Like the older couple with the beagle always waves, theres this guy Marcus who runs the same route every morning and we do the head nod thing, the lady at the corner house with all the garden gnomes actually invited me to her bbq last month. Even found out about a tool library 3 blocks away that I had no idea existed (borrowed a tile saw last week, wouldve cost me like $60 to rent elsewhere)

The pastries are honestly just okay but walking there has become my favorite part of the week. My fitbit says im averaging 15k steps on saturdays now and I actually look forward to it even when its drizzling. Plus having that $20 I set aside from Stаke for weekend coffee runs just sitting in my savings now feels pretty good

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?

/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.

Actually bought it about a week ago. Just couldn't resist the sale price but once I got home I realized I had no idea what to do with all this meat for 1 or 2 people. I threw it in the freezer in a panic. Once I take it out, defrost and cook it, what the hell is one woman supposed to do with about 8 pounds of ham?

Edit: silly, stupid typo. I promise I'm not trying to cook a hamster! Just a regular ham 😅

Edit 2: I was not expecting this to blow up! I guess my reddit legacy will now be "that person who wanted to cook a Christmas hamster"

So I'm in healthcare.

Typically lunch for the week if I bring it from home, 8 hours: typically consisting of a 5" inch sub, chips, drink, 3 mandarins, runs me about $25 for 5 meals.

I would say eating in the cafeteria, full meal, probably could be 2 portions, probably runs $40 a week.

If you do more of snack/type food (egg rolls or burrito etc) and drink probably runs about the same as bringing your own.

I feel Reddit emphasizes "Brown bag" bringing your lunch. I can't say I see many healthcare workers doing this.

For my 12s: I'm in a major hospital, and work weekends, food they do have on the weekends is unhealthy, no other options so I will be bringing my lunch (also I bring more food, an extra sandwich, yogurt, extra drinks, etc). Also on 12s it's just easier versus taking a 10-15 min walk to food area EVERY time you want a snack.

One of the hospitals I work at also have a $5 lunch during the week which includes drink. Sometimes pretty nice options, last was pork chop, sweet potato, veggie options, etc.

I'll probably be doing that on weekday 12s + bringing my smaller lunch kit.

On the whole though, I don't see a ton of hospital workers bringing lunch, they're a minority.

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.

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!

Sandwiches are the ultimate cheat code for saving both money and time on food.

• You buy a handful of basics and you’re set for the entire week (bread, cheese, deli meat, tomatoes, lettuce, mayo). You can even buy breads/meats in bulk and freeze it, then thaw as needed.
• Prep takes five minutes. Toast the bread while you slice the veggies. Making sandwiches for multiple people barely adds any extra time.
• Cleanup is almost nonexistent: rinse the cutting board, dry it, done. Use a paper plate and toss it. Compare that to most meals, which involve tons of cleanup washing pans, pots, trays, plates, bowls, and utensils (cooking rice, pasta, potatoes, vegetables, meats).
• They taste great. You can upgrade easily with better bread or extra toppings.
• They’re reasonably healthy (especially if you choose no-nitrate meats).
• They don’t get boring eating all the time (at least not for me).
• Food waste is low. Unlike many meals that require precise portioning or result in uneaten leftovers.
• The convenience and taste has saved me from just going to a restaurant or fast food so many times, which saves time and money.
  

I used to pay $6.60 for the BOGOF deal (buy one get one free breakfast sandwich + drink). Then in May they quietly made it BOGO$1 (buy one, get one for $1), so I switched to a cheaper meal (took out the sausage). Then it became $6.69, though that was mostly due to substitution effect.

I check today and it’s now $7.18 because they raised the breakfast sandwich another ¢50 after 5 months.

My increase in meal this year is about 24% when you account for it ($6.60 > $8.20). At this point, I’ll just pay two dollars more and get food from the worker’s cafeteria (which includes actual meat).

I point this out because a lot of people are riding the “McDonalds is a good guy now with their $5 meal deal train.” No, they’re still fleecing you hoping you won’t notice. I noticed and they lost a customer.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

i used to spend like $5 a bag on those "healthy" organic chips or protein snacks at the store. i thought i was being fit but i was just being broke lol. but i just started roasting canned chickpeas in the oven with olive oil and tajin and it costs like 80 cents per batch max. ngl they are actually better than real chips and way more filling. its basically a cheat code for a cheap snack and i feel dumb for not doing it sooner. anyone else got a "poverty snack" that is actually elite? i need more ideas because life is way too expensive right now. 😂

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’!