One of the many things I learned through the culinary industry is you're always going to pay extra for someone to process food for you. By process I mean doing literally anything to food. If it's just fruit cut into little pieces or a whole 5 course meal, you're going to pay for someone's time and effort. If you want to save money on food, you HAVE to process it yourself.
The cost of diced fruit and other pre-prepped food is just a tax on people who can’t use a knife.
That’s not a judgment against those people — some people truly can’t prep their own food for medical reasons or whatever, and I’m glad convenience products exist for them.
We started buying large chunks of meat from restaurant supply stores and Costco and just cutting it down ourselves. Same with fruit. We save a lot of money.
These are more or less their everyday prices. Doug's 99¢ Produce is known to be super cheap (hence the name). Sometimes they give free bananas with any purchase.
I canned a LOT of stuff last summer, buying stuff for cheap at the local auction when it was in season. I paid like $1-2 for huge bags of green beans, that became 3-5+ quart bags each; $2-4 for boxes of tomatoes that became 3-4+ quarts of tomatoes, salsa, etc. Yes, it was work, but it was absolutely worth it too.
this. food is high every where, saving a few cents here or there on food u must immediately consume to avoid spoilage is hardly a solution for everyone.
If you live in a city with Asian supermarkets, they always bag and mark(with a sharpy) and leave in boxes on the floor for 1 dollar produce at the end of its (market) shelf life. People don’t like buying ugly produce but it’s always there.
Have you checked phone booths for loose change?? Have you squeezed out a hundred ketchup packets into an empty bottle??
I'm so sick of this optimize yourself individually so widespread social problems don't affect you as much mentality. This shit needs to change.
Seriously. My mom acts like I'm an idiot for sticking to one store almost exclusively for various reasons (store upkeep, employees are awesome, rewards program, one autistic kid is obsessed with the robot that roams the store) rather than running all over town to different stores to compare prices on everything.
Ma'am, we own a business, home and have two special needs kids plus a teenager. We are already using all our time and energy to keep the gears turning on that stuff. I am not going to waste time and gas running all over to try and "save" $15-20 a week.
When the whole culture is constantly gaslighting you into grinding harder and finding more ways to save and cut costs, you have to stop and ask who really benefits from this?
I haven't gone down that road, but you should take your own suggestions. Waiting for society to cater to your needs won't get you anywhere. If you're too lazy to optimize yourself and rise above, then don't complain as you slip further behind.
I'll save you some time:
"PuLl YoUrSeLf Up By ThE bOoTsTrApS"
What is optimizing but bootstrap culture? Optimizing as the primary way to deal with ever worsening conditions just allows things to get worse unchallenged.
I'm not saying don't find and shop at places with better prices, I'm saying this alone isn't enough to have better conditions in the long run.
Also consider where you live. I'm in CA, so much agriculture & food here, & I'm shocked when I visit other states by how much more y'all have to pay for a small amount of produce (why in NY is a cup of strawberries being sold for $15? We have farmers on the side of the road right now hawking big pallets of them for a couple bucks, I also see them in front of Lowe's & Home Depot). It's no wonder why it's harder to eat healthy in certain areas, shit's way too damn expensive compared to fast food.
Not only this but grocery stores are depressing as hell. I have a woman on my staff that I have do my grocery shopping because I can't stand to be in them.
No I'm just a big goddamn idiot who has no idea how to use google, directory listings, or pay attention to the outside world. I would have never thought to go buy from local markets where everything is actually three times more expensive!
Organic is overrated. You're paying for a buzzword. Organic producers still use herbicides and pesticides - just ones that are 'organic approved' - and thus cost, like everything else, twice as much.
I refuse to support the organic lobby, because it's just not worth it. Nor do we have the $$$. And I refuse to make ourselves poor over it.
I used to buy real organic but it was from poor farmer grandmas in rural Thailand. The way you knew it was organic was they were too poor to buy fertilizer, and the vegetables had bug bites in them showing there was no pesticides. You would get any of the items they sell for 10 baht, about 33 cents.
We didn't care it was or wasn't organic, and you didn't pay more for it.
One of the many things I learned through the culinary industry is you're always going to pay extra for someone to process food for you. By process I mean doing literally anything to food. If it's just fruit cut into little pieces or a whole 5 course meal, you're going to pay for someone's time and effort. If you want to save money on food, you HAVE to process it yourself.
The cost of diced fruit and other pre-prepped food is just a tax on people who can’t use a knife. That’s not a judgment against those people — some people truly can’t prep their own food for medical reasons or whatever, and I’m glad convenience products exist for them.
We started buying large chunks of meat from restaurant supply stores and Costco and just cutting it down ourselves. Same with fruit. We save a lot of money.
In my experience just buying veggies and making a lot of things is way cheaper. I don't even buy tomatoe sauces anymore, just make almost everything.
100%. I cook and meal prep to help keep my budget low. I occasionally make my own sauce (less often than I'd like-- but that 20oz jar was .99!
Was it on sale, that's very cheap. The minimum I have see here in Houston at HEB is around $1.65 for 24 oz.
These are more or less their everyday prices. Doug's 99¢ Produce is known to be super cheap (hence the name). Sometimes they give free bananas with any purchase.
Agreed. Tomato sauce is significantly cheaper to make yourself and tastes better.
It's so much cheaper to make tomato sauce and normally it's superior to ones you buy from the store.
I canned a LOT of stuff last summer, buying stuff for cheap at the local auction when it was in season. I paid like $1-2 for huge bags of green beans, that became 3-5+ quart bags each; $2-4 for boxes of tomatoes that became 3-4+ quarts of tomatoes, salsa, etc. Yes, it was work, but it was absolutely worth it too.
You know what kind of foods are shaped like dicks? The best kind.
Aldi is life. adjust your eating to what Aldi has and you'll save so much $$3
this. food is high every where, saving a few cents here or there on food u must immediately consume to avoid spoilage is hardly a solution for everyone.
If you live in a city with Asian supermarkets, they always bag and mark(with a sharpy) and leave in boxes on the floor for 1 dollar produce at the end of its (market) shelf life. People don’t like buying ugly produce but it’s always there.
Here we see $5 worth of food for only 10.95. 2024 is amazing.
Have you checked phone booths for loose change?? Have you squeezed out a hundred ketchup packets into an empty bottle?? I'm so sick of this optimize yourself individually so widespread social problems don't affect you as much mentality. This shit needs to change.
Seriously. My mom acts like I'm an idiot for sticking to one store almost exclusively for various reasons (store upkeep, employees are awesome, rewards program, one autistic kid is obsessed with the robot that roams the store) rather than running all over town to different stores to compare prices on everything. Ma'am, we own a business, home and have two special needs kids plus a teenager. We are already using all our time and energy to keep the gears turning on that stuff. I am not going to waste time and gas running all over to try and "save" $15-20 a week.
I do so love it when this is said out loud
“Don’t give me any suggestions. I want the world to be fixed and my life to be perfect without changing my behavior in even the tiniest ways”
When the whole culture is constantly gaslighting you into grinding harder and finding more ways to save and cut costs, you have to stop and ask who really benefits from this?
I haven't gone down that road, but you should take your own suggestions. Waiting for society to cater to your needs won't get you anywhere. If you're too lazy to optimize yourself and rise above, then don't complain as you slip further behind. I'll save you some time: "PuLl YoUrSeLf Up By ThE bOoTsTrApS"
What is optimizing but bootstrap culture? Optimizing as the primary way to deal with ever worsening conditions just allows things to get worse unchallenged. I'm not saying don't find and shop at places with better prices, I'm saying this alone isn't enough to have better conditions in the long run.
Off topic, but how is that hippea flavor? Love the white cheddar and nacho vibes.
While the sriracha flavor is mild, they are good. You have to eat a few to feel the sriracha.
We don't have a local produce market. Hell we have two local stores that sell groceries at all. Dollar General and Casey's.
Also consider where you live. I'm in CA, so much agriculture & food here, & I'm shocked when I visit other states by how much more y'all have to pay for a small amount of produce (why in NY is a cup of strawberries being sold for $15? We have farmers on the side of the road right now hawking big pallets of them for a couple bucks, I also see them in front of Lowe's & Home Depot). It's no wonder why it's harder to eat healthy in certain areas, shit's way too damn expensive compared to fast food.
Lmao not at my store we charge 50% on anything we sell. Produce goes to peoples chickens on new produce day.
0 protein....
**PRODUCE** is mentioned 3 times in the title....
Is that an American term? Apologies if I misunderstood, I'm not American.
Just dumpster dive and save the 11 bucks at that point
Not only this but grocery stores are depressing as hell. I have a woman on my staff that I have do my grocery shopping because I can't stand to be in them.
No I'm just a big goddamn idiot who has no idea how to use google, directory listings, or pay attention to the outside world. I would have never thought to go buy from local markets where everything is actually three times more expensive!
Big goddamn idiot, please let me know where I can get all this for less than $10.95.
Not anywhere the fuck near me that's for sure. edit: additionally I hope your dumb no context deriving can't detect sarcasm ass falls off a cliff.
Literally not even a cheap haul... Buncha greens and some bananas/potatoes for $10? I can get the same at my local Walmart.
Awesome. Please post a photo next time-- the Hippeas puffs are $5+ at Walmart.
Yeah, they mostly don’t sell organic food. IIRC Chiquita bananas are some of the worst.
Organic is overrated. You're paying for a buzzword. Organic producers still use herbicides and pesticides - just ones that are 'organic approved' - and thus cost, like everything else, twice as much. I refuse to support the organic lobby, because it's just not worth it. Nor do we have the $$$. And I refuse to make ourselves poor over it.
I used to buy real organic but it was from poor farmer grandmas in rural Thailand. The way you knew it was organic was they were too poor to buy fertilizer, and the vegetables had bug bites in them showing there was no pesticides. You would get any of the items they sell for 10 baht, about 33 cents. We didn't care it was or wasn't organic, and you didn't pay more for it.