Lowering costs of the Starch Solution

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Lowering costs of the Starch Solution

Postby lucidguppy » Fri Oct 15, 2021 6:50 am

I know that the SS is low cost - but what are your tips for making sure you're not wasting money?

Mine so far:

[list=]Frozen fruits/vegetables so you don't waste fresh produce that goes bad if you don't eat it in time.[/list]
[list=]Cooking dry beans vs canned beans[/list]
[list=]Not drinking coffee or tea (don't want to give this up :-( )[/list]

Those are the items that jump out to me. How much do you save chopping your own lettuce vs getting it in bags? Do you spend a lot on fat free salad dressing? You have to balance out cost with convenience - but were there any big wins on keeping costs down?
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Re: Lowering costs of the Starch Solution

Postby VegSeekingFit » Fri Oct 15, 2021 7:19 pm

Hi,

I keep shelf stable foods stocked - like canned NSA tomatoes, beans, certain veggies --- and rice, dried beans / peas / lentils, whole grain pasta, oatmeal.

When I do weekly grocery shop, it is usually for perishables. However, I look for sales -- and stock up on the shelf stable when there is a sale.

Also, I don't usually buy pre-cut produce. I have found that it is fresher (and cheaper) when I cut it myself.

I also will use frozen - as you said - no waste.

Best,
Stephanie
"Just put one foot in front of the other and don't worry about the length of the path.
Once you get on that path, and the longer you stay on it, there eventually will come a time when you will not turn back." - Martina Navratilova
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Re: Lowering costs of the Starch Solution

Postby Ejeff » Sat Oct 16, 2021 6:34 am

I don’t buy bagged salad as it doesn’t last. Definitely cheaper to cook your own beans. I recently calculated this and beans from raw are approximately 1/3 the cost of using canned beans. As for tea, I buy bulk loose tea which is much cheaper than buying a box with bags.

I do buy some frozen veggies, but I also shop the sales for fresh. Fresh never goes to waste as I make soup and freeze it if I have too much.

I buy a big bag of brown rice at Costco whenever it’s on sale so I have it on hand.

I don’t buy salad dressings, I make my own always. It’s likely cheaper as when you buy bottled fat free dressings you are paying for a lot of water I would assume.

Erin
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Re: Lowering costs of the Starch Solution

Postby lucidguppy » Tue Oct 19, 2021 4:37 am

Ejeff wrote:I don’t buy bagged salad as it doesn’t last. Definitely cheaper to cook your own beans. I recently calculated this and beans from raw are approximately 1/3 the cost of using canned beans. As for tea, I buy bulk loose tea which is much cheaper than buying a box with bags.

I do buy some frozen veggies, but I also shop the sales for fresh. Fresh never goes to waste as I make soup and freeze it if I have too much.

I buy a big bag of brown rice at Costco whenever it’s on sale so I have it on hand.

I don’t buy salad dressings, I make my own always. It’s likely cheaper as when you buy bottled fat free dressings you are paying for a lot of water I would assume.

Erin


What salad dressing recipes do you recommend? I'm horrible at making them myself.
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Re: Lowering costs of the Starch Solution

Postby Ejeff » Tue Oct 19, 2021 7:42 am

lucidguppy, I don’t really follow a recipe. I normally use my magic bullet to blend the dressing. I put in some warm water, tahini, white beans like navy or kidney, lemon juice, salt, garlic powder. Then I just adjust to taste. If it’s too thick I add more water. Then I just store in a big jar so I have it ready all week. Often I add balsamic vinegar too.

Yesterday I had made a batch of hummus so I took the hummus, stirred in some water and franks hot sauce and that was my dressing. I like anything spicy.

Overall I enjoy dressings that I add tahini to the most. Sometimes I add a date. It’s nice to add beans so the dressing is thicker.

Do you have a certain salad dressing you like the most now? I have a ranch and a Caesar dressing recipe if you want those I will dig them up. I haven’t calculated the cost to make my own dressings so not sure if it’s cheaper than store bought, but at least I make them taste exactly as I enjoy them.

Erin
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Re: Lowering costs of the Starch Solution

Postby SunshineDay » Tue Oct 19, 2021 12:39 pm

In a pinch I like to just mix a bit of dijon mustard with maple syrup (thin with water if necessary)-- tastes like a nice honey-mustard dressing.
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Re: Lowering costs of the Starch Solution

Postby ch47gunnergirl » Tue Oct 26, 2021 3:33 pm

The best way I've found to keep any costs down when grocery shopping is to make a meal plan for (roughly) a week since I only shop 1 every week or 2. I try to look at recipes by cuisine/ingredients. If one recipe I know I want to make only uses half a large onion, I'll look for a different recipe for another day to use up the remainder. This trick works very well when it is more expensive things like fresh herbs or more exotic veggies. Then I make one huge list of all the ingredients I need for all dishes. I first "shop" my pantry and fridge and cross off ingredients I have, and then only buy what is left on the list. I also try to incorporate planning to use leftovers as lunches to reduce the amount of cooking and waste less.
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Re: Lowering costs of the Starch Solution

Postby squealcat » Thu Nov 11, 2021 5:00 pm

One way I save is by having a magnetic small white board that sticks on the side of my fridge. When I make a recipe or cook something, I write the day I made it or cooked it so I know just what is in my fridge and how old it is. If it is close to a week then I make sure that food is combined with something and used up. I use to find things in the back of my fridge and would have to throw it out because I didn't know how old it was. Now it is rare that I have to throw out food and looking at the list of what is there really helps me plan my meals.

Oh, just remembered ! I cooked up some mushrooms today ! I need to add it to the list !

-squealcat
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Re: Lowering costs of the Starch Solution

Postby Jun » Wed Jan 12, 2022 9:08 am

I buy organic spices in bulk .
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