My grocery bill is steadily climbing and I am not sure what to do. I make too much for SNAP. Any tips or tricks? It’s just me in my household, so would buying in bulk be worth it?
Edit: I want to thank everyone for their responses. I have a lot to think about.
Learning to cook for yourself is helpful, and that means not just avoiding eating out, but avoiding the purchase of prepared foods.
For instance: Instead of buying a jar of Spaghetti sauce, get a large can of crushed tomatoes, add garlic and Italian herbs, and let it simmer for several hours. It’s super easy, and tastes far better, and is much cheaper. Cook up several cans in a giant pot, and freeze the sauce in single or double containers.
Chili is another cheap, nutritious meal that freezes easily. Just ground meat, beans, a can of diced tomatoes, and herbs. Just don’t forget the Cumin, that’s the taste of Chili.
When pork shoulders are on sale, cook one up in a slow cooker, and freeze that. Cheap pulled pork available whenever you want it. Do the same with chicken breast and/or thighs, when they’re on sale.
Do one of those, and a couple more, every Sunday, and you’ll have a lot of cheap meals for the next month or two.
Just as an example, 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes is $1.54 and a 24 oz jar of pasta sauce is $1.74. Both are Walmart brand. So, not much difference. Are there still tariffs on tomatoes?
If you can get a decent sauce for $1.74, you should definitely buy it. I don’t shop at Walmart, but around me, sauces tend to be $3+, even house brands, and I find that they still need to be supplemented with more herbs like garlic.
Now and then, Publix will have one of the imported tomatoes brands for 10 cans for $10. You can make a lot of sauce for $10, and a bunch of seasonings, most of which are very easy to grow.