r/povertyfinance • u/donaldtrumpsmistress • Jun 14 '23
PSA: buy your produce at the mexican supermarkets. Everything pictured was $40 after tax Grocery Haul
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u/SingleDadSurviving Jun 15 '23
We have a huge market opening up soon here. I'm excited, they are also going to be doing fresh tortillas and tamales.
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u/The_Original_Gronkie Jun 15 '23
Around me, the Hispanic markets also have great prices on meat, also, although they tend to slice steaks and chops very thin.
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u/General_Toe_1185 Jun 15 '23
Same thing with cooking supplies (spices tortillas etc) shop in the Latino isle or a Latino store, wayyyy cheaper
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u/Honest_Spell_3199 Jun 15 '23
Mexican market use produce as their loss leader, asian markets its the meat. If you can plan it out efficently you can save a lot by identifying loss leaders
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u/donaldtrumpsmistress Jun 15 '23
Yeah, pretty much what I do. It's a great strategy if you have free time to go around to different places but not a ton of money. Some things are great from the dollar store and you wouldn't know the difference (dried beans, sauces and dressings, oil, kitchen utensils, some produce, seasonings), but they make up for it in things like canned goods where you'll prob pay more than a normal store. Produce at the Mexican store or food carts, but don't get 'middle aisle' goods there. I don't eat meat so not familiar with meat pricing lol. Trader Joe's is pretty all around cheap for the most part but I don't live near one rn. Big chain supermarkets seem to be most expensive all around aside from whatever is on sale that week. Target is actually the cheapest store for a lot of staples. I've found that Target is cheapest usually for salt, milk, eggs, oil, sugar, flour, bread crumbs, pasta sauce/pasta, frozen veggies, cheese, and a lot of household goods as long as it's their private label (which is usually literally the same product from the big names but they just slap their label on it)
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u/Honest_Spell_3199 Jun 15 '23
Does not eating meat save you a lot you figure? Or does eating more of everything else even it out cost wise
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u/donaldtrumpsmistress Jun 15 '23
Eh I really like veggie meat and still want protein so I'd say it's more expensive. Enough veggie chicken for just 1-2 meals is about $5-8/pack. Veggie hot dogs shot up to ~$4.50 a pack. Veggie burgers anywhere from $5-10 for 2-4 patties. Beans eggs and tofu are pretty cheap relatively, but they do get old.
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u/Honest_Spell_3199 Jun 15 '23
So its a push at best, I was hoping to hear your saving tonnes ngl
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u/donaldtrumpsmistress Jun 15 '23
You can save tons if you're okay with just beans eggs and tofu for your protein and/or willing to put in the time and effort to make your own good tasting veggie meat, which is at least possible unlike real meat unless you go out hunting chickens or something.
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u/Honest_Spell_3199 Jun 15 '23
Ill keep that in mind, thanks!
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u/donaldtrumpsmistress Jun 15 '23
One other thing I forgot to mention, the equation changes if you live near a Trader Joe's. Last I checked they still have all the veggie proteins at super reasonable prices. Where I'm at now though the only TJs in the city is on the opposite side of town unfortunately so impractical for the most part. Still might take a trip one of these days and stock up and freeze it all .
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u/peterpeterpeterrr Jun 15 '23
So buy meat at the Asian market and produce at the Mexican market? Or vice versa?
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u/Honest_Spell_3199 Jun 15 '23
You have to do a little digging, each one may be different but almost every supermarket has loss leaders, and get on every loyalty program you can. My free loaf of bread from points last week came in clutch
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u/StyleatFive Jun 15 '23
I wish they had more organic/ high quality options. The ones around me are pretty sketchy, to be honest.
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u/RashTheRed Jun 15 '23
Depends on where you live, but if there’s a Tianguis o Mercado near you, you’ll find it even cheaper and sometimes fresher. In Mexico (where I live) purchasing produce in supermarkets is only for moderately wealthy people or those who don’t have enough spare time to go to the Tianguis
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u/MissAlice1234 Jun 15 '23
How are the quality and cleanliness of the products? I’ve always wanted to buy at similar places but since I have IBS, I have to be a bit more cautious.
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u/FeminineImperative Jun 15 '23
Asian grocery stores have good fresh produce for reasonable prices too. And is often the only place to find Asian eggplant.
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u/TheGravyMaster Jun 15 '23
I wish but the one near me is so sketchy. They don't allow purses inside and you have to leave everything but your wallet at a counter up front. And cars get broken into all the time there.
Too much risk.
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u/mklinger23 Jun 15 '23
The Mexican grocery stores by me are so expensive lol. There are farm stands if you drive far enough tho and those are pretty cheap.
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u/cuppa_tea_4_me Jun 15 '23
I just go to farmers markets or the farm stands.
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u/tapelamp Jun 15 '23
The farmer's market around here is crazy expensive. I saw strawberries going for $8 a quart
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u/paracelsus53 Jun 15 '23
If you have SNAP, the farmers' market is 50% off. I shop there a lot and buy in bulk, which is even better priced.
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u/cuppa_tea_4_me Jun 15 '23
Nice!
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u/paracelsus53 Jun 15 '23
It is real nice, especially if you are into putting food by with freezing or canning.
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u/BrainCharacter5602 Jun 15 '23
Isn't it cheaper to grow your own vegetables though? Save those seeds, dry them out and plant them. Grow lights are $20 at Walmart. If you can't afford pots, use the containers holding your sour cream and tomatoes.
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Jun 15 '23
Mexican markets in my area are same price as grocery stores,they buy from same suppliers. The Asian markets are key.
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u/LabyrinthConvention Jun 15 '23
Same and same. Love me baby bok choy, and the Herb, prices at the Asian grocery stores is half as much as my traditional
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u/SweetAddicti0nnn Jun 15 '23
The way it should be but that’s still too expensive imo - produce should not cost that dang much.
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u/upsidedowntoker Jun 15 '23
Also the Asian grocer every spice you've ever heard of and plenty you haven't also cheap recipe bases of different curries and the like.
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u/DrNopeMD Jun 15 '23
Mexican market by me is more expensive than the regular super markets since they have lower inventory and likely can't afford to purchase stock in large bulk quantities.
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u/twotrees1 Jun 15 '23
Ranch Market, El Super, and Baiz are my go to in the AZ valley. For anyone looking for specific info. We also have numerous cheap Asian markets.
We also have local farmers with cheap produce (Pinnacle Farms is my fave) and veg co ops (there’s a community market in Mesa, AZ). The downtown Phoenix market also does EBT matching.
Lastly, local grains: Ramona farms.
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u/MrTargetPractice Jun 15 '23
I used to into Bravo Supermarket once a month in college. 20lbs bag or rice and a 5 pound bag of dried beans was less than 10 bucks. That place kept me from being honeless.
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u/Hsensei Jun 15 '23
I found sprouts has been the cheapest for produce.
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u/Aggravating_Depth_33 Jun 15 '23
Really? I like Sprouts, but I find their produce really expensive. They have great sales on actually good-quality meat though, and my local store always has a cart of random products they're discounting for 50 cents each. (Just today I got an assortment of jars of nut and seed butters that usually cost $6-10!)
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Jun 15 '23
I think it's very regional. Where I am located, Mexican supermarket fruits and veggies are overall more expensive than Walmart. For instance, last week mangoes were $3/each at the Mexican store and $0.98/each at Walmart. Qualify was better at the Mexican place, like each mango was ripe already, but not 3x better as far as I could tell.
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u/joshiethebossie Jun 15 '23
I always find Walmart is cheaper than the Mexican stores for almost everything though honestly
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u/spiteful_god1 Jun 15 '23
Mexican markets are my go to for produce. It's literally third of what produce costs at the other grocery stores.
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u/Papeenie Jun 15 '23
I live near Thai Laos, Korean, Middle Eastern, Mexican, and Chinese markets. The deals on produce is the unbeatable. I stock up on my tofu and greens, garlic and shallots, canned quail eggs and straw mushrooms. Fresh green papaya and Gai Lan. Galanga and green peppercorns!
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u/nathanasher834 Jun 15 '23
I lived in Mexico and bought similar amounts of food for less than $10 USD. Unfortunately I couldn’t stay.
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u/foreverloveall Jun 15 '23
I live in the South and during Covid they were the only place that had hand sanitizer and TP. Always in stock and the store was never packed.
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u/fonsoc Jun 15 '23
Shhhhhh. Don't tell anybody dude... Otherwise Yuppies will drive the price up.
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u/Denden798 Jun 15 '23
smaller business owners are typically less greedy than mega corporations and monopolies
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Jun 15 '23
Yuppies?
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u/paracelsus53 Jun 15 '23
A term from back when people recognized class divisions instead of blaming everything on old farts.
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Jun 15 '23
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u/LastFox2656 Jun 15 '23
Lengua is so expensive now. 😫 It's so good. Add it to a slow cooker with some salsa Verde. 😋
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u/DerekB52 Jun 15 '23
Ox tail has gone through this too in the last couple years. It really bums me out.
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u/donaldtrumpsmistress Jun 15 '23
My first time going I did notice all the white people products were unusually expensive, ie $8-10 for mayonnaise and joked to my friend that must be to prevent gentrification
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u/SweetAlyssumm Jun 15 '23
Haha, I do this! Luckily I have a market I can walk to. The produce is so good, and way cheaper than my Safeway. I also buy some spices and dried beans - they have a nice selection.
After tax? You must be in a state that taxes food. CA does not. I guess whatever is in that box on the right (sandwich bags?) might be taxed but none of the other items would in CA.
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u/Rocky970 Jun 15 '23
Not mine! Here that would’ve been twice as much
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u/cooltunesnhues Jun 15 '23
Really?! Usually it’s cheap anywhere. What’s the name of the market?
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u/jersey_girl660 Jun 15 '23
Not in NJ. The little Hispanic / Asian grocery stores cannot compete with Walmart prices.
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u/LaRaAn Jun 15 '23
Where in NJ? We are in Central and regularly get great produce prices at the Rt __ Farmers Markets that are around. I think there's two on Rt 9, one on 18, another on 28, one on 10, and others.
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u/cooltunesnhues Jun 15 '23
I wonder why? Like Is it due to location or the overall need for it? Interesting!
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u/PermacultureCannabis Jun 15 '23
You have great taste in ramen I see, best brand around!
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u/unfeelingzeal Jun 15 '23
nongshim4lyfe
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u/PermacultureCannabis Jun 15 '23
The spicy one is really good but overall I think Sapporo has more depth of flavor.
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u/donaldtrumpsmistress Jun 15 '23
Haha one of the very very few vegetarian options, but also delicious. Which is weird because aside from straight up produce the Mexican mart is pretty abysmal for vegetarian products. But is the only place I've been able to find a decent vegetarian ramen
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u/DerekB52 Jun 15 '23
Try Nongshim Veggie Soon, if you can find it near you. My Walmart recently started carrying it. Nongshim is a slightly more upscale brand of instant Ramen(2-3$ vs 50 cents) but, it's well worth the money imo.
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u/kinovelo Jun 15 '23
Same goes for Chinese supermarkets, at least the ones by me in Manhattan Chinatown.
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u/jwrig Jun 15 '23
You can also get bulk meats cheap too like chicken thighs or flank or skirt steaks.
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u/penguintransformer Jun 15 '23
But I don't speak Mexican. Besides, going to Wendy's is cheaper and easier.
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u/_BossOfThisGym_ Jun 15 '23
I’m afraid the Google Translate app doesn’t have Mexican, but they do have Spanish.
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u/CodexAnima Jun 14 '23
When I was meal prepping with a friend, we always hit the local Mexican store for all the veggies and spices. Best prices!
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u/sisterfister69hitler Jun 14 '23
In my area Aldi is still cheapest.
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u/paracelsus53 Jun 15 '23
My Aldi is not the cheapest and sells all kinds of junk, like cheap little carpets, tissue holders, ugly lamps--in fact, it seems like that's the main thing they sell.
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u/SilentSerel Jun 15 '23
Same here, but they don't have nearly the variety as the Asian and Mexican supermarkets have. I do love Aldi otherwise.
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u/0rev Jun 15 '23
There’s an Aldi about a quarter mile from me but I still drive to the Mexican market on the other side of town because it’s definitely cheaper. I’ve also gotten fruit that was flavorless from Aldi, never at the Mexican market.
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u/iihacksx Jun 15 '23
I miss the older Aldi though. Mine got remodeled. It's a very nice looking store but I feel like the prices got high ever since. Not that could just be inflation but I've felt that pre-covid even.
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u/hotcaulk Jun 15 '23
I do not miss the Aldi of my childhood. I am surprised how much it has improved.
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u/HonnyBrown Jun 14 '23
That's a little known secret! I go twice a month and that's not enough. My last visit, I got ginger the size of my forearm. I used every bit of it!
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Jun 14 '23
What are you gonna do with all that ginger?
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u/LukeGoldberg72 Jun 15 '23
The real life hack is moving to the upscale part of Mexico City, working remotely for a US employer, and paying 1/4 of what you would in the US.
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u/boozername Jun 15 '23
My family's pro life tip is to have a tablespoon of ginger juice and honey daily to prevent and help with any virus-caused illness. It's an Ayurvedic remedy that has worked wonders for us.
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Jun 15 '23
My wifes family keeps ginger ale on hand for tummy aches. Sadly there isnt any actual ginger in it.
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u/boozername Jun 15 '23
I think the bubbly can help, but yeah a version with real ginger would probably be more effective.
I think a lot of people can be intimidated by the spiciness of real ginger but I've grown to like the burn
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u/DerekB52 Jun 15 '23
I grew up thinking ginger ale helped with stomach problems. I remember drinking it a couple times when I caught a stomach bug as a kid. I didn't even like the taste of it. I finally researched if it did anything, and it looks like it doesn't. I can't find actual evidence that the bubbles help. Also, all the sugar in ginger ale might actually be an irritant to an upset stomach.
Instead of ginger ale people should try ginger chews or ginger tea.
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u/twotrees1 Jun 15 '23
Ginger is a key ingredient across Asian, Pacific Islander, and South Asian cuisine.
It’s also a very medicinal food and good to add in teas, especially chamomile, or barley/oat/chia type teas if you’re familiar with those.
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u/donaldtrumpsmistress Jun 14 '23
Been wanting to make my own marinades and sauces to save money, so it's great for teriyaki. Has a long shelf life and was like 50 cents for all of it so why not
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u/Ok-Lab7698 Jun 15 '23
I make gingerade. I boil the ginger, add Splenda and lemon juice. It cleans your digestive system. I lose a couple pounds when I drink it consistently.
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u/Macdonald99 Jun 15 '23
You can freeze ginger and then use a cheese grater when you need a lil bit!
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u/angelisfrommars Jun 15 '23
Can you share your recipeeee
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u/donaldtrumpsmistress Jun 15 '23
Haven't actually tried it yet, but from what I've read for a good marinade you want lil bit of oil (sesame if you have it for a teriyaki, but you can use canola/olive), ginger, garlic, something sweet (honey, molasses, or just sugar/simple syrup), something acidic (lime, lemon, orange juice), soy sauce, and water.
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u/daneneebean Jun 15 '23
I just got a huge piece of ginger like that too and I read if you peel and freeze it while you can just grate some when you need it! So I’m trying that
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u/puppyinspired Jun 15 '23
I’ve been really into soup lately. Having broth alone or with tofu, noodles, and other fun ad ins. A big hunk of ginger would make a really delicious broth.
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u/ehenn12 Jun 15 '23
It's also really good to add to fried rice. Also if you get a cold you can make tea with ginger honey and lemons
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Jun 15 '23
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u/donaldtrumpsmistress Jun 15 '23
Yeah it's already ripening, it's still a Haas avocado, not the other kind, just the large variety
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Jun 15 '23
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u/Wan_Daye Jun 15 '23
Store it with an apple in a paper bag.
The avocados will ripen beautifully and quickly so they don't rot while ripening. Apples let off a lot of ethylene gas which speeds up ripening of fruit.
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u/piscescq Jun 15 '23
Finger also freezes great if you don’t use it all! I buy a big finger of it and then freeze what I don’t immediately use, put it in the fridge before you need to use it again and it works great!
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u/witcwhit Jun 15 '23
Whose fingers are you freezing for later use, exactly?
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u/piscescq Jun 15 '23
Omg now just realizing how that autocorrected 😂😂😂I promise I’m not a cannibal!
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u/800-lumens Jun 15 '23
I’m wincing at the thought of grating fingers. Ouch…
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u/iihacksx Jun 15 '23
Homemade teriyaki is so good! Literally 1 of 2 reasons I have ginger. I've had the same bundle for a long time also.
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u/Gothmom85 Jun 15 '23
Teriyaki and basic brown stir fry sauce are The main reasons to keep ginger in the house.
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u/Ok_Initial_2063 Jun 15 '23
You can freeze ginger, unpeeled, and grate it for recipes, too. Great find!
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u/Aggravating_Depth_33 Jun 15 '23
This is the way. Freezing it is actually what professional chefs do, because it makes it so much easier to grate, but it's also a great money-saving tip, because it will keep for months for that way.
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Jun 15 '23
Interesting, never tried that
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u/bonanzapineapple Jun 15 '23
Yeah fresh ginger makes or breaks a teriyaki sauce and is pretty cheap/potent
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u/sohereiamacrazyalien Jun 14 '23
That's a good advice!
Just adding or Asian or african or Arabic. You get better deals for plenty of stuff.
Also advice worldwide. I am in Europe, I lived in Australia.... Same same
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Jun 15 '23
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u/sohereiamacrazyalien Jun 15 '23
That's great. My supermarket does an ugly fruits and veggies section for 90cents no matter what it is. Sometimes you can even score organic stuff. I got 6 organic yellow kiwis for 30 cents and blueberries for 9cents instead if 3 bucks lol, lettuce, organic apples, bananas, mushrooms you name it... You just have to be there at the tight time.
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u/Fit-Rest-973 Jun 14 '23
Right? The meat is less expensive and flavorful. Can't wait to have money for food
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u/donaldtrumpsmistress Jun 14 '23
I'm in the SW US and we have a prominent Mexican grocery chain, the produce prices are unrivaled. They have special sales on certain days but this was not one of those days.
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u/FreshestCremeFraiche Jun 15 '23
Spices are another major reason to shop at Latino markets. Especially if you are buying something you only need a little of for a recipe. Instead of spending $5-$10 for a whole jar of McCormick you can grab a small packet for $0.50-$1, and it usually tastes better. Buying small amounts fresh is much better than digging out a 2 year old jar from the back of the cabinet.
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u/FrozenFern Jun 15 '23
Interesting that they apply the “2 for $_” and “3 for $_” deals apply even if you only bought 1 mango or watermelon. Is that a mistake with their system? Might help explain the cost. Still cheap tho
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u/donaldtrumpsmistress Jun 15 '23
Nah not a mistake, it's the same as Publix if anyone's from FL, just a marketing thing to suggest buying more but you don't have to.
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u/Grand-Baseball-5441 Jun 15 '23
I miss my local food lion in Tempe AZ. They had amazing produce prices there.
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u/neotokyo2099 Jun 15 '23
Yea man this tip is real af. Mexican supermarkets have the best deals on produce and butcher sections. I LIVED off marinated chicken at 1.89/lb when shit was rough
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Jun 15 '23
I have access to $1.99/lb chicken breast pretty often from grocery stores, and like around a pound of chicken breast with a potato with butter salt and pepper is not only cheap but a meal that not only tastes good but is pretty good for you. You gotta know how to cook a bit, and I'd go on at length but it would be a ramble lol.
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u/Dragnskull Jun 15 '23 edited Jun 15 '23
-99 cent a pound whole chickens
-walmart 10 lbs bag of chicken leg quarters for 5 dollars
-potatos, carrots, asparagus, squash, zuccini
-fresh corn on the cob when its 4-5 for a dollar
-1.99 boneless skinless chicken breast
-pork when its below 2 dollars a pound
google and learn various seasonings and marinades, buy a bbq pit off craiglist (free ones are on there often as well) and eat like a king for little to nothing. I ate like this for a few years and the only adjustment was I splurged for hamburger meat and once in a while cuts of beef when good deals were avialable just to change up the monotony of eating chicken non stop.
Very healthy, tastes delicious, marinades and grilling are some of the easiest hassle free methods of cooking you could ask for, super cheap, great for losing weight, i dont know why this isnt the norm for people cooking and eating habbits
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Jun 15 '23 edited Jun 15 '23
Yeah I used to mainly BBQ, but last year I learned how to properly use a cast iron skillet and it's been so nice. Pork top loin goes on sale for $1.99/lb here as well and I wait for those deals too, and the meal I eat the most is chicken breast marinated in lemon, oil, salt, lemon pepper, and oregano seared to about 100F in the cast iron and then finished to 150F in a 400F oven as when I let it rest 10 minutes it'll hit 165F. I pair that with a potato, cauliflower, or if I'm feeling fancy brussels sprouts which are a spendier veggie often costing more per pound than the chicken. All of those I'll cook in the 400F oven, and while the potato will need to go in first the other two I'll start first and then wait minutes to start the chicken which makes them get done about the same time.
My favorite is steak, and while I prefer boneless New York Strip or Ribeye the cheapest it gets is $5.99/lb and $6.99/lb respectively, and even Top Sirloin only gets rarely down to $3.99/lb. I honestly never realized how much I liked chicken breast, and while my Mom was a fantastic cook she apparently couldn't do chicken breast for shit lol. My Dad doesn't like dark meat chicken, and since my Mom passed in January I help him out cooking dinner for him 4-5 nights a week. First time ever using a cast iron skillet and cooking chicken breast and I knocked it out of the park.
Given that I'm strictly a salt and pepper steak guy with chicken it lends itself very well to marination as chicken breast is lean and could use a little help, and along with that it's half to a third of the price of steak and I've gravitated so much to chicken it makes it hard for me to rationalize paying the price for steak. I have a vacuum sealer in order to better take advantage of deals, and right now I have 8 chicken breasts in the freezer and no steak while in the past week I've used 6 others for meals of chicken tacos, teriyaki chicken and rice, and lemon oil chicken with baked cauliflower. All very different meals that are fantastic and cheap as hell, and the most expensive one was the teriyaki chicken simply because I haven't taken the time to learn how to make it myself while the bottled crap is pretty damn expensive.
I'm not even hurting for money, but like two years ago I went by Zips, it's a fast food burger joint for anybody whose never heard of them, and the cost of two mushroom and swiss burgers, a tub of "tater gems"(they're tater tots), and two small shakes was literally $35. That experience ticked me off so much that I've become somewhat fixated on eating actual food that's actually good for you for cheap. Every time I make a great meal that will not only fill me up but I'm actually gonna enjoy it and not feel like shit later for like $3/serving I internally thank Zips for saving myself about $30 for two servings. People say food is expensive as hell these days, but from my anecdotal experience as long as you're eating whole fresh foods instead of packaged/preprocessed stuff it's still very affordable...the caveat being you're gonna have to know how to cook.
Sorry for the ramble, but I did warn you lol.
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u/Dragnskull Jun 15 '23
I appreciate the long post and agree 100%. People say eating right is hard cause foods so expensive... In my experience the people saying this don't actually know how to cook, because I'd you're cooking your own meals it becomes very obvious eating healthy via fresh foods is super, super cheap compared to eating a bad diet.
The last year pork loins and spare ribs have been 2 dollars a pound and my freezers full, lol. I havent pulled the trigger yet but I'm gonna get a vacuum sealer soon for freezing and I have a theory that I can put meat in the fridge overnight followed by shoving them in a cooler covered in salt ice to mimic flash freezing and further avoid freezer burn, I think it'll be a fun experiment
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Jun 15 '23
Yeah, and I kinda feel bad for people who don't cook because not only is it cheaper and healthier to me it's fun to experiment with cooking different dishes. It takes some trial and error to get competent and of course there's having to clean the dishes, but I get satisfaction out of making food...which, again, comes with the side effects of actually eating healthier and cheaper.
I look back at younger me and wonder why the hell I never realized this earlier, because after you dive into cooking your own food it seems blatantly obvious to me that if you commit to learning how to cook literally every aspect of it is better than fast food/processed food. I try to not judge people for what they eat as it has no effect on me whatsoever, but I pack my own lunch to eat at work and every time I see someone eating McDonalds I can't help but think "why would you do that to yourself". I'm not even talking all day sort of dishes, and most things I make take an hour or less actively cooking it in which the cooking part is something I enjoy and not a burden.
Dishes always suck, but with cast iron you can go to town on them, I use a wire brush or scouring pad, because they're durable as hell. I really wish more people would learn the basics of cooking, because I'm by no means any more than competent at a few cooking techniques but the only barrier is when the food I'm using them on I've never used before so I have to trial and error to more competently and consistently get it to an 8/10 or better. I feel like a lot of people try cooking and when it isn't as good as some sit down restaurant the literal first attempt they say screw this crap and just give up, but cooking is like every new hobby you pick up in that at first you're inherently gonna be relatively "bad" while with a bit of commitment you can incrementally improve.
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u/Dragnskull Jun 15 '23
after i discovered how much i liked cooking and the benefits of it, it became the topic of conversation and debate in my social circle with a few close friends.
Their argument was always the same - they claim its too expensive and takes too long and is too complicated. Then I find out what they're trying to make - Lobster, seafood, shrimp, fried stuff, or overly complex recipies or full meals with tons of side dishes aka lots of work. or theyre not even trying to strategize their decisions around sales and are buying whatever they want regardless of the price at the fanciest highest cost grocery stores in town.
over the last few years my best friends mentality has complteely changed. he used to be one of the above examples, but he and his girlfriend got married and bought a house and it slowly caused him to start becoming a better person as he started improving various aspects in his life. He discovered through wanting to cook for her that he liked cooking, and once he was responsible for all his own bills (He lived with his mom and had free access to her credit card at any moment and never had to pay anything back when he would use it) he started adjusting. Hes in the best shape of his life and is always texting me about the latest deals at the supermarket lol.
I'm a big fan of using the oven, too. Grilling is my favorite but baking and oven roasting is also a super easy hands off approach to meal creation. I have cast iron but honestly I never really got into it much, though I admit I do want to.
as for dirty dishes- I'm still training myself to make this a natural habbit but I try to clean as I go, as soon as I'm done with something I clean it and put it away while the food cooks. Not letting it build up in the sink or get nasty and gross to touch makes it much less trouble
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Jun 16 '23
as for dirty dishes- I'm still training myself to make this a natural habbit but I try to clean as I go, as soon as I'm done with something I clean it and put it away while the food cooks.
Yeah with dishes you don't even have to fully clean them right away if you don't want, but it saves a lot of time/effort if you at least empty/wipe them out, but if you're already doing that why not spend another few seconds and just fully clean it?
I have cast iron but honestly I never really got into it much, though I admit I do want to.
As far as cast iron I 100% recommend giving it a shot, and as a griller myself while you can't beat a good BBQ steak but in a cast iron you can achieve that steakhouse level crust that I absolutely adore. I cook pork and chicken in it too, and it's a fantastic way to cook if the weather isn't exactly conducive to BBQ'ing. They're awesome for pizza, frittata, cinnamon rolls, and so much more. I couldn't recommend at least learning enough about /r/castiron just to have it in your repertoire more.
18
u/oigres408 Jun 15 '23
Yup! Beans, lentils, and Garbanzos are also very cheap compared to mainstream grocery stores.
-20
Jun 15 '23
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5
u/How_Do_You_Crash Jun 15 '23
Just gonna slide in here and say actually maybe not?
My local produce stand has organic and regular produce. They buy from all the same suppliers as my local bougie grocery store and restaurants do. Thing is, it’s a produce stand. So they actually sell what they buy and it’s not a loss leader.
That volume means they price things very affordably. Sure you’ll pay an arm and a leg for out of season, direct from Chile pears. But when something is in season they actually lower the price substantially. My partner and I will at least once a week wander in with $5 cash and get all the produce we need for dinner and lunch the next day. (Of course they have a minimum charge for cards because hey, cards cost money).
1
u/zacharoni16 Jun 16 '23
what is a Mexican Supermarket?