If you’ve been facepalming whenever you see the prices at your local grocery shop, then you’re not alone. This ‘totally-not-a-recession’ we’re in has wreaked havoc on food costs in many parts of the world. In the UK alone, food price inflation reached 12.4% in November. Meanwhile, grocery prices in the US were up 12%, compared to the year before. So you’re definitely not alone if you’ve been feeling your wallet getting thinner.

Shoppers have been forced to react to this in different ways. Some are working overtime or have picked up a new side hustle. Others are cutting back on their favorite foods, eating out, and the size of their meals. However, food budgets, creative cooking solutions, and buying things at discounts are new to some people.

Luckily, the internet is chock full of friendly folks who love to lend a helping hand. Some budget-savvy shoppers from the r/Cooking online community shared their best tips on what underrated cheap foods you definitely shouldn’t ignore. You’ll find their awesome advice below. Upvote the posts that you found the most useful, and share some cost-saving food tips of your own in the comments. Us? We’re not big on cabbage, but lentils are great!

Read More: 50 Budget Shoppers Share Their Best Tips And Tricks To Save Money On Food

#1

Lentils! Lentil soup is the best! And dhal is awesome. And you can make burgers with them.
Healthy, filling, versatile and delicious.

Image credits: Yenneferofvenga

#2

Oats! Not only for porridge, but just grind it and add it into your baking – it is so tasty! Also, if you are on a really tight budget (or sick) it is really nice to add some oats into soup indead of noodles to make it more filling.

Image credits: chiyostoppedcaring

#3

Rotisserie chickens. One chicken will feed me and my husband for 2 meals each plus some snacking and the carcass can be turned into amazing bone broth. That’s a lot of bang for $5

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#4

Popcorn is underrated when it comes to the variety of flavors it plays well with.

Image credits: riverrocks452

#5

Dried beans and rice. Infinitely customizable. A perfect protein. Great source of fiber. You can eat great tasting food for a week for $5 USD. $20 gives you options

Image credits: One_Posh_Possum

#6

Sweet potatoes. Sweet or savory, chunky or smooth, extremely versatile food you can do a lot of delicious meals and snacks with.

Pascalica added:

I use them in burritos. Cut into chunks, season with cumin, garlic, chili powder, salt, and toss with some oil. Bake until tender in the middle with some charring on the outside. So damn good with black beans, Mexican style rice, the sweetness of them goes very well with all the savory.

Image credits: foodishlove

#7

Canned garbanzo beans.

Add salt , pepper , sugar and a spice of your liking. Lightly oil. Put in the oven for 20-25 mins 400F. Great crunchy low calorie snack.

OrangeCoffee87 added:

I make “not egg” salad with them. Great with crackers or in a pita.

Image credits: nihrk

#8

Eggs are the cheapest healthiest food you can eat.

Image credits: ParticularMuted2795

#9

I’d say omelets. They are cheap nutritious and not hard to make if you practice and have a big flat spatula. There’s also a thousand ways to make an omelet. I like mine with sautéed mushrooms and some goat cheese and herbs.

Image credits: No-Dirt-8737

#10

Tofu is legit 1 dollar a lb now and can be used in so many dishes

Image credits: prizim96

#11

Sourdough loaf with olive oil and salt and pepper

Image credits: EveFluff

#12

Gnocchi. I just learned how to make it, i have always loved it, and it is CHEAP. Last batch made about 6 servings for the two of us. Took six potatoes, three spoonfuls of ricotta, 2 eggs (which my backyard dinosaurs provided) and a cup and half or so of 00 flour. Maybe $8 real world. Eat them with everything. Mushroom gravy, tinned fish, puttanesca…whatever. Always good and ready in under 3 minutes 😉

Image credits: Unlucky_Particular29

#13

Pb&J, add berries and it really feels decadent.

Image credits: chocoheed

#14

Dried beans. The US is weirdly against dried beans becoming mainstream.

NoZombie7064 added:
With inflation, canned beans are much more expensive than they used to be. Store brand canned black beans are a minimum of $2/can around me, more for other types of beans or any kind of premium brand or organic. Back of the hand calculations suggest that dried are still cheaper even with the cost of energy.

Image credits: _lmmk_

#15

Celery root. Baked in oven with olive oil, salt and pepper.

Image credits: basilico12345

#16

Cottage cheese — cheap protein/calcium and you can use it savory or sweet.

bluejayghosts added:

Cottage cheese is the best—Costco sells large quantities for like $4!!

traditora added:

In a bowl with some cinnamon and sugar or honey is a nice snack. Add some granola and it’s breakfast.

Or my favorite breakfast: a hardboiled egg, cottage cheese, cherry tomatoes, lots of olive oil, salt and pepper, and good crusty bread to soak up the oil.

Image credits: Rough_Elk_3952

#17

I find a lot of canned meats and seafood are looked down upon but I really enjoy them. Spam, smoked oysters, sardines etc

Image credits: PlantQueen1912

#18

You can do a lot with a few veggies and fruit. Individually it sounds boring and not fulfilling. But I like to make a salsa with cilantro, a red onion, a tomato, a mini pineapple OR a mango, and a lime. I’ve purchased one of each of these ingredients for under $5 and made a huge salsa out of it after chopping and stirring them all up (and squeezing the lime over). Along with tortilla chips it’s great or you can use it in fish tacos too.

Image credits: Dananjali

#19

Spinach! I made this really nice spinach and artichoke dip last night, and it’s so much better homemade. The stuff you find it stores is like 50% mayo and i think that’s gross lol

Image credits: SeverenDarkstar

#20

Frozen veggies
Instant mashed potatoes
Canned tomatoes

Image credits: siniquezu

#21

Canned salmon for salmon patties and canned chicken for casseroles and chicken salad.

Image credits: PitifulConnection4

#22

SAR-F*****G-DINES.

Healthy, delicious, eco-friendly and CHEAP!

bagelmaster3000 added:

I get the mustard sauce ones and eat them over hot multigrain bowl (one of those 90 second pouches from Aldi). Or just over crackers: I like the mustard sauce ones.

I’ve heard people sauté them in their own oil and toss them with pasta, you could break them up in pasta sauce for a fishy kick.

Image credits: not_a_foreign_spy

#23

Canned pumpkin is great for pumpkin pie and other pumpkin desserts. Why bother carving out a fresh pumpkin when canned pumpkin can be just as good, if not better. Canned pork liver pate. I especially love using it for banh mis. Canned corned beef hash is great when pan-fried until it gets ultra-crispy. I haven’t had homemade corned beef hash that was better than the canned variety.

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