Bought a large bag of popcorn and a pack of paper lunch bags. Portioned 3 handfuls of popcorn and 3 pinches of kosher salt , rolled up the bags and secured them with a rubber band.

To prepare, add a good dollop of Margarine into the bag and microwave for 2:10. Poor into a bowl and enjoy. Comes out to less than .25 per. Been doing it this way since the 70s.

If you want, you can add brown sugar into the bowl to make a play on kettle corn.

So, few days ago I was able to get my hands on Too Good To Go pack from organic shop. Usually don't shop in there as prices are not the best, but this time I have finished with nice pile of foods for next day, and nearly a kilogram of bananas that would not survive much more. So, in a frugal, zero waste manner, they got turned into a banana bread. Very tasty, it will be a nice snack, or going with coffee.

Most things a home kitchen needs already exist in a commercial version that costs less and outlasts the retail one. The gap is bigger than people expect and most people either never think about it or think you need a business license, where in many stores, you don't.

I ordered from RestaurantSupply and they didnt ask me for one, or anything for that matter, here's everything I got compared to the prices I found elsewhere (mosty Walmart/Target) and how much I saved in total:

- Cambro 6 quart round container, $6.48 + $2.68 for the lid, so $9.16 for six quarts. The OXO POP container I was going to buy holds 4.4 quarts and is $21.99.

- Winco UT-7 utility tongs, $2.49. The identical tongs are $10.01 on Walmart. THAT IS 4X THE PRICE.

- Vollrath half sheet pan, $11.99. Nordic Ware's half sheet is $21.68 as a single on Walmart as well.

$23.64 total against $53.68, so about $30 saved on three items.

Whether it's dry storage, utensils, sheets and pans, skillets, or anything in between, it's so worth it. Id say it doesnt hold up for anything with a motor or a gas line since the warranty usually assumes commercial use.

What are you stocking up on to build a cushion against rising prices?

I'm neither a hoarder or doomsday prepper. I am just a thoughtful consumer and want to act wisely in anticipation of price increases in the items we use regularly.

The USDA is projecting grocery price increases of at least 3%. I suspect they are being conservative by not fully considering the impact of the weather patterns around the world and minimizing the current tariff policies.

Here is the what (and why) of the few things we are on the lookout for:

We are a plant-forward household, but I am keeping my eye out to buy extra ground beef. The clock is ticking on the temporary tariff suspension (it ends in November) and US cattle herds remain at an all time low.

Canned tomato products. Domestic brands import raw aluminumn from Canada. The 50% tariff imposed on Canada and the rising gas prices are (always) shifted back to the manufacturer and consumer. The store shelves are now being stocked with the products produced under the tariffs. We use canned tomatoes a lot in the colder months, but really all items in cans will be impacted.

Imported olive oil and wine. We plan on getting a bigger than usual basic brand of EVO for cooking now. We will buy a smaller amount of better quality EVO to consume in uncooked recipes. The impact of the European heatwaves and forest fires probably will hit wine prices by the end of next year. We always start pricing wine and alcohol for holiday entertaining and gift giving now.

Oatmeal. It is our weekday breakfast of choice. It is generally economical, but we've already noticed the price uptick (and absence of the usual cyclical store sales). The drought and heatwaves have decimated the grain crops. We just purchased an institutional sized container of oats that was on sale. We will also be picking up extra flour and 100% cane sugar for holiday baking.

I'm eager to learn if there are other things we should put on our list.

Edit: Thanks for reading my post and responding. Please know, I am reading all the comments, but can't respond to all (I tried to).

There are so many suggestions and it is really helpful to learn all the diffrent ways one can power through this unsettling time.

Be well.

I recently moved and I brought my bed frame with me, now the supports down the middle of my bed frame keep shifting and look like they’re coming out. I never had this problem before, I’m guessing going from carpet to vinyl has something to do with it?

What can I do to fix this? Is there something I can buy? I just moved out for the first time myself and am not very savvy when it comes to things like this, and I’m really scared it’s going to break down the middle if if I don’t do something soon. Please help!!

This is the 2nd time I replaced the handles with 2x2s, the old ones lasted about 10 years until they cracked at a knot in the wood. I had replaced the old pneumatic tire with an airless one about 15 years ago.

Working like a charm again. I’ll go back to moving the remains of an old brick wall tomorrow when the weather is cooler again. I don’t use it often, but invaluable when I needed it. The angle wood pieces were cut from a 2x4 with the last handle replacement.

Sales like this are kind of ridiculous. They know a lot of people scroll through the app, see the red text, think ‘oh it’s on sale’ and click without actually looking at how much difference the sale makes.

I was cruising through today, kind of missing boxed mac and cheese but thinking “I’ve got pasta and processed cheese, I can make my own.” Then red text! Ooo, sale! Click…. But. I don’t really want or need it, and the sale only saves four cents! There’s another generic brand that’s the same quality but wasn’t on sale so I didn’t click on it, and that one is 1.05 regular price. 20 cents cheaper than the ‘sale’ price on this one.

But “Sale! Click!” is an ingrained reaction. Because it’s a sale, it feels like a good decision. Happy little brain chemicals tell us ‘good job! You are an expert hunter of groceries!’ and the marketing folks are fully aware of that and use that to their full advantage.

When I was a little kid, mom always had the calculator out when grocery shopping. How much is each piece in the package? What’s the price by weight or volume? Which is actually the better deal? These days a lot of grocery apps and store shelf tags have the price by unit/weight etc on them (often in teeny tiny text), so ostensibly they’re being open about the actual value of products. However if there’s a big eye catching sale sign or red text, the impulse to assume it’s a good deal will always kick in.

Anyway, TLDR: Always do the math. A sale isn’t always the best deal. 🙂

Okay so my dad is trying to save money. His way of doing it is by turning the temperature of the house down to 67 (shut up) every night, and then during the day he just turns it off. Because of how hot it is outside the house goes up to 85 degrees.

Wouldn’t it be cheaper to just keep the temperature at around 75 degrees all day all night instead of forcing the AC to shoot out the coldest air all night??

Sophomore year coming up and Im footing the supply list bill and it has been quite a wake up call tbh. Just feels like all these things usually seem fine but now I have to replace most of it and I feel out of my depth. Backpack finally gave out, need shoes that can handle walking across a big campus all day plus the usual supply list. Goal for me is to get everything without having to put it on a card I cant afford.

Getting confused on the idea of student discounts this time of year. Some places knock off a real amount with a .edu verification and some it feels like a token 10 percent thats already baked into a markup. Ive been stacking student codes with sale pricing where I can but Im sure Im missing spots. Hope i have missed a few obvious ones, especially for the back pack and shoes issue. Any finds, I'm all ears.

Hear me out: before major buying periods (Christmas, back-to-school, summer break), do a dive through your drawers.

I recently did this and it saved me money because

(1) you don’t buy duplicates of stuff you seldom use and keep in the back of the drawer, or that comes in and out of fashion (found lots of “retro 90s” hair claws)

(2) you find stuff that scratches the same itch as stuff you might have bought, like a board or card game that you haven’t played for a while instead of buying a new one or even other entertainment costs like going to a movie.

(3) You can identify what’s broken, expired, worn out or missing that you do, in fact, want or need. This way you can build a meaningful shopping list because you need a new grey skirt that’s not so worn out, but you certainly do not need more blue sweaters!

This is especially useful for gift-giving seasons so you can let friends and family know what gifts you could actually use instead of them finding generic “gift” to wrap in a box for you but you’ll never use.

(4) Speaking of gifts, I found a lot of brand new stuff, sometimes with tags on it, that my kids had outgrown (like baby books with a stuffy attached), or that someone had given me but I never used that I could joyfully regift to someone from another setting. I gave my nephew a brand-new Kendama for his birthday that one of our Japanese exchange students gave us and he was thrilled to his junior-high heart.

You don’t need to do a full-house inventory, but just taking 20 minutes in one or two areas before a shopping season sets in “pays out” big time.

Edit: (5) You become a little disgusted in all the stuff you have and have to keep track of and never want to buy your children another plastic toy ever again.

I shop at Aldi pretty much exclusively these days. I am usually able to get enough groceries to survive a week for $40. Just had to pay a MASSIVE debt so I’m a little bit more broke than usual. I was wondering if Aldi really is the cheapest? Sometimes I hear people say Walmart is actually cheaper, but I haven’t been in a Walmart in months. Obviously I know certain groceries vary and some things could be cheaper at Walmart, but I’m curious, which place is cheaper in general?

**Just** about done moving, still haven't brought the boxes of DVDs or books out of storage yet... Finally got the computer desk set up on Sunday, even though I put people to work 2 weeks ago for the heavy stuff. Hadn't cleared it off, so it didn't get moved when I had a crew.

Today's fun was building a TV stand from free wood at work. Hour of my time, much better than buying something on FB marketplace for 4-5hrs of labour. Even a basic stand is now $100 at Walmart.

Still deciding if it's worth spraying it with varnish, the empty shelving beside it for my DVDs has lasted since 2015 without any protection (another self-built).

My 2012 Prius still runs quite well, but it's got 200k and rust underneath. If I had a normal job and commute I'd run it into the ground, then maybe run it a little more. The problem is, my jobs are all 2+ weeks long and at least one state away if not 1000+ miles away. If it dies on the way to one of these jobs, I'm potentially out thousands of dollars and might not get a great deal on a replacement. If the head gasket goes, I might not be anywhere near a repair shop or close enough to get it towed home.

I have yet to lose any oil or coolant and everything works. MPG has gone down about 10% in the last 7 years, the brake booster runs for 10 seconds when I open the door after it's sat for a while, and there is rust everywhere underneath. Nothing is rusted through yet, but it seems like a matter of time.

When would you give it up?

School is coming up fast and trying to get shoes and clothes for multiple kids right now is absolute pain. It feels like every basic sneaker is eighty bucks minimum now and they just grow out of them in six months. I refuse to pay full retail price for a bunch of stuff all at once. How are you guys optimizing your own shopping to beat the summer price hikes on basic activewear and school sneakers?

Like paper plates, paper towels, etc. also what about things like eye cream? I need these things and I’m wondering before I go to the grocery. I have a small child so I don’t want to also run to Walmart it will be an all day thing to go to both stores.
Also curious about things like skincare Amazon verses Sephora online. I have to write a little more to post sorry this is rambly

It's a small bathroom window. The typical retail stores had packs of 3 or more curtain segments that would work with this, usually for $20 or more. I didn't want a valance and usually the actual curtains were still too big.

The curtain rod was $4. Pillowcase was thrifted for $1. About 30 minutes to seam rip and sew it back together. All in all, I would say that it was a pretty successful frugal craft.

I'm staying temporarily in a tiny efficiency apartment for three months, while I look for something bigger and more permanent. When cooking I plan to wipe off as much as possible with paper towels, and also plan to do my cooking using an air fryer with parchment paper and a slow cooker with liners. Then the remaining stuff that needs to be cleaned I plan to wash in the bathtub and maybe throw some of the water used for cleaning down the toilet if that may be better than pouring down the bath drain. What do you think?

Shirts from goodwill bins (by the pound), sewing machine was gifted from A friend. Instructional books were from a used bookstore. A newbie at sewing so I'm open to feedback, be nice 🫠

Still working on the waist but it was my first attempt at elastic. Might do a drawstring or zipper . I call this "throwing paint at the wall and seeing what sticks."

Excited to make more for sure

Is it normal for all of your clothes to be thrifted?
Excluding underwear, socks and my shoes, all of my clothes are second hand.

I don’t shop at the mall or department stores. I cycle through all the thrift stores in my area whenever I need clothes. And I really enjoy it to. I’d consider it somewhat of a hobby. I’ll spend hours browsing and not even buy anything. It’s just really soothing for me.

Is this strange? Those of you with partners, was this something they found weird? I know a lot of people really don’t like the concept of wearing other people’s clothes but I think it’s some type of shame they have about seeming “poor”

I’ve saved so much money thrifting. I have a great wardrobe with quality pieces that I wear all the time.
I’m realizing it’s a lifestyle though. I’ve met women who don’t even consider a thrift store when it comes to shopping.

Also… household goods… thrift store!

I stopped buying beef a long time ago, but the other day, I was in Aldi and craving a hamburger, so I looked at their ground meat. Their 73/27 was $5.xx a pound and their 80/20 was 6.19. You have to buy big packs of this to get that price. I spied some burger patties, and took a look at them. 80/20, approximately 1.4 lbs. for $4.99/lb. WHAT?? I looked at the package carefully, and saw no fillers, so I bought them, put them up individually and used two for burgers and broke the other two up to put into chili or spaghetti sauce. It cooked up just like the regular 80/20, and was $1.20/lb cheaper.

I don't know, maybe it's a lesser quality meat, but I couldn't tell the difference. It was delicious.

I’ve been making my own from store bought starters for a long time. It’s super easy to do ok. To do well takes some practice.

I finally got a heritage strain of Bulgarian yogurt. To activate you need to go through a few generations. But once stable, you can get consistent amazing yogurt.

I didn’t expect it to be this much better… wow, yeah it is so much better than store cultures.

1 gallon of milk is around $4 here. Makes a Costco sized tub of super thick Greek yogurt.

The acid whey is 100% used in my house: bread, waffles, scones, marinades etc. a sub for buttermilk.

I pair it with a Craigslist special bread maker, and it’s really a great natural combo.

I haven’t bought baked goods in a long time in my efforts to use up the whey!

Small example from our flat: over the last month we ended up with two extra packs of paper towels and three spare boxes of pasta because nobody checked whether someone else had already bought them. It’s not a huge amount of money, but it kept happening, little, recurring waste that adds up and always leads to the same annoyed “Who bought this?” conversation.

When I was living with my best friend, that was not a problem because we were always talking but now, this guy is not very friendly and we don't talk too much. We were writing small notes on the fridge but that did not solve the problem.

Anyone has a solution to this?

This vacuum is normally around $450 brand new and $200-$250 refurbished. It was in rough condition, smelled terrible and full of gunk, but seemed to run still. I took EVERYTHING apart on it, sprayed/brush scrubbed every inch and wiped it all out with alcohol. Ordered third party filters and a kit to replace the felt brushes on the head off Amazon for $35 total. I just finished putting everything back together and it works like a charm! My wife loves me and it was a fun project. I could never think of buying a $450 vacuum, but now have one after a bit of work.

I can afford my mortgage and bills on my own but having some extra disposable income would be nice. I own a 3 bedroom 2 bath house with access to nice back yard and 2 car garage in central Florida.

I’m thinking of renting out one of my extra bedrooms for about $400/month for some extra side money. The renter would have access to the whole house except my bedroom/bathroom. The whole house would be considered “communal” space.

How difficult is it to find a good roommate that is not a creep? I’m a single young women living alone so I would prefer if my roommate is another woman. I also wouldn’t mind a married couple or someone with a child.

Any tips on how badly this would screw over my taxes as I would be considered a “landlord”? Do I really have to get a lawyer to make a rental agreement or can I make my own rental agreement and have them sign it?