17 ways to spend less on food

Egg packs at $10. A gallon of milk at seven dollars. Apples for two dollars. everyone—even Cardi B.— are affected by incredibly high food prices due to inflation and other factors. It’s scary to see the cost of food skyrocket, but while no one can predict what will happen to the price of groceries next year, we may save a lot if we stock up on some items when they are cheaper. We spoke to some budget experts and several editors and writers at The New York Times about the products they buy and how they get the most out of them.

Before starting

• Maybe you are new to buying at low prices. If so, look at the supermarket printouts (you can use the Flipp app to locate them). Make a list before you go out and if your supermarket has an online store, compare prices.

• Follow the advice of Ali Slagle, a recipe creator and New York Times Cooking contributor, and whenever you visit a grocery store go through the basic ingredients sections. You might discover a surprise offer.

• The key to buying cheap groceries is to be willing to sacrifice convenience for a lower price. Think about going to a couple of different stores to take advantage of the offers; maybe it’s worth it.

Eggs and dairy

1. Cheese: Can hard cheeses like mozzarella and cheddar be frozen? If you plan to melt them, the answer is “yes”. (The texture may be a bit strange to eat like this when thawed.) Krysten Chambrot, deputy editor of the New York Times Cooking, shreds fresh mozzarella cheese and freezes the slices on a baking sheet, then puts them in a resealable plastic bag to use for quick pizzas. “It saves us from having to order at home and reduces waste for two people,” she said. She buys grated cheese (or block and grates it at home) and freezes it.

2. Butter: Genevieve Ko, deputy editor of the New York Times Cooking, freezes the butter or, if she has the time, uses it to make pie crusts, cookie dough, or fully baked treats, and freeze this for later use. (She looks for sales for holidays with the most cooking, like Thanksgiving or Christmas.)

3. Milk: Natasha Janardan, a video producer for New York Times Cooking, buys her milk at a dollar store in Brooklyn, where a gallon of milk buys for $4.19 instead of $7. For starters, she considers going without completely off cow’s milk if you don’t consume much. Currently, alternative milks are almost always cheaper, and “half a gallon [1,85 litros] oat milk lasts longer than whole cow’s milk,” said Caroline Lange, a Brooklyn-based writer, recipe maker and tester. Milk can also be frozen; its consistency changes a bit, but it is still very good for making baked goods. (The same can be done with yogurt and buttermilk.)

4. Eggs: There is no need to be afraid to buy several packages of eggs if we see them at a good price. In the refrigerator they keep for three to five weeks (or more). Beaten eggs can also be frozen in ice trays, then removed and placed in a resealable bag to thaw for use in baking or scrambled eggs. Similarly, you can make omelettes—or bake miniature omelettes in muffin tins—and freeze them for when you’re on the run in the morning.

5. Ground beef: Alli Powell, creator of The Grocery Getting Girl, an Instagram account for low-cost shopping and cooking, buys her ground beef in bulk or on sale, then divides it into 1/2-pound portions and freezes them. Genevieve Ko recommends making meatballs, samosas, or patties, which can be easily frozen and then cooked straight out of the freezer.

6. Stews: Stock up on bone-in chicken thighs, beef, beef ribs, pork or lamb shoulder. Ko prepares large portions of stew and stores the containers in the freezer and refrigerator for quick meals in the future.

7. Fish: Nicole Donnell, creator of Black Girl Budget, a financial advisory service to educate black women on the benefits of budgeting, buys a large piece of fish and cuts it into pieces to freeze in vacuum-sealed servings instead of buying them separately. If we get a couple of pieces of fresh salmon, but aren’t going to eat it yet, we can marinate it to last up to two days before cooking.

8. Rotisserie Chicken: Vaughn Vreeland, supervising producer for New York Times Cooking says, “Never underestimate the potential of a rotisserie chicken (especially if you live alone).” At the grocery store she goes to, they’re on sale for $8.99 every Monday, so she eats some for dinner, then shreds the remaining meat and uses the bones for stock. Then a salad is made with half of the shredded chicken and soup with the other half.

9. Fruit: Once you’ve eaten your share of fresh fruit, you can also prepare it as a filling for muffins, cakes, quick breads, or pies to use later. Or, slice and freeze berries, stone fruit, pineapple, and mango on a baking sheet and store in a resealable plastic bag for use in smoothies or baked goods. You can also make jam or preserves. If you have leftover apples or pears, puree them because they don’t turn out well when thawed.

10. Hearty Vegetables: “When you buy a big cabbage, you have cabbage for life,” Slagle said. Choose vegetables that keep for a long time, such as root vegetables, onions, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and cabbage. Then make pickled vegetables with the hardy vegetables that are no longer so fresh: soak them in a brine that you have left over and refrigerate. In a few days they will be a wonderful ingredient for sandwiches and salads.

11. Green Leafy Vegetables And Herbs: Ko suggests that if you see them on sale (or have many that are about to expire), cook or turn them into a sauce to store in the fridge or freezer because they otherwise take up too much space. And if you have a bag of leafy greens that are about to get slimy, they don’t have to wilt if you can’t spare the time. Pop them in the freezer as-is and scoop out a handful to use in smoothies or soups.

12. Frozen meals: Look for deals on frozen vegetables and fruits, especially items that are out of season and that your family loves. These are frozen just when they are freshest, so their flavor is almost unchanged, especially when used in soups, baked goods, stews, and stir-fries. Also, almost all of them come pre-chopped, so you don’t have to prepare them. Try serving your kids frozen fruit — berries, peaches, mango, or pineapple — when they want something sweet but not sugary.

13. Lemons and Limes: It is much cheaper to buy a bag of limes or lemons than to buy them separately. Set aside some and freeze the rest. According to Beth Moncel, founder of Budget Bytes, the popular cooking website, “Frozen citrus is easy to zest and when thawed, it’s easy to juice.”

14. Beans: “Buy dry beans,” Slagle said. They cost about the same as a can of beans, but will go four times as long. Drain most of the cooking liquid and freeze in airtight containers for future use for soups, vegan burgers, hummus, and bean salads.

15. Canned Tomatoes: A can of tomatoes lasts a long time, so it’s never a bad idea to have extra in the pantry. Make large portions of tomato sauce, stew, or tomato curry and freeze.

16. Bread: Instead of leaving the bread on the counter, store it in the fridge or freezer. Use old bread to make croutons, French toast, pudding, or breadcrumbs. Krysten Chambrot rehabilitates old bread by sprinkling it with water and baking it at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about five minutes.

17. Cereals: How can something that is made mostly from flour be so expensive? If you see a good sale on your favorite cereal, stock it up! If it is not open, it lasts at least a year, and open, more or less three months. You can also freeze any opened cereal in a resealable plastic bag. If you have leftovers, make cereal bars or pie crusts. You can also use unsweetened crushed cereal, such as cornflakes, as a substitute for breadcrumbs.