Prices haven’t gone up that much where I live, and some of the things that have risen in price have actually started going back down recently. But I guess it all varies from one place to another.
But in general, I shop the sales flyers, I get things that are discounted such as meat that will expire soon, and I get the cheap staples like rice and beans. I stopped buying name brand items and unnecessary snack foods. I also use the Ibotta app which gives me some cash back. Usually not a lot, but over the course of a year it’s meaningful.
Every few weeks, John Ord does something unusual for most people living in 2019 — he stops by a local hardware store in rural northeastern Pennsylvania to buy coal to heat his home.
Ord’s coal-burning stove burns 24 hours a day when it’s cold. He likes the constant heat it gives off and says it’s cheaper than his other options — oil and electric.
Charcoal is wood that has been heated above combustion temperature without oxygen. That does drive off water, but it also chemically decomposes the lignin and other organics into primarily carbon while creating a volatile mixture of gasses known as woodgas.
Source: Have a woodgas generator. Byproduct is charcoal.
Bought instant noodles in bulk. I could have gotten the cheap, tasteless kind, but I prefer the more expensive Asian ones. Still ends up being much less expensive than groceries anyways. I have a good portion of the pantry filled with just different types of instant noodles, all of which were bought in bulk. I do buy groceries, but I avoid the more expensive foods as much as possible. Just stuff like milk, eggs, spinach, fruits, etc.
I don’t eat instant noodles every day, but if I don’t feel like cooking or if I’m running low on food, I can “supplement” the meal with instant noodles. Having instant noodles as “backup” helps takes a bit of the edge off with regards to grocery spending, although I do admit that I could take more drastic measures to save. Despite living in an area where the cost of living is absurd (one of the highest in the country), I feel somewhat well off in that I can get by with just supplementing my meals with instant noodles every now and then.
Pretty partial to Japanese pop myself. I’m learning Japanese partially so i can understand the songs. Yoasobi’s songs are a good general recommendation, I would recommend Yoru ni Kakeru, Gunjou, and Seventeen.
Both the name of the song and its lyrics are gibberish but are intended to sound like English in an American accent.
Celentano’s intention with the song was not to create a humorous novelty song but to explore communication barriers. The intent was to demonstrate how English sounds to people who do not understand the language proficiently.
For the past month I’m paying around 30% more than I was in July 2022, and 10% more than I was in April 2022. (I just picked two random months from where I wasn’t yet either too lazy or busy to track everything I bought on the computer. Really need to catch up on that tbh because I haven’t updated the file for more than a year.)
The amount of stupid bullshit such as energy drinks I buy varies so to get any actually usable stats I’d have to average it over a longer time frame but it seems fine to me.
Stay away from prepared foods and buy more cheap staples like rice, beans, and potatoes. Shop the meats that are the best price per pound and know the highs and lows of fresh fruits and veggies to get better deals. Beef and fish have been basically unaffordable lately while pork and chicken have been more reasonable.
The prepared foods and snacks are getting ridiculous. A half gallon of cold brew coffee is up to $7. I can make it myself for a fraction of that, but it’s more labor for me. A bag of cool ranch doritos was going for $7 a bag… I chose some cheaper chips I don’t like as much, but got 2 bags for $4.50. A can of pad-Thai sauce is $12 at my grocery…
A half gallon of cold brew coffee is up to $7. I can make it myself for a fraction of that, but it’s more labor for me.
I mean, only a little bit of labor. Even with premium grounds, I can’t imagine it costing more than 50 cents to make a half gallon. As for labor, just throw it all in a pitcher, give it a quick shake or stir, then leave it in the fridge for a couple of days. Pour it through a standard filter. I use the basket from my regular coffee maker.
Making your own cold brew is one of the most cost-efficient DIY foods out there.
I’ve been making cold brew with an in-jar filter that is more complicated than it should be but still not hard except for the pre planning for a few days in advance when I’m traveling for work. I’m definitely going to try it the way you describe though.
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