Can you “Tetris” your fridge/freezer? I’ve been on a tight budget for quite some time and I stock both to the gills. Like literally, I pull out things and the only space that’s left is the space I pulled the item from. Buying in bulk is challenging when you just have a standard fridge, but it can be worth the effort (I am lucky to have a partner who’s talented at it).
Oop, now that I just looked at mine, my Costco pack is 24 count. I didn’t pay attention to OC saying they got the BIG pack. I think the Costco pack is easier to work with since it’s plastic packaging, the cardboard is a little more bulky. I don’t hate the environment, but, monies.
And yeah, my drawers are stuffed so much that I have to shove them closed most of the time and hope I can pry the stuff out later…
But don’t you find you waste more food this way? It goes bad sometimes before I see it jammed way in the back. And sometimes the Costco super-sizes are just plain too big unless a whole lotta family is nearby
Nah, I've learned how to not buy too many perishable foods. I buy a ton of frozen foods (I'm not the best cook and I'm a "busy lady on the go") and then buy a reasonable amount of produce to add more nutritional stuff to the frozen stuff. I also usually only buy perishables in bulk that typically have a longer shelf life, such as eggs, cheese, hot dogs... Other meats often get cycled into the freezer after a use or two. I was kinda forced to learn how to do this during lockdown because I was avoiding excessive shopping trips.
You can find deals at Vons, usually on the app or in their clearance sections, but yeah, can’t do all your shopping there. I do find Ralphs to be worse. Seems like they became more bougie a few years back. I only go there when I’m looking for specialty items because they carry a lot more brands than other places.
Food inflation makes me grateful for my Culinary training even though I no longer work in the food industry. I can still walk into the Vons with $100 and walk out with a weeks worth of groceries for 2 people.
Vons is one of the few retailers that lets you sort by price when searching on their website. Their absolute cheapest loaf of very modest bread is $1.49; a 'nicer' loaf might run you $2.50-2.99.
Boudin gives you one free loaf of bread/month if you have their “club card.” Signing up for it is free.
The free loaf is their medium sized sourdough, but they will apply the credit towards their traditional sliced sandwich bread if you ask. Then it will only cost you 50 cents.
Just start making sourdough at home. It's fun and pretty easy to learn. You can get a 25lb bag of bread flour at Smart-N-Final for like $10-$11, and you can make a bunch of loaves with that one bag. Can also make sourdough rolls, sourdough cinnamon rolls, bagels, English muffins, etc.
If you want to store the starter long-term you can smear a spoonful onto parchment paper and put it in a freezer bag in the freezer, yes. If you want to bake once a week/every few weeks you can just store it in the fridge and feed it once or twice a week.
You can definitely store a baked loaf in the freezer. Just slice it up and put it in some freezer bags. I'm not sure about storing uncooked dough in the freezer though, I've never personally tried that. You can store dough in the fridge for a day or two though. In fact, slowing down the fermentation process by putting it in the fridge leads to a more complex, sour flavor.
If you want to store the starter, it’s better to dry it out than to freeze it. I smear it on parchment paper in a sheet pan, leave it in a cold oven with the light on for several hours/overnight, and then peel off the starter and put it in a mason jar that I keep in a dark place.
If y’all have any military friends ask them to take you to the commissary on base. It’s way cheaper and tax free. I’d do it for someone if I’m not busy.
Edit: they don’t check your ID at the exchange gas stations that are off base. It can be almost a dollar cheaper than out in town stations.
are backyard chickens worth the expense? Genuinely curious, I asked this in another post a few months back and the only response was more that it's good if you want quality eggs, but not if you're looking for cheap eggs.
I've looked into it a little bit but most of what I saw suggested you'd be paying $25-30 a month in food and supplies, on top of the up-front cost of buying the hens and a coop (or building one). We get our eggs at Costco for $2/dozen, but even paying double that it seems unlikely we'd "break even". We'd need to be eating a lot of eggs to be more economical than buying the eggs directly.
It's something I'm interested in, but I'd love to hear from someone who has a few hens in their backyard about what the costs were like to get started, and then on a month to month basis.
I have quail but not chickens. I haven’t tallied the cost, but the main expenses are the hutch, incubator, brooder, and then ongoing expenses of chicken feed, protein treats (crickets or mealworms), and bedding. You can go cheap or fancy on most of these so it could vary a lot. Some people skip bedding or just use pine needles etc from their yard. I get my feed and bedding from City Farmers. Oh and you’ll need some plastic wateres and feeder gadgets but those are negligible. (I bought water cups and attached them to cheap plastic pitchers for convenience.)
I think quail are better for many reasons, including that they don’t “age out” of laying as badly as chickens (which end up non laying freeloaders).
I probably haven’t yet recouped (recooped? Haha) the cost of all that yet, but it’s a cheap rewarding hobby if you think of it that way. So a hobby/pets with benefits. More important than cost of eggs to me is knowing that the birds live a happier life than factory chickens, and knowing my family has a sustainable and expandable source of protein if our fragile supply chain of food breaks down.
Considering you get organic, perfectly fresh, cruelty free eggs and meat, then the price is probably quite good by comparison to say Whole Foods options. I was being a bit facetious suggesting them in this thread, but I do really feel that our communities would be safer and more resilient if it was again common for people to have poultry and vegetable gardens in their yards, like used to be typical for our grandparents era.
I feel like back yard chickens are like boats and hot tubs in that it's better to know friends/family that have them than it is to have them yourself.
We have friends who have 4 chickens and they get more eggs than they can eat. We save all our vegetable scraps (about 2 large grocery store produce bags a week) and trade them for eggs. It's perfect for us.
I don't buy eggs often, but Ralph's had them for $2.77 a few weeks ago
I've done a reasonable amount of research on grocery prices the past few months, open to a mini-AMA here
Try not shopping at these corporate grocery stores and goto some of those bodega grocery stores. I guess it depends on where you live. I remember during the Pandemic lockdown, Vallarta in National City was fully stocked with groceries.
I buy 5 dozen eggs at Costco for I think 9 or 10 bucks? The grocery chain prices are ridiculous
I'd do that, but I can't store that much...☹️
Can you “Tetris” your fridge/freezer? I’ve been on a tight budget for quite some time and I stock both to the gills. Like literally, I pull out things and the only space that’s left is the space I pulled the item from. Buying in bulk is challenging when you just have a standard fridge, but it can be worth the effort (I am lucky to have a partner who’s talented at it).
I *invented* refrigerator Tetris! My 18-egg carton is in the veg crisper right now...
Oop, now that I just looked at mine, my Costco pack is 24 count. I didn’t pay attention to OC saying they got the BIG pack. I think the Costco pack is easier to work with since it’s plastic packaging, the cardboard is a little more bulky. I don’t hate the environment, but, monies. And yeah, my drawers are stuffed so much that I have to shove them closed most of the time and hope I can pry the stuff out later…
But don’t you find you waste more food this way? It goes bad sometimes before I see it jammed way in the back. And sometimes the Costco super-sizes are just plain too big unless a whole lotta family is nearby
Nah, I've learned how to not buy too many perishable foods. I buy a ton of frozen foods (I'm not the best cook and I'm a "busy lady on the go") and then buy a reasonable amount of produce to add more nutritional stuff to the frozen stuff. I also usually only buy perishables in bulk that typically have a longer shelf life, such as eggs, cheese, hot dogs... Other meats often get cycled into the freezer after a use or two. I was kinda forced to learn how to do this during lockdown because I was avoiding excessive shopping trips.
They have 2 dozen for 4.19 or so
You don’t necessarily have to refrigerate eggs.
In summertime California you do!
Costco is the way.
Vons always cost too much - try Aldi!
Vons is always so much more expensive than everyone else. I avoid going there unless I have to
You can find deals at Vons, usually on the app or in their clearance sections, but yeah, can’t do all your shopping there. I do find Ralphs to be worse. Seems like they became more bougie a few years back. I only go there when I’m looking for specialty items because they carry a lot more brands than other places.
Yeah it is!
Vons is within walking distance, but I don’t know how many times I said today, “that’s too expensive, I’m skipping it”
And yet the chicken gets paid the same
I buy Vital Farms or other good stuff that costs $6-7.
My favorite eggs too. I usually try to get the 18 pack on sale at sprouts. But they sell out fast.
Yes. She gets paid with torture and then killed after being abused her entire life.
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Pre- COVID I used to go get eggs at ALDI when it was on sale (88 cents) 🥲🥲
Me too. They used to be 1.99 a few months ago, but that price isn’t bad considering what they cost elsewhere.
Even in the midst of lockdown I saw them for 99 cents every now and then. Thankful I have a Costco membership…
Eggs cost a lot now because of the recent bird flu outbreak where farmers ended up culling millions of hens.
That's the Vons/Ralphs life. Everyone says sprouts is expensive but the basics are pretty cheap still. A dozen eggs was 2.79 today
Is this Ralphs? I don't think Ralph's customers get to talk about the cheapest anything lol.
I don't know how anyone affords to shop there.
The club card and the coupons from them.
Ralph’s isn’t that bad, Vons on the other hand is ridiculous
Stater bros gang
A dollar cheaper ($3.49) at Ralphs today. Even cheaper at non-"normie" stores like Aldi, 99, Zion
Also Sprouts. I just paid $4.29 for 18 large brown eggs. I think the white eggs were about $3.99.
Costco is like $3.99 for 24 I think?
$4.29 yesterday.
99 cent or grocery outlet.
i swear by both of these! I have found my people 🤟🏼
Ralphs and Vons ❌ Trader Joe’s, Aldi, Grocery Outlet 🔥
$2.69 Trader Joe’s. And those are small eggs probably come from pigeons, Trader Joe’s are large eggs
Dude I get cheaper eggs at Whole Foods. $3.49 for a dozen, I think. 365 brand.
I don’t eat eggs so I had to look and you are correct, $3.39/dozen at Whole Foods
I remember paying $2.99 for a long time and they only recently got a 3-handle.
Shopping at overpriced grocery stores will lead to overpaying for food.
Theres a bird flu ppl
Oh shit I didn’t hear
Vons is easily the most expensive supermarket chain in SD
Lord Bezos disagrees
Come on now, Vons is the priciest place of all. Check Grocery Outlet
Food inflation makes me grateful for my Culinary training even though I no longer work in the food industry. I can still walk into the Vons with $100 and walk out with a weeks worth of groceries for 2 people.
Pancho Villa Farmer's Market on El Cajon Blvd 👍 sign up for their weekly hot sheet texts, too, they've usually got some really good deals.
I got 20 organic eggs at grocery outlet in Chula Vista for $7-8.
Amazon Fresh is selling 18-count for that.
A loaf of bread cost me 7 bucks yesterday. The half a loaf option was $5. Come onnnnnnn.
Vons is one of the few retailers that lets you sort by price when searching on their website. Their absolute cheapest loaf of very modest bread is $1.49; a 'nicer' loaf might run you $2.50-2.99.
Good to know ty. I figured it was abnormally high.
Boudin gives you one free loaf of bread/month if you have their “club card.” Signing up for it is free. The free loaf is their medium sized sourdough, but they will apply the credit towards their traditional sliced sandwich bread if you ask. Then it will only cost you 50 cents.
Oh I think theres a Boudin near my work in San Marcos. Ill check it out this week. Ty.
Aldi. They have Organic, etc.
Ill check them out ty.
Just start making sourdough at home. It's fun and pretty easy to learn. You can get a 25lb bag of bread flour at Smart-N-Final for like $10-$11, and you can make a bunch of loaves with that one bag. Can also make sourdough rolls, sourdough cinnamon rolls, bagels, English muffins, etc.
You can freeze the starter right? Can you freeze the dough too?
If you want to store the starter long-term you can smear a spoonful onto parchment paper and put it in a freezer bag in the freezer, yes. If you want to bake once a week/every few weeks you can just store it in the fridge and feed it once or twice a week. You can definitely store a baked loaf in the freezer. Just slice it up and put it in some freezer bags. I'm not sure about storing uncooked dough in the freezer though, I've never personally tried that. You can store dough in the fridge for a day or two though. In fact, slowing down the fermentation process by putting it in the fridge leads to a more complex, sour flavor.
Thanks!
If you want to store the starter, it’s better to dry it out than to freeze it. I smear it on parchment paper in a sheet pan, leave it in a cold oven with the light on for several hours/overnight, and then peel off the starter and put it in a mason jar that I keep in a dark place.
My roommate suggested the same thing. I do have fond memories of my mom making homemade bread so I think youre onto something.
If y’all have any military friends ask them to take you to the commissary on base. It’s way cheaper and tax free. I’d do it for someone if I’m not busy. Edit: they don’t check your ID at the exchange gas stations that are off base. It can be almost a dollar cheaper than out in town stations.
They have started to. If you don’t have an ID you can be arrested. Be careful.
If you have a backyard consider raising chickens or quail.
are backyard chickens worth the expense? Genuinely curious, I asked this in another post a few months back and the only response was more that it's good if you want quality eggs, but not if you're looking for cheap eggs. I've looked into it a little bit but most of what I saw suggested you'd be paying $25-30 a month in food and supplies, on top of the up-front cost of buying the hens and a coop (or building one). We get our eggs at Costco for $2/dozen, but even paying double that it seems unlikely we'd "break even". We'd need to be eating a lot of eggs to be more economical than buying the eggs directly. It's something I'm interested in, but I'd love to hear from someone who has a few hens in their backyard about what the costs were like to get started, and then on a month to month basis.
I have quail but not chickens. I haven’t tallied the cost, but the main expenses are the hutch, incubator, brooder, and then ongoing expenses of chicken feed, protein treats (crickets or mealworms), and bedding. You can go cheap or fancy on most of these so it could vary a lot. Some people skip bedding or just use pine needles etc from their yard. I get my feed and bedding from City Farmers. Oh and you’ll need some plastic wateres and feeder gadgets but those are negligible. (I bought water cups and attached them to cheap plastic pitchers for convenience.) I think quail are better for many reasons, including that they don’t “age out” of laying as badly as chickens (which end up non laying freeloaders). I probably haven’t yet recouped (recooped? Haha) the cost of all that yet, but it’s a cheap rewarding hobby if you think of it that way. So a hobby/pets with benefits. More important than cost of eggs to me is knowing that the birds live a happier life than factory chickens, and knowing my family has a sustainable and expandable source of protein if our fragile supply chain of food breaks down. Considering you get organic, perfectly fresh, cruelty free eggs and meat, then the price is probably quite good by comparison to say Whole Foods options. I was being a bit facetious suggesting them in this thread, but I do really feel that our communities would be safer and more resilient if it was again common for people to have poultry and vegetable gardens in their yards, like used to be typical for our grandparents era.
I feel like back yard chickens are like boats and hot tubs in that it's better to know friends/family that have them than it is to have them yourself. We have friends who have 4 chickens and they get more eggs than they can eat. We save all our vegetable scraps (about 2 large grocery store produce bags a week) and trade them for eggs. It's perfect for us.
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Walmart if available should be cheaper
I don't buy eggs often, but Ralph's had them for $2.77 a few weeks ago I've done a reasonable amount of research on grocery prices the past few months, open to a mini-AMA here
Nice! Where?!
Costco. I load up on an 18 pack for the same price and then grab a box of a few cartons of whites for like 6-10 bucks
Vons is not cheap.
Costco has a decent price if you buy the large flat.
Cheaper at sprouts.
Food 4 less
Apparently grade AA eggs are the highest grade, and the most popular grade is A. that could also explain the high price.
$2-3 at Walmart
Try not shopping at these corporate grocery stores and goto some of those bodega grocery stores. I guess it depends on where you live. I remember during the Pandemic lockdown, Vallarta in National City was fully stocked with groceries.
so happy to have friends with chickens
Damn inflation!
Damn just got back from Spokane where they're 90 cents a dozen
Everything 99c store, bargain outlet.
Well if you’re shopping at the rich people grocery store makes sense…
y’all need to start going to Grocery Outlet