My new digital meal planner is available now!! (This is a download. No physical product will be shipped to you) lauralegge.myshopify.com/products/budget-meal-planning-guide-tips-worksheets-grocery-lists-and-recipes-for-cheap-meal-inspiration-to-reduce-the-grocery-bill
@@rosejones2932 yes!! It would be a nice affordable gift that would hopefully get a lot of use. I feel like the ramen would definitely be appreciated haha
@@dawnt5587 I know they used to be able to have hot plates in dorms but I don’t know if that’s aloud anymore 😬 Most of my friends lived in houses together when they were in college. I was in my own apartment with my husband when I was in college too. I definitely bought lots of things that I never used back in that day 😅 I did way less cooking than I should have
We had to start cooking a lot more from scratch last year due to my son's health. He was hospitalized several times with liver and autoimmune issues. Thankfully, he's doing well now, but it was so overwhelming having to figure out how to make so many changes like avoiding food dyes and artificial sweeteners, etc and try to stay within our budget. You take away a lot of the stress and make things seem simple and affordable.
@@StephanieGiese I’m so sorry to hear that he was sick and I’m so glad he’s doing well now. I can only imagine how hard that must have been. I’m happy to hear that my videos are easing some of the stress you may have 💕 Thank you so much for telling me that. You made my day!
Suggestion: I would put baking soda top of any pantry list. Reason for making baking soda a priority, multiple uses: first-aid, cleaning, personal hygiene, laundry. Baking soda has traditionally been very cheap and easily available. 1Tsp.Baking powder substitute: 1/4 tsp soda plus 1/2 tsp vinegar or lemon.
I love to keep a jar or two of really good salsa in my pantry. My favorite is Newman’s medium because the consistency is chunky but thick with great flavor. I use it in my chili recipe, on tacos, on eggs, or a quick Spanish rice by adding it to cooked rice, and on chicken enchiladas. You can use it in quick soups as well.
Longtime lurker here- just wanted to say how much I appreciate your videos! I love that you use tofu, beans, and lentils (my husband and I are vegetarian) and how simple your recipes are to follow and modify as needed. Thank you for all you do!
WHAT an AMAZING video!! This is a must see video for everyone, especially for people just starting out on their own, and also with the current economy. Kudos!!
I love how you did the video by item and quantity/price compared the different stores! Also, I appreciate the recipes. Been enjoying your videos so much!
I love that you included some recipes to use the staples. Sometimes they are suggested but sit barely used because they may not be something that we use much of.
@@trishabarr5868 thank you! And that’s so true! I feel like flour is one of those things that you can get away with only keeping a tiny bag if you don’t cook a lot from scratch. Maybe just keep a bit on hand to thicken dishes or make gravy. It’s good to know some recipes so you can see if it would even be useful in your kitchen ☺️
I am so glad I found you. I am trying to budget and currently live with family due to Covid and medical issues and I have a severely limited budget. I have maybe no more than 50 to 75 dollars for groceries per week and trying to eat healthy so your videos have been very helpful.
@@nicholeireland7917 I’m so glad to hear that you’re finding some inspiration on my channel! Yay! I know how difficult it can be to stick to a very small budget!
I wish I could post pictures but I made a warm grain bowl with $.85 avocados. I only used 1/2 of an avocado and 1/2 of a yellow pepper with 1/2 a yellow onion
Sometimes I can ask my local butcher for free fat scraps, and I render it into tallow or lard. I also don't mind using regular vegetable oil for most things. We do buy sesame oil and a few fancy oils for home made Mayo and other particular things, but mostly we use the tallow and vegetable oil.
@@angelawossname what a great tip!! Thank you so much for sharing! I’ve fallen in love with avocado oil so that’s what I usually use now but I have olive oil, sesame oil, and canola oil on hand all the time too.
I’m trying to incorporate a more traditional approach in my kitchen these days. Your recipes always fit right into that approach because they use simple staples.I’m finding that a traditional kitchen saves money too. I also love that you don’t use a lot of meat…if any! I’ve been reading up on how to get more with less in the kitchen. One of the main points I’ve come across is that we use too many different protein sources in our meals. One or two sources at the most are plenty. Your recipes seem to incorporate this idea whether you intended to or not! 😁 I truly enjoy all of your content Laura and I look forward to your videos! 🤗🤗
@@wendeestafford thank you so much!! I really appreciate you telling me that! ☺️ I completely agree with you. I was taught to always have meat in every meal and I’m finding I just don’t need to do that to get plenty of protein. I’m also finding that I’m eating way more veggies now that I’ve reduced my meat intake. It’s been amazing!
this is a great video thank you . I love the recipes at the end . I have replaced half of the oil in quick breads with applesauce. it never tasted weird or different that I noticed and it was a great way to lower fat and increase nutrition.
@@lenoraw1098 I love that! I like to make most things from scratch too. For me, it’s mainly to avoid the preservatives and excess sodium. I do like to take shortcuts by using boxed or jarred ingredients sometimes though. I need a break sometimes haha
Your knowledge is very helpful, Laura. You are right. Many packaged store bought items can be made with some effort. I’m motivation is choosing ingredients instead of the manufacturer choosing for me. Knowing what you’re eating is a good thing.
@@loriburgess1866 yes that’s so true! I completely agree with you. I understand not everyone has the time but it’s great to make things from scratch when possible ☺️
Thank you so much!! It took me several weeks to complete, so I appreciate you saying that 😄 I feel like I could have added more recipes but then it would have been a crazy long video haha
Very informative for those starting out, I have an over loaded pantry because I Love to cook. However I learned something new to do with oatmeal besides the normal You know ( No Bake cookies) Lol definitely giving Your a try soon. Thank You for the idea.
Great video. I think a majority of people are shopping at multiple stores (if they are close to each other) to save money. Dollar Tree has dough cutter/bench scrappers. Works great. Thank you
thnx for this wonderful video - I come from kitchen families so had solid basics when I left for college / then set up house - but for those that didn’t have folks in the kitchen while growing up this will be so helpful - just a heads up - the store lights are glaring enough that it’s impossible to read the labels - if that was your intent - but I appreciate we dont need to read labels to get the most out of this video - many thnx 🇨🇦🙏 Happy Birthday young lady
I'll probably try several of these but I have to say, it absolutely NEVER occurred to me to make savory oats! LOL! But I'm gonna do it now, thank you for opening a new door.
Yay! I can’t wait to hear what you think! There’s so many delicious savory oats recipes too, so definitely do a quick search and try one that sounds amazing ☺️
This is a simple taco recipe...if you can make pancakes you can do this one. The only thing is it doesn't freeze well, I always had a problem with them breaking apart when I tried. ½ c. yellow cornmeal 1 c. flour 1 egg a pinch of salt 1½ c. water (you may have to add a little more water if the batter seems a bit thick.) mix ingredients with a whisk (it may be slightly lumpy). Very lightly wipe large skillet or griddle with oil (or use spray) then heat skillet until a few drops of water start to sizzle. Use a ladle that's between ½ - 2/3 full, pouring a circle in the center of pan - like making a pancake. Cook until the taco is set and the edges start to look dry, flip over and cook about 15 - 20 seconds longer. Remove from pan to plate or container. It should make 9 - 12 tacos.
Videos like this are so needed now, but you knew that 😊 I loved that you shared the prices at DT aren’t as good as they used to be and to look out for that per ounce cost, but also, we all shop where we can. Because of you, we gave Aldi another chance and thankfully it has really worked out. It’s just up the street and prices usually crush our major grocery store in the area. So between that and the employee discount my hubs gets at Trader Joe’s, we can do pretty good when we plan. I definitely need to try the bagel recipe for me and the chili beans for the hubs. Cooked tomatoes & chili seasoning give me heartburn unfortunately. There’s an idea for sometime, healthy, easy, heartburn friendly recipes on a budget lol
Thank you so much! This video was actually a suggestion from a subscriber and I loved the idea! I watched a few videos with the same topic and I thought I could add a different take and I’m glad y’all are enjoying it! I’m so glad to hear that you tried ALDI again! I’ve been so pleasantly surprised by the prices and quality too. Interestingly, I have been diagnosed with GERD and I’ve changed the way I eat because of it. I discovered that soaking the beans for longer has helped me a ton. And even more interesting, the more often I eat beans, the less likely I am to have any heartburn from them. For me, I found that the fattier foods are what I really have to avoid. I don’t really know why but I can handle garlic, onions, and other foods that should cause heartburn. It’s quite odd! 🤔
@@LauraLegge I inherited my moms less than stellar stomach issues. I enjoy salad, but it doesn’t enjoy me lol Fresh tomatoes are fine, cooked is a nope, certain spices are a nope and yes, fatty foods too. But sometimes I deal with it 🤷🏻♀️ Garlic, onion and beans don’t seem to bother me like the other things do. I guess we do the best we can for our circumstances and it’s nice to have videos like these for more ideas and to remind you of the basics!
@@MessyPaperCrafter that’s so true! And thank you so much! That’s wild about cooked versus fresh tomatoes for you! It’s so interesting to hear what affects others with heartburn! Thank you for the idea by the way ☺️ I’ll have to look into making a video about that!
I've seen a lot of "bubget friendly" cooking videos, and I've noticed some common things in them: 1) It will rely on short-term "budget friendly hacks" such as buying those .50 Taco seasoning packets. And while I get how important that can be sometimes when you have to figure out how to eat and your bank account is frighteningly low, it's also not teaching me anything, so I wish it was less common in these kinds of videos. 2) They will often rely on fairly processed ingredients/purchases. Again, sometimes some people need that so I don't mind it, but again, what am I learning. You mentioned ramen and I'm glad you acknowledged it, but you didn't focus on it and instead had some great basic recipes that weren't convenience foods. 3) Often, the budget friendly foods are BOORRRING. I.e. put beans, rice, water, salt, and canned mixed veggies into a pot, and now you have soup. So if I literally was down to my last dollars, I would absolutely be grateful for a filling meal like that with protein and veggies especially if I can stretch it and feed a family, but if I'm just trying to be smarter about budgeting, I'm likely gonna fail if I try to eat like that because I will get so bored and end up splurging on fast food or some other comfort food item that I can't really afford. You obviously avoided #1 by focusing on the very few truly essential and versitile pantry items and talking a lot about how to cater things a little to your own tastes (like with seasonings). AND you demonstrated various ways to use them showing that they really are versatile and better foe your budget to buy, say, a 5 lb bag of flour, etc. Again, for #2, the versatility you showed avoided that issue. And #3, while you did show a basic bean recipe, you also showed some simple and delicious recipes that I've never seen anyone show in a budget meals video, like tortilla chips! And refried beans. Those are both pantry recipes that, despite their simplicity are great comfort foods that are satisfying and delicious that won't have me straying to take-out. In short, this is probably the best budget-friendly shopping and meals video I've ever seen! Thank you! And great job! I'd love it if you did this as a part of a series. Like set a MONTHLY budget starting from scratch. We have these $40 staples and add in some fresh ingredient staples too like eggs, dairy, fruits and veggies, possibly meat, etc. And keep showing us how it can be budget-friendly and not boring!
@@AsuraSantosha thank you so much for the wonderfully detailed comment! I really appreciate your thoughts and I love the idea of a series using pantry staples! Thank you so much for the suggestion! ☺️ I’ll definitely write it down and start working on some ideas for that!
A little tip for dried beans: soak overnight, drain and rinse, and cook in a crockpot/slow cooker. Makes it very hands-off, otherwise you have to boil them for several hours on the stove
Could you show how to make the bagels using cottage cheese? I am going to try my hand at making the bagels and am trying to get more protein into my diet.
Here’s the recipe I use! ☺️ Cottage Cheese Bagels Ingredients 1 cup Cottage Cheese 1 cup All Purpose Flour (about 5 oz) 2 tsp Baking Powder ½ tsp Salt 1 Egg, beaten Instructions 1. Preheat oven to 375° F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 2. In a mixing bowl, mix together the cottage cheese, flour, baking powder, and salt until combined. It should resemble pebbles but not be cohesive. 3. Using your hands, work the dough together until it’s completely combined and no longer sticks to the bowl. The dough shouldn’t be sticky - add about a tablespoon or two of flour if needed until dough no longer sticks to your hands. 4. Separate the dough into 4 equal pieces, roll into a ball, and then poke a hole in the middle with your thumb. Stretch the hole gently until the dough resembles a bagel. 5. Place on the parchment lined baking sheet and brush each bagel with egg. Bake at 375° F for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through. 6. Remove from the oven and allow bagels to rest for at least 25 minutes before slicing to ensure they are fully cooked through. Serve and enjoy! Recipe adapted from Skinny Taste
PLEASE . . . For the black beans in the instant pot? Was that hit the bean button and bring up to 30 mins? And how many cups of water for the 1 pound? Would you double the amount of water for 2 pounds? And what minutes would I put it at? Thanks in advance. I'm going crazy trying to get it right. My black beans are either too soft for my NEEDS or not done. I'm wanting like you would get in a can I can of black beans. I'm wanting to have them for like a black bean Salsa. Not refried black beans. I need the medium texture you get in a can without that can price. Thank You
@@VernosiaM when I make them in the pressure cooker, I choose the bean setting and let it cook for 30 minutes and natural release for 20 minutes after that. It comes out just like the cans when I make it that way I haven’t cooked 2 lbs at a time in the pressure cooker but I would probably double the water. (Hopefully someone else can chime in on that for me).
Yeah I've been making my own refried beans for years but I had a chunk of tree so I keep it in the freezer and cut off a piece and dump it in there but I had cumin because I love cumin
@@Tattiepoo1 I have quite a few vegetarian recipes and most of them are easy to modify to include meat, if desired. I also have recipes with meat that are easy to modify for vegetarians 😄
@@MaryHammond-ic7rn yes definitely! I’ve only tried lentils in the slow cooker but I would recommend trying 3-4 hours on high if you’re using soaked beans.
I have found the oil sprays at Dollar Tree to be awful!! They certainly don’t have any nonstick power at all! I bought it once and that was enough!! I usually get the Food Lion cooking spray unless Pam is on a major sale. And I use the store brand of cooking oil. I used to love the pink sea salt at Dollar Tree but the last bag I got was a different brand and it doesn’t have much strength! I’ll definitely use it up but I find I have to use more.
Oh wow! Thats so good to know! I personally haven’t tried any of the dollar tree oils so I’m glad you shared that. I usually just find them at ALDI and they’ve been great so far
Oh, I found an online shop recently that sells dry good in bulk really, really cheap, sometime half the price of aldis or Costco. They sell spices, flour, rice, beans, lentils, etc. I got so excited lol! Sometimes these things are great to buy in bulk from ethnic markets as well. Here in my suburb we have a lot of Indian, Asian, and Middle Eastern grocers.
@Purple0fairy0bunny it's in Australia, so if your in Australia it would be useful, otherwise, not so much! It's called 2Brothersfood. It's based in Perth.
Thank you so much! I agree! I honestly didn’t learn many of these things until rather recently and I’m 38 😅 I didn’t grow up in the kitchen and I’m actually learning a lot from tips and tricks people leave in my comments. It’s been really fun and interesting!
@@LauraLeggeI use a spoonful of maple syrup or honey in the boiling water when I make bagels. My son uses a little bit of baking soda. They all come out great.
Yes!! That’s absolutely brilliant!! Thank you for sharing that tip. When I’m in a pinch, I like to do the same thing. It can be used for so many things!
Watch again, she never claims to be at Walmart. The point of the video is that she is comparing prices of staple items at Dollar Tree, Aldi, Target and Walmart.
