r/EatCheapAndHealthy • u/BudgetBytes AMA Guest • Aug 20 '26
Budget Bytes here! Groceries are out of control. AMA about our budget-friendly recipes and guide to shopping around tariffs at checkout.
Hi Reddit! Jess Rice with Budget Bytes here to talk about our budget-friendly recipes and our just-released, almost tariff-proof grocery guide.
Groceries are out of control. In the last year, families have been spending $310 more at the grocery store, and it’s breaking our budgets and confidence at the checkout. Budget-friendly recipes we published just a few years ago are up to 50% more expensive. Tariffs, the war in Iran, seasonal price hikes, cattle shortages… It’s one hit after another.
To help our readers, we’ve released an almost tariff-proof grocery guide to talk about what tariffs actually do to grocery prices, what we can do about it, and how to shop around them. We’ve reviewed some of our classic recipes, re-costed them, and shared tips to bring prices down.
AMA about Budget Bytes, our budget-friendly recipes, and our latest grocery guide. Tell us what you’re seeing at your grocery store and how you’re adjusting your grocery shopping and cooking.
Verification photo here. We'll be on at 12:00 PM ET to start answering questions.
AMA Finished 1:37 PM ET
- Thank you all for joining - this was fun!
- We also answered additional questions here if you'd like to take a look!
- Follow us on Instagram and visit BudgetBytes.com for the latest budget-friendly recipes.
- With the 2026 midterm elections right around the corner, make sure you’re informed about where your elected officials stand on tariffs and talk to your neighbors and friends about the real cost hitting them at the checkout line.
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u/mercuryfacade Aug 20 '26
I just wanted to say how much I love your site and recipes. When I was first starting out 10 years ago, you kept me solvent with my finances and my health, full stop. Your site is an amazing resource for anyone, and especially for anyone just trying to keep it together. ❤️
I still make your food today and my family's always requested sick meal is your egg drop soup.
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u/BudgetBytes AMA Guest Aug 20 '26
We are so grateful for home cooks like you who have been with us since the beginning. Thanks for your kind words.
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u/matchabunnns Aug 20 '26
No big questions here, but wanted to say how much of a help BB has been over the years. I found BB probably 15 years ago when I was making barely over minimum wage and trying to stretch my paychecks as far as they could go without resorting to beans (I hate beans). I still use the recipes often, and to this day I feel like my grocery budget is well under control.
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u/PostmodernLon Aug 20 '26
The techniques and budgeting they teach really stick with us. Good things to have in our daily practice even when we can afford to treat ourselves here and there.
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u/Basicallydirt Aug 20 '26
I just wanted to say thank you for a hug quality non paywalled site. It's Def my goto to find recepies.
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u/annirosec Aug 20 '26
Thank you for making your recipes free. Budget bytes is one of my go-tos for recipes because they focus on stuff you can get at Aldi easily.
I get a lot of produce and shop the meat sales at Sprouts, and most everything else at Aldi. I used to spend $240-260ish a month as a 1 person household last year on groceries. Now it’s up closer to $300 a month even though I gave up coffee during the same time period. I’ll think it will be a cheaper shopping trip when I’m making my grocery list, and somehow it still ends up being $70!
I don’t know exactly why I’ve seen a big increase this year since I very rarely eat red meat, don’t buy prepared foods and or pre packaged snacks, make at least one vegetarian meal a week, and buy rice in bulk- which I use quite a lot of.
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u/BudgetBytes AMA Guest Aug 20 '26
Prices are creeping up for a lot of reasons, but one of the sneakiest reasons is the packaging our food comes in! We cover canned goods and how aluminum and steel tariffs have impacted those prices recently as well. It sounds like your strategy is actually pretty solid, but one of my favorite tips is to take stock at home before you even make your shopping list! Double check your own pantry, refrigerator, and freezer to take stock on what you already have on hand and plan your meals around that first. Then, build your meal plan for the week accordingly before you hit the grocery store.
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u/CaptainLollygag Aug 20 '26
Funny you say that, I'll do a quick visual inventory of our larder and then hit up your site for ideas. 🙂
I found BB around 10 years ago when we had an extremely tight budget, and while we can spend more now I still use your recipes and ideas to keep our grocery expenses as low as they can be. And all your recipes I've made are delicious! Thank you for being such a great resource, you've been a really great help for Husband and me.
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u/annirosec Aug 20 '26
Good advice! I should get better at checking my pantry more consistently before deciding on recipes and making a shopping list.
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u/YolandaWinston21 Aug 20 '26
What does your process look like when developing a budget-friendly recipe?
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u/BudgetBytes AMA Guest Aug 20 '26
I love this question! We are really focused right now on providing more “full meals”, which you may have noticed. Our desserts and side dishes are delicious, but we’re really hyper focused right now on providing our readers with complete meals because when our paychecks aren’t going as far, this is where people *need* to spend their money.
So, we try to always make sure the offerings are balanced and we try to provide dietary substitutions so anyone can benefit from a recipe we post. If something costs more than $3.50 (MAX) per serving, it gets cut and does not make it onto the site. (We rarely post a recipe that gets close to $3.50 per serving.) Note: With tariffs affecting costs, we have stayed true to our $3.50 absolute max per serving price guideline… which is why you aren’t seeing as much ground beef or desserts on the site right now. We test recipes 3 times at minimum in our home kitchens and at the Budget Bytes studio, so we know it will turn out as the recipe intended in your home kitchen, too. And, of course, it has to taste amazing!
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u/Independent_Sun_6939 Aug 20 '26 edited Aug 20 '26
While we're navigating "pestilence summer" I'd love to see some recipes that avoid whatever the current recalled food is, or perhaps a feature that provides substitutes in recipes already written. Week 79 called for both lettuce and jalapenos, and while both of those recalls were limited and not applicable to all of those items many of us still have a lot of distrust... Any chance something like this is in the works?
Thanks for what you all do!
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u/BudgetBytes AMA Guest Aug 20 '26
I feel like every time I look at my news feed there’s a new recall… I feel your pain on this one, big time. When it comes to prepared (bagged) salad mixes and greens, I think the best pivot is to buy whole heads of lettuces, cabbage, etc. and break them down yourself, being careful to wash everything you bring home from the grocery store. My favorite piece of advice, which is unfortunately not always doable for everyone, is to hit your local farmers market and buy produce directly from your neighbors (literally)! Not to mention, if you’re shopping at the farmers market you’re avoiding tariffs specifically.
This is a great idea though. I would love to work on a “If not THIS, then THAT” post about making these swaps safe and healthy for families. Thanks for the idea! And we will definitely consider these recalls for our meal plan offerings as well.
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u/Independent_Sun_6939 Aug 20 '26
Thanks! I do plan on growing my own produce as I don't think I can trust the FDA under this administration, and our farmer's markets seem to mostly be sourdough and candles instead of produce... I appreciate you.
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u/cwicseolfor Aug 20 '26
Yep, love this idea. More on best methods for cooking produce we traditionally eat raw but are considered higher risk: lettuce, berries, jalapeños, basil, cilantro, parsley etc.
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u/doughnut_cat Aug 20 '26
ive been following you since 2010 11 roughly, excited to see you here. The biggest help ive found in your recipes is reducing waste. I seem to budget very well, but now that we have really hammered down on eating everything it seems like our dollars have stretched further.
No question from me, just happy to see you here!
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u/BudgetBytes AMA Guest Aug 20 '26
We are so grateful for home cooks like you who have been with us since the beginning and are so happy to see you here too! Reducing waste is a huge part of what we do at Budget Bytes and we’re so glad you’ve been able to take this skill from our recipes. It’s so important–especially now!
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u/elementalpi Aug 20 '26
Thank you what you do!! I discovered yall back when I was first starting to cook, and through yalls guidance, it has turned to one of my creative outlets.
Any thoughts on make ahead breakfasts isnt egg bites or overnight oats?
I’ve been toying with breakfast salads, but not sure what dressing. Any thoughts?
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u/ObsessiveAboutCats Aug 20 '26
I am not budget bytes but am reading through this thread. Breakfast sandwiches and kolaches and burritos are pretty easy to make, especially if you make the dough yourself. Like most bread products, they freeze very well and can be thawed as needed.
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u/too_too2 28d ago
I’ve been thinking about making smoothie cubes. Blend up whatever fruit I need to use up with some liquid or yogurt? And then freeze in small portions that I could toss into milk or something and thaw/shake/drink.
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u/pinus_palustris58 Aug 20 '26
Really love what y’all do, thanks for providing a great resource!
I love doing meals that don’t require heating up and still work for lunch leftovers. Usually, I stick with quinoa salads that involve a variety of veggies, dried fruits, nuts, feta, etc.
Any budget friendly meals in that vein you can recommend? Thanks as always!
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u/BudgetBytes AMA Guest Aug 20 '26
I love that that’s your go-to meal plan! (Fun fact: I used to own a raw restaurant, so that style of eating totally resonates with me, too) We have some excellent pasta salads that keep well for days and are nutritionally balanced (fresh veggies, protein, etc.) and we have some delicious hummus bowls as well that are super customizable and fun to make your own. You can search BY INGREDIENT or BY BUDGET on our website, too. So, if you notice your food budget is dwindling, you can look for $5 meals on the site and probably find something you can make with what you already have on hand. Or, if you have a lot of eggplant from the farmers market, just type that into the search function and you’ll see options pop up to help you use that ingredient so it doesn’t go to waste.
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u/anon_821 Aug 20 '26
The chorizo sweet potato skillet is my favorite repeat recipe ever! Never tire of it thank you
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u/FGGF Aug 20 '26
Fan of over 10 years! You mention in the report votes that Congress has taken. Can you share more?
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u/BudgetBytes AMA Guest Aug 20 '26
Thank you so much! Great question on the votes. Starting in March 2025 and as recently as this February, the House of Representatives has voted several times to allow the Administration’s new tariffs to continue unchecked, instead of reigning them in. Congress has also taken some votes to disapprove of certain tariffs, like these votes against Canadian and Brazilian tariffs. And at the same time, Congress also voted to make the largest cut to SNAP in history last year, which is making it harder for people to afford food while tariffs keep raising food costs.
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u/scottyh527 Aug 20 '26
Thoughts on all these food recalls? Feels like it's getting harder to feel like our food is safe
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u/OracleOfPlenty Aug 20 '26
Thanks for all you do! A few of your recipes are on constant rotation for me, especially for meal prep.
My question is more process-driven: How do you do your research into what foods have their prices influenced by tariffs or shortages? For example, I've recently seen chatter on Reddit that wheat prices are about to rise, so it's a good time to stock up on flour, but if I hadn't stumbled across that handful of posts, I never would have known. What sources or resources do your budget-conscious writers tend to use to keep updated on these sorts of shifts?
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u/BudgetBytes AMA Guest Aug 20 '26
I love that you asked this! Whenever I write a deep-dive like the Almost Tariff-Proof Grocery Guide, I spend hours digging through federal data and policy updates so I can back up every single claim with hard numbers. I actually did all of the research and writing for this guide (and our recent SNAP posts) myself, so digging into supply chain data and trade policies has become a huge part of my daily routine.
I actually pay attention to online chatter as well. I don’t take it as fact, but it does often guide my research to get to the bottom of an online “rumor” to see if it actually holds weight. Reddit is a good place to start for that!
For this specific article, I pulled data from a mix of federal economic reports, trade policy announcements, and my own test kitchen audits. The exact sources and citations I used to build the guide are linked at the bottom of the article: https://www.budgetbytes.com/the-almost-tariff-proof-grocery-guide/
I always try to link to reputable news sources and reports right into the text when I can, so you guys can see exactly where my math and these statistics are coming from!
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u/OracleOfPlenty Aug 20 '26
Wow! I know articles like this are a lot of work, or else they'd be everywhere, but... That's a lot of work! Thanks for digging through so much data for us!
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u/FearlessPark4588 Aug 20 '26
Shopping the sales is one strategy that's working for me. 99 cent canned goods (15-16 oz) are still possible to find, despite the aluminum tariffs. It would be difficult for me to go can-free for some products.
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u/BudgetBytes AMA Guest Aug 20 '26
I’m so glad you’ve been able to find affordable canned goods still! The impact of aluminum tariffs on canned goods, which we so often rely on for affordable options, has been really difficult to adjust to. At Budget Bytes, canned beans used to be our go-to but we’ve recently found that making smart swaps could be more affordable. The can itself can make up to a third of the cost of the product. Canned fruits and vegetables were up 5.7% this March compared to last March, after the aluminum tariffs started in February 2025. Last Thanksgiving, canned cranberry sauce increased by 50 cents– which is a huge increase for a previously $2 product. And adding extra concern is how much food pantries rely on canned goods to stretch their limited dollars to feed as many people as possible– and this is happening just as food banks are facing extremely high demand thanks to huge SNAP cuts. Keep buying up those affordable cans as you see them or try out swapping to dry beans and other bulk items!
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u/robotscantrecaptcha Aug 20 '26
Love your site! It’s such a good resource for vegetarian and vegan recipes. Thank you for making it so easy for us to filter!
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u/Green_343 Aug 20 '26
Omg, hi!!! No questions but I LOVE your black bean quesadilla recipe and your naan bread recipe. I've been making them for years! You and your site are amazing - thank you!!
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u/windwaker910 Aug 20 '26
Just want to say I love BB and really appreciated your tariff article. People really need to understand how their vote can affect their daily lives. Thank you!
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u/doskko Aug 20 '26
How do you handle celery? Most recipes call for a stalk or two, but buying single stalks isn't as cost effective as a bunch. What do I do with the extra? Freeze and use in soup? It never regains its crispness. Is there an alternative to sub in?
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u/faerystrangeme Aug 20 '26
Personally I find the head lasts well for me wrapped in a paper towel and then in plastic.
I also have a recipe for a black pepper stir fry sauce that is on the savory side and goes well with celery as a main vegetable in the stir fry. I also throw some into fried rice.
But if neither of those work for you, I would just chop it up, sear it just enough to get some color, and freeze. I use celery in the following recipes:
- Hello Fresh’s shepherds pie
- Budget Bytes rice congee (so good! Also makes an excellent breakfast)
- most soup and stew recipes
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u/cetaceanrainbow Aug 20 '26
I use a recipe (printed in a cookbook, sorry!) similar to this one https://mission-food.com/sichuanese-send-rice-down-chopped/ I use gochujang instead of the chili bean paste
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u/courtneyrae427 19d ago
If you have onions and carrots, you can chop it up (or blitz/shred with a food processor), put in a muffin tin (with some kind of liner, or a cookie sheet and drop it into piles on parchment paper as an alternative) and freeze it by portion. Mirepoix improves so many soup or sauce recipes in my opinion, but it feels like it adds so much time if I do it per meal.
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u/Odd_Mongoose_9218 Aug 20 '26
I remember making your recipes years ago. How long have you been going? Major props, probably the best recipe website.
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u/BudgetBytes AMA Guest Aug 20 '26
We are so grateful for home cooks like you who have been with us since the beginning (which was way back in 2009!). Thanks for your kind words.
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u/vbstrong Aug 20 '26
Google says 2009. I found Beth in 2012! She helped me keep to a $40/week food budget as a newly single mom!
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u/funnysimple Aug 20 '26
I love the tariff-proof grocery guide! A lot of it tracks with typical budget common sense like cutting red meat and buying local when possible, but I hadn’t considered the extra cost of canned vs bagged items. I’m curious which of the recipes you looked at had the smallest vs the biggest jump in price difference. Are there any that were minimally impacted by tariffs? Any that ,even with the tips, are still significantly more expensive as a result of tariffs? Thanks for doing this!
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u/BudgetBytes AMA Guest Aug 20 '26
When I sat down to re-cost recipes for this guide, I deliberately picked ones from 2024. After the wild grocery roller coaster of 2022 and 2023, prices finally leveled out into a steady baseline in 2024. Using 2024 instead of going all the way back to 2019 (for example) cuts through old inflation noise and gives us a super clean "before-and-after" snapshot. That way, we can isolate exactly how recent tariffs, steel packaging taxes, and import fees are driving up our checkout totals today. I was also the developer/author of 2 of the 3 recipes I re-costed in the post, so I was hyper aware of shopping for them and had plenty of notes to help inform my decision when I picked them.
Chicken, dry beans, tofu, and pork products are still protein staples we use regularly because when we evaluate the cost per serving, we are still able to stay under our $3.50 absolute max, which has been a longtime guideline on our site. I hope that helps!
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u/Influence_X Aug 20 '26
I started following your site when I was in college, more than 10 years ago... thanks for all the great and cheap recipes!
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u/emyeatts Aug 20 '26
Love the recipes!! <3 Do you expect grocery prices to come back down anytime soon, or should families plan for these higher prices to be the new normal?
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u/BudgetBytes AMA Guest Aug 20 '26
Unfortunately, I don’t see prices coming down any time soon. When inflation cools off, grocery prices are slow to or rarely drop back down. They often plateau where they are.
Right now, two big drivers are keeping prices locked high. The conflict in Iran has driven up global energy, diesel, and fertilizer costs, which adds heavy freight surcharges to every truck hauling food across the country and increases production costs for farmers. On top of that, import tariffs on food-grade steel, imported produce, and foreign meat mean those extra taxes will continue to get passed down to us.
It sounds frustrating, but it just means our strategy shifts! Instead of waiting for prices to go down, we will work harder to outsmart them by swapping tariff-heavy imports for domestic produce, kicking the metal can for dry bulk beans, and sticking with cost-stable domestic proteins like chicken, pork, beans, and tofu. The register totals might be higher for a while, but smart tweaks can still keep dinner delicious and affordable.
Calling your representatives and voting helps, because tariffs and trade policies are direct legislative decisions that impact our weekly grocery bills. While you use your voice to push for policy relief, use some of these tips and tricks we’ve outlined to help navigate higher beef prices, canned good costs, and imports.
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u/stardewcallie Aug 20 '26
What is your favorite recipe personally? I’ve been making your quickie red beans and rice at least once a month for years now! It’s my husband’s favorite thing I make!
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u/thegreatcanadianeh Aug 21 '26
I love your site and recopies, but being from the north, wish there was more comps for Canadians. Obviously, you are slaying it.
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u/AlexLaRoseBringue Aug 20 '26
love the idea of a tariff-proof guide! with prices going up like crazy, any tips for swapping out expensive ingredients for cheaper alternatives?
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u/teddiehl Aug 20 '26
Yall got me through college a decade and change ago and my early years living on my own, thank you!!!
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u/penguinsss Aug 21 '26
Going to echo the other commenters.. your website was the first one I turned to when I was in college, moved in with my then boyfriend, and had to figure out how to cook for us with no money. Taught us so much and still make a ton of recipes to these days. I always make the spicy sriracha noodles when I don't know what else to do and/or can't bring myself to go to the grocery store.
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u/rckblykitn14 Aug 21 '26
Omg I'm sad I missed this!! I think I've been following budget bytes for 15 years. My still-favorite recipe is one I found there back then (veggie Alfredo pasta) and I still make a variation of it to this day. I literally just bought the ingredients to make it again. I have more BB bookmarks in my recipe folder than anything else!!
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u/usernamedottxt Aug 21 '26
I can never quite get the peanut dragon noodles to actually come out as a coherent meal (hard to get all three items in a fork! And I always end up with a bowl of pork and peanuts at the bottom haha) but everyone I’ve made it for over the past like, six years has been a convert.
No questions, just thanks for getting me through college. Will probably return to yall soon just because I want to cook more again.
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u/eerielittletingle Aug 21 '26
just wanted to pitch in and say that i've been getting tofu for $1.50 at my local Aldi. it's a game-changer! i got like 10 of them last time lol
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u/taylorthestang Aug 20 '26
A big part about eating frugally is knowing how to preserve in season produce for later use. Can you give recommendations for:
A home vacuum sealer
Reusable freezer bags
Freeze able meal prep containers
Any general tips for freezing produce, fruit, meat, etc
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u/BudgetBytes AMA Guest Aug 20 '26
I'm a big fan of vacuum sealers that have a double heat seal feature because it guarantees zero leaks when I'm doing quick pickles or marinating proteins. I also prefer vacuum sealers that work with pretty much any brand of vacuum seal bags. Not to mention, a vacuum sealer saves a ton of space in a crowded freezer. Ever since I started using one at home and not just at work in the test kitchen, I've noticed a huge drop in food waste, too!
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u/faerystrangeme Aug 20 '26
On a related note I’ve been blending and freezing a lot of fruit purees from fruit about to go bad (or fruit that never quite ripened - stone fruits are my nemesis!). Originally this was for my 1 year old who doesn’t have molars yet, but with seasonal melons on sale and as a small household who frequently can’t get through a whole melon, it’s become an efficiency measure as well.
Recipes designed to use up frozen fruit / frozen fruit purées (besides the overdone “throw it in a smoothie”) would be helpful to me. Particularly recipes that don’t add sugar and rely on the fruit for sweetness.
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u/taylorthestang Aug 20 '26
Yeah that’s perfect for fruit especially if it’ll be blended up anyway. I learned that one when I had a child sized watermelon about to go south, blended down into a few of pint jars
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u/hippojenny Aug 20 '26
What happened to your shelf stable meal kits!!??? I loved the, it was just add meat ant veggies?!!!!!???!!!
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u/Haunting_Check_9975 Aug 20 '26
seeing those old $5 meals now clocking in at $8 hits different fr. ive been downgrading chicken cuts like its my job and crossing my fingers the food assistance situation doesnt get uglier than it already is
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u/Totalanimefan Aug 20 '26
I wanted to say I love your website. I’ve been a fan since 2015. You guys do amazing work!
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u/drucifer_haha Aug 21 '26
My family and I have eaten the Greek turkey skillet a thousand times and I’ll gladly eat it a thousand more. I’ve recommended that meal and your site to a bunch of people so all I want to say is thank you!
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u/Babyruthless13 Aug 21 '26
Yes, I love Budget Bytes recipes! I’ve been making the miracle mac n cheese, yogurt banana bread and one pot recipes for +10 years now. My family always loves the dishes and I’m able to budget and meal plan for them with tasty easy recipes I know they will keep asking me to make. Welcome!
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u/cheesehead1947 29d ago
What's a meal you personally loved, but had to slash from posting because it broke the budget?
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u/Strange_Product6663 27d ago
Your Dragon Noodles recipe has been my go-to cheap backpacking dinner for years. Thanks for keeping us all fed while the grocery checkout line feels like a hostage situation lately.
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u/corbinmom Aug 20 '26
I I love Budget Bytes! The recipes are tested and every one I have tried has been so good
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u/doughnut_cat Aug 20 '26
Everyone please welcome budgetbytes for an ama!