u/BadRare_here

One bag of dried lentils cost me 1.29 at the store and honestly did not expect much from it. mixed it with some rice and half an onion and it lasted me and my kid almost 3 days. that is less than 2 dollars for 3 days of actual filling meals. never thought something that cheap could work like that.

Does anyone have one specific ingredient like this that stretched your meals when money was finished? Not general tips, like one real thing you used when you had almost nothing left. Trying to build a small practical list from people who actually been through it because everything online assumes you have a full pantry already.

Nobody talk about this enough but stale bread is one of the most useful thing in the kitchen and people just throw it away like nothing

When bread get hard just put it in oven at low heat around 300F for 8 to 10 minute.. it come back soft enough to eat with soup or egg. But the real trick is crush it into crumbs and store in any jar or bag you have. Now you got free breadcrumbs for weeks without spending anything extra

I use it to make patties stretch further by mixing with bean or whatever protein you have.. put on top of pasta for crunch.. thicken soup when it too watery.. even fry in little bit of oil with garlic and put on top of rice. Taste so good for something that was going in trash

One loaf of bread can give breadcrumbs for maybe 2 to 3 week if you dry it properly. That is real money saved.

I been doing this for few months now and want to share what actually worked for me. Every Sunday I go to Aldi (or whatever discount store near you) and I only buy like 5 things, eggs, dried beans, rice, frozen vegetables, and one fruit that is on sale. That is it. Eggs is the big one because you can eat it breakfast, lunch, even dinner and it is cheap per egg when you do the math. One dozen last me almost 3 days.

Beans and rice people make fun of but if you season it right it do not even feel like "poor food" no more. I learned to make it 4 different ways so I do not get bored eating same thing. Also frozen vegetables is way better than fresh when you on tight budget because it do not go bad after 3 days and make you feel guilty for wasting it.

Hardest part for me was stop buying the small sizes because it feel cheaper in the moment but it is not. Big bag of rice for $2.50 beat the little box every single time. And I stopped buying any drinks at all, just tap water now. That alone saved me like $6 to $8 a week which is a lot when your whole budget is only $20.

My uncle passed away last month here in California and now whole family is confused about what happen next. He had a house in Fremont and a bank account, total maybe around $400k. No trust, no will, nothing was set up.

We went to the court and they telling us we have to go through probate. From what we understand that take like 12 to 18 months and cost a lot just to transfer his house to the family. Is that really how it work in California?

My cousin is saying maybe small estate affidavit can help but the house alone is way over that limit so probably that dont apply here. Someone else mention something call Heggstad petition but honestly none of us really understand what that even mean.

Did anyone here go through California probate recently? Was it really that long and that expensive? And if my uncle had just set up a living trust before he passed would all this been so much easier to avoid?

Not asking for legal advice, we already planning to meet with an attorney next week. Just want to understand little bit what we walking into before that meeting happen.

When you burn something on the bottom of your pot, do not panic. Just take the pot off the heat fast and put it on a wet towel on the counter. The cold from the towel stops the burning from spreading further into your food. Then scoop your food into a new bowl without scraping the bottom part.

Most people stir it. That is the mistake. Stirring spreads the burnt taste everywhere and the whole thing gets ruined. But if you move fast and don't touch the bottom you can save most of the food.

I have been cooking on a bad electric stove for years and this trick changed everything for me. A neighbor showed me and I use it almost every time something like this happens.

Last month my grocery budget was like 40 dollar for the whole week and I was so stress about it. My friend tell me just buy egg, rice, onion, and frozen vegetable and I thinking that sound so boring but I try it anyway.

So what I do is I cook big pot of rice on sunday and just use it whole week. Egg I fry it, boil it, scramble it, make different every day so it dont feel same. Frozen vegetable I throw in everything, it cheap and last long in freezer and dont go bad like fresh one.

Thing that really help me is I stop going grocery store when I hungry, before I was buying random thing and spend way more. Now I make small list before I go and stick to it. Also I check the "reduced for quick sale" section near meat area, some store mark down meat that expire soon and you just freeze it right away when you get home.

My total come out to 38 dollar and I eat breakfast lunch and dinner every day. Not perfect meal but I was full and that matter alot when money is tight.

Alright, so I don't know if everybody knew about this already, but I just found out recently and I felt like an idiot lol. The reason why you don't cut off the root end when buying onion is because it will continue to grow from the root end if placed in a glass of water near the windowsill. I usually get another 3-4 harvests from the one onion.

I used the sprout for whatever I could think of – eggs, rice, soups, anything. The sprout was not as strong in flavor compared to the actual onions, but they were tasty nonetheless. Also, they cost me nothing after purchasing the onion initially.

Just place the bottom end (which has the root) in a small glass with a little amount of water near the window. You would need to change the water every two days so it won't smell. In around 4-5 days, you will be able to cut your onion sprouts again.

I do the same thing with scallions too.

Well, since I've been struggling financially lately, I started searching for ways to earn some extra money. I tried a few methods such as selling used items on the Facebook marketplace and taking certain jobs on Fiverr; however, they helped even more than I anticipated. It may not be much, but every little bit helps when you desperately need extra money.

I would like to know how other people are earning extra income; especially those opportunities that do not require you to spend too much at first or have a specific degree to begin with. Opportunities which ordinary people can pursue with ease. It will be nice to exchange information and maybe come up with something practical, as opposed to all of those impractical suggestions that are posted online nowadays.

Been doing this for months now and still shocked nobody talk about it more.

The dry paper skin of onion?? the brown outer layer people just peel and throw?? DO NOT throw it. I started saving them in a small bag in freezer. when I make any rice or soup or even just boiling potato I throw few onion skins in the water. the color become so rich and deep like restaurant food and the smell is just different. better. costs nothing because you already buying onion anyway.

Also garlic paper same thing. the white dry skin of garlic have smell too. throw in your cooking water or even in oil when you frying something, take it out after. free flavor from something you was already wasting.

My grandmother did this and I thought it was just old people habit but no. it actually work and it make cheap food taste like you tried hard lol.

try it one time and tell me if you notice difference. I think you will. And thanks me later hah