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I freely confess that I am proudly cheap. As a longtime freelancer, economic uncertainty comes with the job. Affordability and frugality rule my food life. I know I am not the only foodie facing this reality in inflationary times.
In this week’s Nibbles newsletter, I share some of my favorite ways to save money on food at home, in grocery stores and at restaurants. In coming weeks, I’ll continue to focus on practical food hacks to help you waste less, taste more and spend less. I could use your help. Please send your cheap eats questions, favorite frugal recipes, tips and affordable dining deals at Boulder County restaurants to: nibbles@boulderreportinglab.org.
— John Lehndorff
You don’t need me to tell you that food has gotten damn expensive, everything from beef and coffee to chocolate and cheese. If you’ve gone out to breakfast lately, you’ve gulped at the high cost of pancakes and omelets.
A sign of the uncertain times may be an October 2025 survey by Mizuho, which revealed that 49% of Americans reported consuming more leftovers than they had six months prior.
We are tightening our collective budgetary belts. That means cutting food waste in a serious way.
However, that doesn’t mean meekly accepting food frugality like some sort of sad dietary sentence. It’s living high on the hog (or elevated on tempeh) by working the food system.
I spent years in Boulder restaurants and catering kitchens, where waste could sink a business. I’ve learned a few things about saving money on food at home and at restaurants. I generally loathe those stupid lists of “rules” you have to follow as a New Year resolution. I humbly offer the following affordable suggestions for saving money that I follow … at least most of the time.
1. Grocery shop to beat the system
To walk the supermarket aisles frugally requires commitment, attention and a game-player’s savvy to win in the coming year.
The first rule is: Do NOT make a grocery list. At the very least, don’t be blinded by it. Instead of shopping with a rigid set of ingredients and dishes in mind, look for what is available.
When foods you often cook with are on sale, buy a bunch.
Every supermarket, including Whole Foods Market, has markdown areas for dairy, proteins, bread, frozen, veggies and other grocery items. It’s always worthwhile to take a quick look for items you actually need. I’ve saved tons on slightly browned organic bananas that were perfect inside.
Many ingredients are available as much cheaper “house” brands often made by the same companies as the name brands. Look at the price per ounce.
The second grocery rule: Never shop hungry. I’ve learned this rule the hard, expensive way when I have allowed my appetite to rule the cart.
2. Bulk up to save money and cut plastic waste
Buying bulk foods is satisfying because you can save money per pound over the same ingredient when prepackaged. You can also just get the amount you need. In the case of spices, buying tiny amounts keeps them fresher.
Bringing refillable containers cuts down on the avalanche of plastic that feeding a family now produces.
Families and friends can pool resources by buying bulk from grocery warehouse stores and splitting the costs. Besides, it can be a nice communal gathering. Among the many bulk food options are Nude Foods Market, Sprouts Farmers Market, Simply Bulk in Longmont and Shamrock Foodservice Warehouse in Louisville.
3. Don’t let food labels fool you
“Best Before,” “Sell-By” and “Use-By” dates have nothing to do with food safety, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Food marked with those dates in sale and markdown bins is perfectly fine to eat. Confusion over those labels results in edible food being tossed into landfills.
4. Don’t throw away food that is still tasty
The frugal mantra is: Save. Pickle. Ferment. Freeze. Dry. Preserve. In other words: Turn waste into taste.
Turn bread ends, tortillas, bagels and even doughnuts into breadcrumbs, toasted chunks or slices for bruschetta, croutons, or in stuffing and bread pudding.
Save your pickle jar juice. Add sliced cucumber, and other veggies for a quick pickle, or use the juice in dirty martinis.
Save the liquid in canned beans to add to stews, chilis and sauces. Aquafaba – the juice in canned garbanzo beans – can be whipped into a great meringue as an egg white substitute.
Save the flavor in those pricey fresh ginger and pineapple peels, beet peels, mint stems, lime zest and other fresh produce items. They can be simmered with sugar to make a simple syrup for mocktails, infused into vodka, or used to make flavored vinegar.
Avoid food waste shame by freezing everything from fresh produce to soups before they get weird and moldy. Seal meal-sized amounts in freezer bags. Be sure to label and date them so they don’t become an anonymous thing lost behind the frozen corn.
5. Find real Boulder dining deals
Gas may be cheaper, but the cost of dining has not decreased. Even fast food “value meals” don’t seem much like bargains.
Veteran diners know about Boulder’s best happy hour deals, and that lunch is more likely a bargain than dinner. Restaurants also regularly offer significant dining deals, which we will highlight in coming Nibbles newsletters.
Take, for instance, Barchetta, the award-winning artisan pizza palace in downtown Boulder. Barchetta is offering its regular classic pizza with tomato sauce, mozzarella, Parmesan and oregano for $10 each during the month of January — dine-in and carry out only. This pizza is usually $22. Barchetta notes: “Limit 10 per party.”
6. Resurrect leftover salmon as a flaky entree
Always take home those leftovers including less obvious items like the bones from that expensive steak. They are not for your dogs, but rather an essential ingredient in simmering a rich beef broth.
If it makes you feel better, refer to leftovers as “repurposed food.”
Try to develop a roster of simple preparations that use what you have in the fridge as well as takeout which can be transformed in fried rice, frittatas, stir-fries, smoothies and spicy, brothy noodle dishes.
My favorite way to upgrade leftovers is to use them as the filling in a single- or double-crusted pie, using homemade or store-bought pastry.
(Note: The favorite dish of U.S. President Millard Fillmore was “Resurrection Pie,” an English way to make yesterday’s dinner born again.)
Meat or vegetable stews, restaurant fare and leftover baked or seared salmon are perfect fillings in a flaky warm pie dished with a sauce or a salsa. Serve it with chopped salad and family and friends will applaud.
7. Get cooking: Roasted Butternut Soup
To save money, start cooking, it helps to have a roster of great recipes that produce dishes that don’t taste cheap. This soup recipe uses winter squashes (like butternut, acorn and spaghetti) that store easily and are full of vitamins, fiber and flavor. You roast the squash to give it a deeper, nuttier flavor before blending it with onion, cream (or coconut milk), and sage.
Find the soup recipe here.
You can still find locally grown winter squash at Longmont’s Ollin Farms which will open today, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., for the first time in January.
8. Nibbles Index: What food waste costs you
$3,000. That’s the amount that the average American family of four loses to home food waste annually, according to a recent report from the Environmental Protection Agency.
“Leftovers make you feel good twice. First, when you put it away, you feel thrifty and intelligent: ‘I’m saving food!’ Then, when you eat it again, you feel thrifty and intelligent again.” — Humorist George Carlin
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