Dave wrote: ↑Wed Jun 26, 2019 6:01 pm
Milk, even (especially) the non-animal type, tends to be very expensive, too. You say Whole Foods isn't more than other stores nearby, and I don't have proof you're wrong where you live. But I have to think you can find some grocery stores that may be a little further away that are meaningfully cheaper (see comments about international grocers).
At least in California, milk at whole foods is the best bang for your buck anywhere except wal-mart. It's ~$3.75 per gallon (whole milk) and just re-labeled Clover brand. I've tried so many different milks (since I drink more than a gallon per week) and settled on this one. Trader Joe's is cheaper but a lower tier of quality. Of the chain stores (FoodMaxx, FoodsCo, Safeway, Cash & Carry, Smart & Final, Lucky) surprisingly wal-mart has the best quality and it's cheap too. I'm not sure what to make of that.. However, I did notice that Grocery Outlet has an organic whole milk (Humboldt brand I think) for ~$5.50 that I might switch to (it's better than Clover).
@chasebrooklyn1985, try to make some of the stuff that you buy at home, from scratch. e.g. best way to keep coffee budget low is to roast em, grind em, and brew them yourself.
Keep hunting for ingredient sources! Doesn't help if you are in a food desert, though. I keep discovering new sources of ingredients, but I'm in a land of plenty. Whether it's beans at the Indian grocer, seafood at a Chinese monger, alcohol at Trader Joe's, or produce at Berkeley Bowl, it seems each place has there "loss-leader".
chasebrooklyn1985 wrote: ↑Sun Jun 30, 2019 12:26 pm
Oat milk is really hard to make if you want it to be super creamy. I don't know how they do it. If you make it at home it often comes out very watery like almond milk. Gotta find a recipe.
I would double-check the ingredients to make sure the secret is in the process, and not some thickening agent.
But yeah, you might have to share in more detail what you put in your cart if you want us to nit-pick more!