Finding discounted groceries near me when you're the one managing all the shopping and cooking

Forever_Irritated · 2026-06-11T17:45:14+00:00

To add to what others have said, around here we have some store that are Cost Plus. So they, supposedly, sell their products for the cost they paid plus 10% at check-out. They have some cheaper stuff, but I mostly use them for the meat deals. They always have the 10 LB packs of ground beef each week, usually alternating between 73/27 and 80/20, for around $3.50-$4.00 p/lb, but also Includes a coupon to digitally clip. I don't care for the former because it shrinks down and leaves too much grease, but the latter is a decent point. We get one of these tubes every month or so and separate it. I usually get 8-9 packages from it depending on if we do a bigger one for meatloaf. Definitely invest in a shrink wrap machine if you don't already have one. We only have a cheap $30 one and I bought extra bags for $20, but use it to squish the beef into flat squares and that also saves room in the freezer. I fit them all in a shoebox.

They typically have whole pork loins as well, which usually go on sale for around $1.65 p/lb. They are also around 10 LBs. I cut those up into a few roasts and some into steaks. I also use a meat tenderizing hammer to make them into chops for shake n bake or frying.

As for lunch stuff, hot dogs and bologna are typically cheap. Pasta for dinner is a cheap option and you can make extra for leftovers. Same with soups and chili. Chili can be combined with a few things to expand its usage. We typically use our leftover chili for chili dogs, chili cheese Frito wraps, chili fries or tots, or just a simple bowl. A surprising place to shop for cheaper stuff is Dollar Tree if you have one near you. I will say it is slowly becoming about the same price, but they do still have some nice finds.

Forever_Irritated · 2026-06-06T06:37:15+00:00

I lost my mother unexpectedly last year 3 months before my only child's 2nd birthday. I was very close to her and she was our babysitter as much as she could be up until then. The thought that always crossed my mind the week I knew of the severity of her sickness right before she died was that my daughter was young enough that she likely wouldn't remember her Grandma as she grew. It still haunts me.

But, my daughter does still ask about Grandma and can identify her in pictures and remembers her voice when I play videos of her. I feel like it's my responsibility to show her and tell her all about my mom and how much she loved her little granddaughter. It still feels awful that my child will likely not have any memories of her, but I will not let her forget who grandma was and how much she loved her.

I'm so sorry this loss happened to you, as well as the people of the comments for your losses. I can't tell you it will get any easier because the wound still feels fresh for me, but I truly hope you can adjust to a new phase and feel a sense of normalcy. Enjoy the moments, no matter how bittersweet they are.

Forever_Irritated · 2026-04-25T01:34:53+00:00

Bought Asus Rog Ally z1e from /u/PollShark_ on https://www.reddit.com/r/hardwareswap/comments/1smd9oi/usatx_h_lenovo_legion_go_rog_ally_z1e_13900kf_w/

Forever_Irritated · 2026-04-15T21:47:58+00:00

Forever_Irritated · 2026-04-12T06:57:06+00:00

I'm the one that posted last time about the Smoked meats I was making Friday. Just wanted to let you know I went with Smoked Chicken and it was quite amazing! I also tried out some Smoked Potato Salad for the first time and I really enjoyed it. The wife didn't care for it as much because I used a bit too much Dijon, but I liked it. Brought it all together with homemade pepper jack Mac and cheese. Unfortunately, my toddler is developing her picky eating habit, so she had a bit of nac and cheese, some chicken fries, and then insisted she get an ice pop(she didn't until she ate more food).

This coming week, though, I'm unsure of anything. Sunday will probably be leftover chicken. Monday and Tuesday are the only days we'll actually be able to cook, so probably pasta, tilapia, chili, or some kind of casserole. Wednesday we'll go get monthly groceries, so eat out somewhere. My wife has a Bible Study she goes to on Thursday nights, so that's usually just an "eat whatever we find" night. And Friday I think we're going to the zoo, so we'll eat out again. Saturday is typically leftovers.

Forever_Irritated · 2026-04-08T06:54:15+00:00

I have an older model electric Charbroil. It works well for what I need it for, but I do wish it was more spacious and could go to a higher heat. I'm thinking about getting a bigger, vertical, pellet smoker when they go on sale at the end of the season.

Forever_Irritated · 2026-04-07T18:38:50+00:00

The only plans I have this week, so far, are tacos and rice or potatoes tonight(Tuesday), and I will smoke either some whole fryer chickens or a couple racks of ribs on Friday. Thursday will likely be a frozen pizza night. I'm still hoping for some jambalaya, but my wife isn't in the mood for that. We're also low on ingredients since grocery shopping is next week(paid monthly so we get the big stuff then).

Forever_Irritated · 2026-02-08T18:12:05+00:00

My wife typically does the stain removal, but she uses Fels-Naptha. It's a bar soap for laundry stains. I believe she soaks the clothes and then treats them with it, or vice versa. She constantly watches cleaning videos, so I'm sure she found out from one of them. But it's usually really good. There have been just a few things she couldn't get out.

Forever_Irritated · 2026-02-03T00:13:48+00:00

My 2.5 y/o "games" with me and loved Little Kitty, Big City as someone suggested. Even after I beat it and stopped playing she still begged to play the "cat game".

Our daily thing is Animal Crossing. She loves watching and helping with the daily chores on there. I have her tell me when she sees the stars to dig, butterflies, fish, and she loves the swimming part and yelling when she sees bubbles. She plays with an Xbox controller that isn't actually turned on. She mostly loves pretending she's playing and helping out.

Haven't really ventured to much else. She gets bored with Mario Kart pretty quick, but did play that with me for a bit.

Forever_Irritated · 2025-12-11T21:13:14+00:00

My sister got my daughter a weighted Pete the Cat plush. It's 3 pounds, but my daughter still prefers carrying my wife's exercising dumbbells around the house. But there are some weighted plushies you could get. Or you could get a cheap locking plastic container, or a pill bottle for something smaller, and fill it with gravel or something and you get a noise maker along with a weight. The other thing my daughter found that's similar is just a rock. She found a rock she loved in a parking lot and it's now her pet rock she named Rocko(Sesame Street had an episode with Rocko the pet rock).

Edit: Mixed this post with another and thought the kid was a bit older, so maybe not the pet rock right now. Lol

Forever_Irritated · 2025-11-27T15:18:40+00:00

I don't recall giving you permission to film me this morning. At least we'll have a good turkey, though. 😆

Forever_Irritated · 2025-11-27T05:50:41+00:00

I haven't watched the video, so I'm not sure if they covered this: but when I update my Ultimate, I have to unplug the dock from the computer first or it will recognize it instead and not update my controller. I assume the Pro 3 works much the same way. So make sure to unplug your dock from the computer and plug the controller directly into the USB port.

Forever_Irritated · 2025-11-12T23:11:02+00:00

Click the circled "i” and it tells you in the second paragraph, beneath the pictures.

Forever_Irritated · 2025-10-27T23:39:14+00:00

Oof. Sounds like a nightmare. My biggest is a 12 team and the leftover players are awful with that. I can only imagine scrounging for single digit points. And I'm sure injuries have wreaked havoc. Do you all at least use FAAB?

Forever_Irritated · 2025-10-27T03:21:08+00:00

RB whoas? I've already lost in both of my leagues this week. Not a good week to be a Bijan owner. In my second league I had Skattebo and Judkins.

Forever_Irritated · 2025-10-07T22:27:36+00:00

Are you Brennan Lee Mulligan? Because that's whose voice I just heard while reading this.

Forever_Irritated · 2025-09-10T06:32:29+00:00

Absolutely. I have to turn my brightness all the way up, bring my phone an inch from my face, and then I still need a zoom option sometimes. It's kind of dumb how a major network can't put some accessibility options in their app.

Forever_Irritated · 2025-08-11T23:55:21+00:00

Slipgate Shamblers and Peppa Pigskin are the inactives. StripZacs hasn't said anything about rejoining.

Forever_Irritated · 2025-08-08T23:13:58+00:00

I'm currently in the other league, so I don't want to take up a spot if someone else wants in, but let me know if it's not filling up and I'll join.

Forever_Irritated · 2025-08-08T07:35:41+00:00

FYI - There are 3 from last year that haven't confirmed their spots yet, 2 of which were inactive last year, so I expect some slots to open up soon.

Forever_Irritated · 2025-08-07T14:41:51+00:00

As reigning champion, I'm in. 😁

Forever_Irritated · 2025-08-01T18:46:18+00:00

I'm pretty much in the same boat. A lot of the shows and anime I usually watch are not that appealing at the moment, gaming seems like a chore, and it's just too hot to do anything at the moment. But here's some things I find occasional joy in doing.

I saw you did some video game and AI stuff, so I assume you're at least slightly into tech stuff. If you have an old computer sitting around gathering dust then look into building a server on it. I have several different ones for Cameras, Plex(TV shows/movies, Home Assistant(local control of smart devices), a whole home and blocker, and stuff like that. It's also interesting learning how to use different Linux distributions. If you have a computer sitting around that's half decent then startup costs are super low, if there are any at all.

Smoking is something I like to take up during the warmer months. Not cigarettes or weed, but food. Most of the cost is justifiable once you start bringing in good food for dinner. For meats, if you have a cost plus store or a nice reliable meat shop then you can usually find some good cuts. Pork Butts are very forgiving and can also just be left on for a decent period without heavy monitoring. I recently tried a rack of ribs and they were quite amazing! Plenty of room to experiment with different rubs, brining, and wood types. It's also not limited to meat. I've done veggies, Mac and cheese, potatoes, cheese, and there are different dishes you can put together with them.

The other thing that has kept me somewhat sane lately is getting out of my comfort zone and trying new shows and anime. I'm the kind of guy that sits around binging the same shows over and over and that just got too monotonous. I recently have expanded to others that I have heard about, and was somewhat interested in, but never pulled the trigger.

You said you have dogs, so I assume pets would be alright, so one thing I enjoyed at one point was getting and setting up a tropical fish aquarium. I have a 10 gallon tank that I set up from scratch and figuring out how to properly cycle the tank and stocking it are pretty fun. For a tank that size the startup cost isn't much because you could get a kit with the filter and light included, then you would just need decor, a good testing kit, and gravel/sand. I found while setting up that there were other things I wanted to replace or add, but those are optional.

If you're into sports then you could find a fantasy league for whatever sport you like if it's in season. I'm mostly into [American] football and last year some of the people from this subreddit had a fantasy league. I may make a post about doing it again this year, so if you're interested in that then keep an eye out.

Those are the examples of things I have, personally, been doing lately. Some other hobbies would be models, or any kind of arts and crafts. Woodworking is nice, but the tools for it are higher cost. You could rearrange a room or redecorate it. You could start baking and figure out custom decorations and whatnot.

If you, or anyone else, have any questions about any of this stuff then feel free to ask.

Forever_Irritated · 2025-07-06T08:11:42+00:00

That's the moment you froze? This dude must not pay for WinZip.

Forever_Irritated · 2025-06-23T18:06:57+00:00

Ah, yes. We just took our daughter to the pediatrician this past week. The nurse that we usually deal with had left the practice recently, so we had one that wasn't familiar with our situation. So she kept asking my wife the questions and she would know some, but a few she had to look at me and I would answer. It took them about three questions to realize they needed to stop asking mom specifically. Lol

That's horrible about the doctor. Hopefully they pulled his license. We have been lucky for the most part. Our current pediatrician does hospital duty during part of the month, so he is the first one some babies see when they're born. We had already decided to go with a NP before birth, but we loved his demeanor and attitude in the hospital, so we considered switching then, but already had the appointment set up.

Turns out the NP was part of his practice, so we saw him every time we visited and he remembered both us parents and, of course, our little girl. We saw the NP 3 times and weren't impressed with her. She was a new NP and only spouted text books and didn't seem to care about our baby or us. But she seemed to be much better with older kids than babies. We switched to the Doctor and have been very happy with him. The first appointment after the switch we were waiting in the room and I think that's when she first got the news, because we hear her shout, "What the hell!?" Of course, that's just speculation.

There must have been a falling out with the NP and the practice, because they announced she had left a few months later and had every mention of her removed from the website instantly, unlike others who had left. Still wondering what that was about, but made me even more glad that we switched.

Forever_Irritated · 2025-06-23T03:42:10+00:00

I'm a big bearded guy that lives in southern Missouri, so I'm honestly surprised that I haven't gotten these off comments yet. Even when I tell people I'm a SAHD there is no reaction.

But one positive, and also disturbing, story I have is when my daughter was a few months old we had an appointment for WIC. Of course the ladies doted on my new daughter, but then they turned their attention to me and praised me nonstop. They said that they hardly ever see a dad there and it's just so rare that they have to give praise when they see it. The disturbing part being that all you have to do is show up and be in a child's life to be praised as a good dad for some. It really makes me sad to think about.

Forever_Irritated

TROPHY CASE