Valley residents are feeling the pain of inflation in their bank accounts — and are adjusting their budgets to keep food on the table.

“I try to cook a lot at home so that I’m not going out too much and spending a lot of money there,” said resident Nathan Ramirez.

Long lines at food distribution events are becoming the norm.

“We have seen a lot more clients come through our emergency assistance program, which is our emergency food pantry,” said Sandra Gonzalez, Food Bank RGV Health and Social Services senior manager.

Gonzalez shared advice for anyone looking to stretch a home-cooked meal.

“Try to have breakfast for dinner,” Gonzalez said. “There’s no reason why we should have something heavy in the evening. It’s just better to have maybe a cup of cereal. We can have some apple slices. We can have some fruit for dinner instead of having a heavy meal.”

Gonzalez says try getting creative with your produce at home.

“If there are tomatoes and they are already mature, make tomato sauce,” Gonzalez said. “You can also freeze it to make sopas or calditos.”

A few other tips to keep in mind is to look at the lower shelves for less expensive food items and to buy more canned foods.

If you’re worried about the sodium, you can simply rinse it with lukewarm water.