The previous year’s flagship is one option. Samsung’s S22 and S22+ both fit in this range, and even the S22 Ultra is not too far off. And those still have a few OS updates left. Pixel 6 Pro seems to sell for the same price as 7a in Germany.
This has been my strategy for the last two phones (Note 8 and Note 10) and it has worked great. Following this thread with interest as this is the year I’m due to upgrade.
Get a pressure cooker, and cooking any dried beans becomes quick and easy.
For chickpeas, we often do curries. This one is great, too: https://www.budgetbytes.com/sriracha-hummus/