Someone explain to me how cooking from scratch is cheaper

[Anonymous]

http://lifeasmom.com/2009/10/meal-planning-cook-once-eat-thrice.html

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ok, well, since you talked about Mac and Cheese:

A box of elbow macaroni costs less than $2 at the store and probably contains enough to make three or four dishes.

A 32-ounce box of Velveeta costs about $9 and can probably make the same three or four dishes.

So, $11 for four dishes is under $3. To serve three or four people.

You don't put a bunch of fancy cheeses in Mac and Cheese anyway.

As for spending $3 a pack for frozen mac & cheese at TJs, how many servings is that?

You lost me at Velveeta. Disgusting, fattening, and terribly unhealthy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP

It's much cheaper to cook from scratch but it takes meal planning. As you cook more, you naturally have things on hand (i.e. breadcrumbs, spices, flour, etc) so it really doesn't factor into the price of every meal.

For example when I make mac and cheese I use colby jack or cheddar jack. Mix with milk and flour to make a roux, add spices, pour over pasta, top with breadcrumbs and bake. It's pretty cheap to make and provides dinner and lunch. Not made with expensive cheeses but we'll live.

Meat's expensive, so I stock up and freeze when it's on sale. Rice and produce is pretty inexpensive. Beans are a cheap protein and delicious in soups and chilies.

Produce really isn't super expensive, Whole Foods is but Trader Joes and Wegmans is much less. I make a beef stew with 2 dollars worth of carrots and 18 cents worth of green beans, a dollar or two worth of celery, etc. Apples on sale aren't usually too terrible, bananas are 69 cents/pound, you can get a few onions for a few bucks, etc. Frozen veggies are cheap and will last a while because they don't go bad as fast as fresh veggies (and most are flash frozen so they still have their nutrients).

If bananas turn too brown, you can mash them and make a delicious banana bread.

You can cook a delicious meal for 15 dollars or less in most cases, many meals you can cook for 7 or 8 dollars. And often they will give you leftovers for another meal. That's much cheaper than eating out (will cost 30-50 for a family) or doing frozen meals (3-5 dollars per person with no leftovers). Plus homemade food is usually much for satisfying and healthier.

My mom was the epitome of cooking on a budget. We didn't have much money, but we always ate well. She used to cook for 5 and stretch a meal across several days. For example she'd make a chicken dinner for our dinner and my dad's lunch. Then she'd make another meal out of it by making another chicken meal (i.e. chicken salad). Then she'd boil the carcass of the chicken with veggies and spices to make a stock and make a chicken soup.

There are a lot of blogs and recipes out there for eating on a budget.

I love this post - and I don't cook enough at my home. So thank you. My best friend is a multimillionaire and she cooks like your mom. I learned so much when I went to visit her for a week last summer. She never lets anything go to waste.

[Anonymous]

OP,

You can cook with high-quality ingredients and still cook cheaply if you cook Asian-style vegetarian meals or meals where meat plays a minor role, eg: curries, stir fries, etc. It's pretty healthy too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ok, well, since you talked about Mac and Cheese:

A box of elbow macaroni costs less than $2 at the store and probably contains enough to make three or four dishes.

A 32-ounce box of Velveeta costs about $9 and can probably make the same three or four dishes.

So, $11 for four dishes is under $3. To serve three or four people.

You don't put a bunch of fancy cheeses in Mac and Cheese anyway.

As for spending $3 a pack for frozen mac & cheese at TJs, how many servings is that?

OP here, Ok no offense but I would never use Velveeta. LOL. I only use real cheese. Two boxes of mac and cheese at TJs serves about 4 people. BUt what about the milk and cream you also have to add to the Mac and Cheese? I dont just cook noodles and melt cheese on top, there is more to making mac and cheese than that! Am I just too fancy???

Do you know how stupid you sound? You knock Velveeta but you'll buy processed food from TJs and think it's "real" food?

Unnecessary rudeness.

Great thread though. Thanks for the tip on freezing ginger.

I like to get the massive bag of pinto beans at Costco ($8), then make what I need in the crockpot for burritos, soup, nachos, etc.

[Anonymous]

It costs me more to buy a fresh chicken to make roast chicken at home than it does to just by one of the cooked rotisserie chickens at the grocery store. It also takes me almost 30 minutes to prep the chicken and make the spice rub (fresh garlic, oil, spices, then rub it all over and under the skin), and then I have to be home for the 1.5 hours it takes to cook. Every time I do this my DH asks why I bother when we can just just get the rotisserie chicken for cheaper and easier!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It costs me more to buy a fresh chicken to make roast chicken at home than it does to just by one of the cooked rotisserie chickens at the grocery store. It also takes me almost 30 minutes to prep the chicken and make the spice rub (fresh garlic, oil, spices, then rub it all over and under the skin), and then I have to be home for the 1.5 hours it takes to cook. Every time I do this my DH asks why I bother when we can just just get the rotisserie chicken for cheaper and easier!

Uhgghh I know! this is so true!!! very sad.... but true...

[Anonymous]

In a case like this, is there really a difference? It's not like the rotisserie chicken is more processed than one you would cook yourself. There is a difference between convenience foods vs. processed. If people want to buy pre-cooked chicken, bagged salad, or pre-cut fruit due to time considerations, and pay a premium for the convenience, I don't see the problem.

[Anonymous]

As others have said, if you are cooking a gourmet meal one-off from scratch, of course pre-packaged is cheaper. But if you do any kind of regular cooking, you will get a pantry. I have no idea what you did to have onions, garlic, and ginger go bad in a week. Onions and garlic will last a long time in the fridge before they sprout, and ginger will last forever in the freezer. In my house, I always have rice, beans, pasta, canned tomatoes, flour, butter, eggs, etc, etc.

The other thing you have to do is get in the mindset of "feeding your family daily". I use more powdered/dried herbs and spices for "getting a meal on the table" and I'll splurge on fresh stuff if I'm having a dinner party. I can make many different versions of mac and cheese from scratch. The fancy one I did for Thanksgiving cost me a lot (three kinds of good-quality cheese, buying half and half that I don't normally use, etc), and my day to day one doesn't cost much at all (milk and regular cheddar are fine).

If you cook from scratch most days, you will definitely save money in the long run, and you have much more control over what you're eating.

[Anonymous]

You know, dried herbs aren't all that bad. Sure: I'll eat pesto every day of the week but rosemary, thyme, tarragon and such all dry well. They don't taste bad grown in a windowsill pot either. You can even grow baby lettuce: and yes, I work fulltime with kids.

So Sunday, you roast two chickens with lemon and parsley and yumminess under the skin. Put potatoes in chunks on the rack around the chicken---so they're out of the grease. Dinner is a chicken. Carve it so it goes further. If there's four of you, you'll have a chicken and a bit left. Save the juices(and the grease!) pick the carcasses clean and set aside the meat. Dump all the bones in a big pot, add an onion, a carrot and a piece of celery. Make soup.

The leftover breast meat makes sandwiches. The rest of the leftovers make a casserole.

Also: buy apples in bags. They're smaller, which means less waste. They're also cheaper by pound, which is silly, because who needs more than one apple and the smaller ones make more sense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In a case like this, is there really a difference? It's not like the rotisserie chicken is more processed than one you would cook yourself. There is a difference between convenience foods vs. processed. If people want to buy pre-cooked chicken, bagged salad, or pre-cut fruit due to time considerations, and pay a premium for the convenience, I don't see the problem.

I buy Rotisserie chickens from Whole Foods in the hopes they don't put any weird stuff on it like MSG. I eat it fresh that day and then the following days I sometimes cook parts of it in a casserole with noodles.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In a case like this, is there really a difference? It's not like the rotisserie chicken is more processed than one you would cook yourself. There is a difference between convenience foods vs. processed. If people want to buy pre-cooked chicken, bagged salad, or pre-cut fruit due to time considerations, and pay a premium for the convenience, I don't see the problem.

This is why I spend a fortune at the hot bar at Whole Foods!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In a case like this, is there really a difference? It's not like the rotisserie chicken is more processed than one you would cook yourself. There is a difference between convenience foods vs. processed. If people want to buy pre-cooked chicken, bagged salad, or pre-cut fruit due to time considerations, and pay a premium for the convenience, I don't see the problem.

Unless you're buying from Whole Foods there is probably a lot of terrible stuff in those chickens you're buying.

I can buy a 6 lb whole chicken at the farmer's market for $15. I spatchcock it and roast it for just over an hour. I just put olive oil and salt on it.

After I take all the meat off, I can make bone broth.

That is enough chicken for 3-4 meals plus a lunch or two. I usually make it once every two weeks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In a case like this, is there really a difference? It's not like the rotisserie chicken is more processed than one you would cook yourself. There is a difference between convenience foods vs. processed. If people want to buy pre-cooked chicken, bagged salad, or pre-cut fruit due to time considerations, and pay a premium for the convenience, I don't see the problem.

Unless you're buying from Whole Foods there is probably a lot of terrible stuff in those chickens you're buying.

I can buy a 6 lb whole chicken at the farmer's market for $15. I spatchcock it and roast it for just over an hour. I just put olive oil and salt on it.

After I take all the meat off, I can make bone broth.

That is enough chicken for 3-4 meals plus a lunch or two. I usually make it once every two weeks.

I do the same. After watching Food Inc., there is no way that I would buy standard chickens. So, yes, it is much cheaper for me to forget about my quality concerns and eat where someone else prepares lower quality food for me.

[Anonymous]

Wow!! you really want someone to tell ya that its cheaper to buy frozen!! IT is!! for 1-2 people! If you have a family it gets more expensive!! Also chips are not very healthy! neither are the additive in prepared foods, BUT WAY cheaper!! OK ???