Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:We are also trying to reduce cereal because of the price, plus just trying to eat fewer processed foods in general. Though cereal and commercial bread are really the only processed foods we eat so I don't stress that much about it. But yes, the cost! $6 a box is not sustainable for us.
Agree with others that some cereals are more filling than others. I don't even like Cheerios (DD loves the honey nut and DH is generally a fan), but I find Raising Bran, Life, and Grape Nuts all to be pretty filling. Though I will also note that these cereals also tend to be more expensive, probably because they are more dense and nutrient rich.
Alternatives: yogurt with granola, oatmeal, and muffins. I try to make a batch of muffins every Sunday night so that people can grab one for breakfast when they need to. I do bran muffins with chocolate chips, banana, carrot, zucchini, and "pancake muffins" that are literally made with pancake mix (homemade) and berries. My kids don't like the zucchini muffins but will eat everything else. DH often has an early morning commute and especially likes the muffins because he rarely has time to actually sit down and eat a proper breakfast on those days. Lots of ways to pack in fiber and protein to these.
Unless you are making oatmeal from scratch, every other breakfast will be more expensive than cereal.
I grant you that for yogurt/granola and any instant oatmeal (or oatmeal with lots of toppings/add ins) but not true for the muffins we make. I can make a dozen bran, banana, or carrot muffins for around $5. Even if you throw in chocolate chips, it doesn't substantially raise the price. That will feed our family of 3 for four mornings (one muffin with butter per person per morning). Might throw in some addition fruit on the side to round it out, but we do that with cereal, too.
So about the same as a $5 box of cereal, with around 12 servings in it. And some cereals cost more now and/or have fewer than 12 servings. I also find the muffins more satisfying because more protein rich than most cereals, plus the advantage of being homemade (no preservatives).
And actually, now that I think about it, if you buy big tubs of yogurt instead of individual servings, that can also be more economical than cereal. I find a bowl of yogurt with blueberries and a side of toast much more filling than a bowl of cereal, and if you buy the yogurt in bulk, it would cost about the same.