Anonymous wrote:I know what you are saying OP.

It's a lot cheaper if it's part of a meal plan, where you use ingredients on multiple nights, freeze things, use leftovers, etc.

I save a lot of $$ if I plan a week's worth of meals but not if I run to the store every day for a list of ingredients of that night's dinner.

OP here, I think planning is my issue. Can someone post a week's worth of meals they might use that would use up all the ingredients and save money? For example, does this mean I buy tons of chicken and cook chicken breasts one night, chicken soup the next night, and chicken dumplings the next night, etc etc??? Is that what planning means? I am not sure how to plan!

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???

My kid only eats the fake cheese kind won't touch the foo foo multi cheese dish.

Op, give us some examples of meals other than mac and cheese that you previously bought prepared and are now trying to make at home from scratch.

I know what you are saying OP.

It's a lot cheaper if it's part of a meal plan, where you use ingredients on multiple nights, freeze things, use leftovers, etc.

I save a lot of $$ if I plan a week's worth of meals but not if I run to the store every day for a list of ingredients of that night's dinner.

A tip for everyone who says they are throwing out bad herbs. When you bring them home from the grocery store, trim the ends and store them in the fridge in a glass of water. Just like you would with fresh flowers. They last a lot longer this way! If you are buying basil, never refrigerate! Keep in a glass of water like the others, but out on the counter. Basil likes to be warm.

If I don't have fresh herbs, dry or frozen usually work just fine depending on the recipe. And you don't waste anything.

Of course in the summer I grow herbs in my garden outdoors which is very affordable. In the winter I grow herbs inside in my Aerogarden (which is not cheap but a good investment I think) so I can always have them on hand.

OP here, I guess I am guilty of being a food prima donna too. Maybe that's my problem. And also lack of planning seems to be my problem. I work full time, so the planning part is difficult. But I like good food and quality ingredients and I guess that's expensive. We do rarely eat meat though, so that helps a little I guess.

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.

OP -- if one is organized, then cooking at home from scratch is certainly cheaper. I grew up in a big family with 8 kids so you could say "necessity was the mother of invention" for us.

See what is on sale a particular week -- sometimes it's buy one chicken and get one free or buy one pork loin and get one free. Use your Safeway, Giant, CVS, Walgreens cards (whatever ones you use). Make a meal and freeze a meal. We just bought a $22 brisket which was very extravagant for us. Sounds expensive and it was for us, but we made "meat and potatoes" one night. Made a beef brisket soup the next. And, had nice brisket and cheese sandwiches for lunch on the next day. It was only a few pounds of meat but we still have some left.

I was never into cooking, but once I tried it, I found it very simple. We keep a computer in our kitchen. That way I can google recipes by inserting the items I have on hand and then find what dishes I can make.

Oh, and cheese. I usually have a big package of cheese.

Anonymous wrote:Often my homemade meals are more expensive because I would never consider feeding my family the cheap GMO crap that is used in most restaurants when I actually have to make the decision myself. I don't like to eat chemicals or added sugar. I suspend my reality when I eat out and just don't think about it. But, that is my balance. Everyone has to decide for themselves what they are willing to put in their bodies

100% agree with this. I buy actual real food from the grocery store instead of Monsanto Brand Phood (TM). Yes, it costs more than eating at McDonalds, but it's totally worth it.

Cooking can be expensive because you need to invest some initial costs into having a well-stocked kitchen. At any time in my kitchen, I have: all the spices I will ever use, flour, pasta, rice, tomato sauce, onions, garlic, a bag of veggies (frozen or otherwise), lemons or lemon juice, chicken and beef in the freezer, milk, eggs, and probably more that I forgot. If I had a bigger kitchen with an actual pantry I would probably have even more. I try to avoid going to the supermarket for special ingredients and just use what I have on hand, which I probably have bought in bulk. This way I end up spending about $400 a month for food for 2 adults and 1 toddler.

Anonymous wrote:I think some of you people are food prima donnas.

I am , I admit it. It's kind of a curse

I wear Walmart underwear and yoga pants though.

Anonymous wrote:Often my homemade meals are more expensive because I would never consider feeding my family the cheap GMO crap that is used in most restaurants when I actually have to make the decision myself. I don't like to eat chemicals or added sugar. I suspend my reality when I eat out and just don't think about it. But, that is my balance. Everyone has to decide for themselves what they are willing to put in their bodies

Me too! I would never in 7,000 years throw restaurant "chicken" into my grocery cart at the store. Or any topping used at Chop't / Sweetgreen

But I'm very willing to look the other way Whe I eat out.

I think some of you people are food prima donnas.

Often my homemade meals are more expensive because I would never consider feeding my family the cheap GMO crap that is used in most restaurants when I actually have to make the decision myself. I don't like to eat chemicals or added sugar. I suspend my reality when I eat out and just don't think about it. But, that is my balance. Everyone has to decide for themselves what they are willing to put in their bodies