Do I really spend more cooking than eating out? People I know rationalize that a meal is around $5 and that cooking is about the same. So why waste money and time cooking?
So yesterday I made a huge pot of chili for the rest of the week using:
2 cans of kidney beans – ~$2 (purchased at Costco at least a year ago)
1 can of tomato sauce – free (parents insisted I take it last time I visited)
2 lbs of ground beef – $2 (at my favorite local meat shop)
1 can of diced tomatoes – free (Chris insisted I take it since he had too many)
a dash of garlic salt – 2 cents (a huge $4 brand name shaker from Cala Foods)
14 oz of organic salsa from a 16 oz container – $4 (hastily bought not knowing it was organic and expensive)
half of a large onion – free (it suddenly appeared in my fridge, most likely by someone who didn’t want it)
2 tsp of chili pepper flakes – free (leftover condiments from some to-go meal a long time ago)
a spoonful of nutella chocolate – free (gift)
5 turns of ground pepper grinder – ~10 cents (price unknown, purchase date unknown)
1 shake of the Trader Joe’s 21 seasoning salute – ~2 cents (useful from a $3 bottle)
Estimated total amount not including time spent and energy used (30+ minutes of gas stove): $8.05
Estimated meal servings: 5
Estimated price per serving: $1.61
Estimated price per serving with a dollop of sour cream (purchased 3 weeks ago at Delano’s Foods Berkeley Farms brand): $1.71
I spend about $100 a week for fully homemade meals for two people for five nights. We eat out two nights a week, each time costing between $40-60. That $100 grocery bill also accounts for five lunches for me at work, drinks, and the occasional miscellaneous item or two.
For lunch, I spend the same on frozen dinners as a fast food or cafeteria meal would be (organic, veggie meals are pricey). So it’s a wash there. But for dinners, eating at home, at least from a dollar perspective, is far cheaper. However, I average an hour prep time before even cooking. I may consider spaghetti as a nice, fast alternative, but homemade raviolis in a home-cooked sauce is so appealing.
Nutella in chili?