Over the years of my experimentation in the kitchen one thing was made very apparent to me (other than I have the attention span of a gnat and hence baking is not really my forte) and that is cooking something from scratch is by far cheaper than a pre-mix or a re-heat meal.
Next time you plan something for dinner do the math.
Marinated steak, mashed potatoes and veggies
In the lazy world, a tray of porterhouse steaks is around $15, a bottle of marinade is $3, a packet of mashed potatoes is around $3 and frozen veggies is around $5 from the supermarket.
That’s $25 or more for a meal for two. On the other hand the same tray of steaks from a wholesale butcher is around $10, a couple of brushed potatoes is around $1, a bag of carrots $1 and a handful of beans is less than $1. Marinade the steak in soy sauce, a dash of left over wine and some garlic and you have the same meal for two for less than $13.
Chicken, chips and salad
From the supermarket a cooked chicken is around $12, a pre-made salad is around $5 and a packet of name brand frozen chips is around $6. This will feed a family of four for $23. Instead buy the same sized frozen chook for $7, a lettuce, tomato, cucumber, carrots is around $5 in total and will make more than one salad. Thinly slice some brushed potatoes and shallow fry to make chips for less than $1. This feeds the same family of four for less than $13.
Beef stroganoff
To buy the pre-sliced beef is around $10, beef strog mix is $2, sour cream and mushrooms are around $5 and a packet of instant rice is around $3. Total cost $20. Instead buy chuck steak for $5, slice at home and put in the slow cooker, add a dash of cayenne pepper, paprika, garlic and salt, (hopefully you have these in the pantry $0) a tub of home brand sour cream and tinned champignons $3 and boil a cup of rice (less than $1 a cup.) This makes a budget dinner for less than $10.
Now from using these few basic recipes you can save over half the price on your usual evening meals. Being a full time worker as well as studying part time I am rather time-poor and do understand there is extra time involved in cooking from scratch, but if you are organised and plan meals that can be frozen, an extra hour on the weekend could save you and your family over $50 during the week. Over the course of a year this could save you over $2500, well worth the effort I’d say.
