Fru-Gal Friends

Subject: Calculate your meal Fri 23 Feb 2007, 9:58 pm

Has anyone sat down and calculated what your meal you prepared at home cost,,thought this would be a good frugal lesson to myself on my March pledge to cook more and eat out less.
idea

Lets see,,tonight we had Chicken and Dumplins and peas. Hungry

Chicken was 3.00
Dumplins were 50cents(they were the quick and easy dumplins,,refrigerator biscuits)
Peas..2 cans,,on sale for 2/1.00
Seasonings ,butter,,avg.50 cents worth(guessing)

Total is 5.00..made 6 servings,,which makes it about 83 cents a serving!! cheers

Wow,,Im pretty happy with that cost!..Anyone else calculate your home cooked meal? Chef

Subject: Re: Calculate your meal Fri 23 Feb 2007, 11:48 pm

I have done that - been surprized how much and how little...
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Gayla

"They take great pride in making their dinner cost much; I take my pride in making my dinner cost so little."

---Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862)

Subject: Re: Calculate your meal Sat 24 Feb 2007, 6:25 am

Todd and I did that just a few days ago...what was it that we had?
Hmmm... let me think.

.... ...... ......

OH YES! Hamburger Helper! I bought it on clearance when a local grocery store went out of business. The cost for the package was $0.89, and the cost for the ground turkey was $0.99. The total cost was $1.88 and we had it for dinner that evening (for 2), and lunch the next day (for 2). So that was $0.47/meal. If you think about it, that's the cost of Peanut M&M's from the vending machine. Kind of puts things in perspective, eh?

I love doing that...
I love thinking about how much it cost to make something, and then dividing it up by meals. When I tell people at work, they make fun of me. The one guy always says, "I could never live like that," and "Todd hasnt gotten rid of you yet?" The thing is, Todd doesnt mind when I talk about this stuff. I think it gives him as much satisfaction as it does me knowing that we are making a conscious effort to reduce our spending.

~M
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"It is not how much money you make - it is how you spend it."

Group Weight Loss Goal for June (updated as of Wednesdayd, July 2nd):

Subject: Re: Calculate your meal Sat 24 Feb 2007, 11:48 am

I especially like doing this with expensive meals like shrimp or steak, compared to the price of the same meal in a restaurant. When I'm dieting I splurge at home on lean meats and seafood so I don't feel deprived, not only do I know that it's cooked in a lean manner but I also do better with portion control.

Subject: Re: Calculate your meal Sat 24 Feb 2007, 12:08 pm

Thats a good example,,home cooked meal compared to the price of MMs,,
I am the same way Teri ,,spend alittle extra on a few things,,but still frugal on others.

Moderator Age : 27 Joined : 12 Oct 2006 Posts : 1790

I like to do this as well...have not figured things up like that lately though!

Kim

Subject: Re: Calculate your meal Sat 24 Feb 2007, 6:46 pm

I also like to compare what a meal costs compare to eating out. The 3 of us can have a nice steak dinner for the same (or less) than it would cost for just ONE meal at a restaurant!
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~ By sowing frugality we reap liberty, a golden harvest. --Agesilaus ~

Subject: Re: Calculate your meal Mon 26 Feb 2007, 7:34 am

I do this all the time. I even calculate portions used in cookies, etc. For example one egg if purchased on sale is $.08, a cup of oil...$.20 and so on. I also compare if I hadn't bought everything on sale (which I do) how much it would cost. I am a number nerd. I even got my fiance doing the math when he cooks.

Moderator Age : 27 Joined : 12 Oct 2006 Posts : 1790

Guest

I love doing this too, but lol only on cheap meals that I'm proud of!

Subject: Re: Calculate your meal Sat 03 Mar 2007, 7:33 pm

I did that the other night we had steak and I made home fries and a big salad and rolls I told my DH he said Honey you scare me some times ... he said you shop like a commando.. he said but your my commando. ( after 32 years he knows he just smiles and says thank you honey )
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Gayla

"They take great pride in making their dinner cost much; I take my pride in making my dinner cost so little."

---Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862)

Subject: Re: Calculate your meal Sat 03 Mar 2007, 9:55 pm

I do this sometimes if a food item seems too high cost (say for example eggs keep going up or even a piece of clearance meat can still seem a little expensive sometimes to me). Then when you figure what it cost per serving,it usually does not seem as bad of a purchase.
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MARY

Moderator Age : 27 Joined : 12 Oct 2006 Posts : 1790

We are really tight right now, but we a grilling burgers. It may seem like a high price...but WAYYYY cheaper than going to McDonalds...and healthier too. It puts things into perspective.

Subject: Re: Calculate your meal Sat 10 Mar 2007, 8:18 am

NEver actually figured it out just guessed. There is a hug savings. We cant afford to eat out with the 6 of us. Just eating out at McDonalds will cost us over $20.00. Its crazy.
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Vicki

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