How Much Do Your Recipes Really Cost?

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Discussion Overview

The thread explores the costs associated with preparing various recipes, particularly focusing on the affordability of ingredients and personal shopping experiences. Participants share their thoughts on recipe pricing, grocery shopping habits, and the impact of local prices on meal preparation.

Discussion Character

  • Anecdotal
  • Opinion-based
  • Exploratory

Main Points Raised

  • One participant mentions being surprised by the $2 to $4 per serving estimate, expressing that their own shopping habits lead to much lower costs for multiple meals.
  • Another participant shares their breakdown of costs for the Pork Noodle Skillet, estimating a total of $8 excluding certain expensive ingredients.
  • Some participants note that ingredient prices can vary significantly by location, with one expressing disbelief at the $1 price for red peppers, stating they are often $3 or more in their area.
  • One participant clarifies that the $2 per serving estimate refers to servings rather than total recipe cost, highlighting that the Asian Pork Skillet can serve six people for $8.
  • Another participant discusses their experience with reduced produce racks at supermarkets, suggesting they often find better deals on fresh produce.
  • Several participants express frustration with rising food prices, sharing personal anecdotes about the costs of common ingredients like chicken and eggs.
  • One participant humorously reflects on the effort involved in producing sesame oil, while another agrees that prices can be high, particularly in their region.
  • Another participant mentions the importance of shopping sales and using coupons to manage grocery costs effectively.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Views differ regarding the accuracy of the $2 to $4 per serving estimate, with some participants agreeing that it may not reflect their personal experiences. There is no clear consensus on the affordability of specific ingredients, as prices vary widely by location.

Contextual Notes

Participants share personal experiences and local pricing variations, emphasizing the subjective nature of grocery costs and meal preparation based on individual circumstances.

Who May Find This Useful

Consultants and community members interested in discussing budgeting for meals and sharing shopping strategies may find this thread relevant.

Bumping because I needed to revive Becky's recipe on post #54 for this year. Everyone LOVES that recipe. :)
 
janetupnorth said:
Bumping because I needed to revive Becky's recipe on post #54 for this year. Everyone LOVES that recipe. :)

Getting ready to make my 2nd batch of the season!:love:
 
ChefBeckyD said:
Getting ready to make my 2nd batch of the season!:love:

I'm jealous...none of my stuff is ready yet! Tomatoes are about cherry size and just forming. I've had 3 hot peppers so far and the rest are just starting along with the green peppers. All my stuff is late...
 
janetupnorth said:
I'm jealous...none of my stuff is ready yet! Tomatoes are about cherry size and just forming. I've had 3 hot peppers so far and the rest are just starting along with the green peppers. All my stuff is late...
All of my stuff is late too. I've usually done a couple batches by now....I'm still picking beans, which are usually totally done by now, and I've only had 2 zucchini so far - my other squash, and my pumpkins are just little tiny babies. I'm afraid they won't get a chance to ripen. :cry: This hasn't been the best year weather wise for my garden. It's been too cold!
 
I'm jumping in WAY late on this post, but I have to tell you if you've got a Maines Warehouse in your area, GO!!! There produce prices rock and where can you get boneless skinless chicken breasts (that usually look like turkey breasts :eek:) for $1.29 to $1.49 a pound, with a 10 lb. minimum purchase. If you've got a friend who works for Maines, they get 15% off, even sale prices, so it gets pretty cheap.

I love our local farmers market, I just got zuc. for .75 each, didn't matter how big or small they were. We got allot and I've frozen it in batches for bread and also for a soup I make all winter long.
HTH

Lisa
 
ChefBeckyD said:
All of my stuff is late too. I've usually done a couple batches by now....I'm still picking beans, which are usually totally done by now, and I've only had 2 zucchini so far - my other squash, and my pumpkins are just little tiny babies. I'm afraid they won't get a chance to ripen. :cry: This hasn't been the best year weather wise for my garden. It's been too cold!

I've not had any good luck either! and it's not been temperature related- we just made brand new raised beds with good soil mixes (I think!- followed instructions). The tomato plants got huge, but are ripening at the rate of maybe 4-5 a week! (and small- they are better boy & beefsteak). My beans, peas, cucs, melons, peppers- all were pathetic with the size and output! My mom has the same problem- except for tomatoes. It's a conspiracy by Monsanto to keep us from doing our own gardens ;)
 
Green peppers were $1.19 a lb., today, and we thought that was a deal and bought six for stuffed peppers. They will fit nicely in our DCB. I will freeze four of them, after they have been baked, and reheat for a fast meal.

The Sesame oil comes in a small 5 oz. bottle at Wal-Mart and I believe was under $3. The Ramen noodles there were in bundles of 6 and averaged about 20 cents per or less.
I get my pork tenderloins in a 3 pack and pay about $2.99 a lb. When you buy only one lb. you will pay as much as $3.99 a lb. I am fortunate to have a Wegman's in the towns to the east and west of me. Their prices are consistently good values, and often less than Wal-mart, so it pays to notice the prices on your favorite items. I am a couponer
from the 1950's, and have a little box I take along that I bought in one of the discount stores. I have marked the file tabs: Baking, Beverages; Breads; Breakfast, Cleaning; Dairy; Fast Food Restaurants; Frozens; Health; Pasta-Rice-Sides; Paper Products; Ready to Expire; Sauces; Snacks; Taxables. I put a pencil in the last pocket and all the coupons I need to file. It has a top with a handle and twist clasp. It works for me.
 
Kitchen Diva said:
HA! Chicken here is $6.99 to $7.99 for a pacage of three small breasts! keep in mind that these are three single breasts....not a pair of three breasts which would actually be 6 breasts. If I go with bone in and skin on, I can get three breasts for $5.99 to $6.49. Normally our packages of clucker meat (what I call chicken) are 16 to 24 ounces! A pound of 80/20 ground beef is almost $4.00, and don't even get me started on how expensive bacon and steaks are! And a bag of approx 6 carrots is about $1.89+ here.

Yesterday I took DH to Wal*Mart and we bought enough food for 5 suppers, and some lunchmeat- for lunches. We spent $121.00- and we bought crap in my opinion. For the exception of the hotdogs and hamburger for burgers, we'll be eating a family sized frozen lasagna (not as healthy or as yummy as home made) corn dogs, soup and pizza's.

I'm used to making a nice, healthy, balanced meal with three items (protien-veggie and carb/startch) which costs more, as I use fresh ingredients and nothing prepackaged.

I commend you for being able to find your food at such reasonable prices. I'm so disgusted with food costs it makes me wanna spit.! 18 eggs at a local store (where I will only go to if desparate) is $4.00! FOR EGGS! It used to be 0.89 cents for a dozen! Thankfully I found 18 eggs at Wal*Mart for under $3.00-

So as we were leaving Wal*Mart he said is this how we'll have to eat to save money, and I said, yes- until we both get jobs, I'm sorry! I still have standards and won't buy hamburger helper... :) LOL Oh, and A red, yellow or orange pepper here in my town is about $4.99 a pound. If you buy a package with one green, one yellow nad one red you'll pay about $6.00 for those three peppers!

Kacey where on earth do you live that food is so darned expensive?!
 
kdangel518 said:
Kacey where on earth do you live that food is so darned expensive?!

That's an old post so I'll answer for her.

She lives in MN near the Twin Cities...
 
Kitchen Diva said:
HA! Chicken here is $6.99 to $7.99 for a pacage of three small breasts! keep in mind that these are three single breasts....not a pair of three breasts which would actually be 6 breasts. If I go with bone in and skin on, I can get three breasts for $5.99 to $6.49. Normally our packages of clucker meat (what I call chicken) are 16 to 24 ounces! A pound of 80/20 ground beef is almost $4.00, and don't even get me started on how expensive bacon and steaks are! And a bag of approx 6 carrots is about $1.89+ here.

Yesterday I took DH to Wal*Mart and we bought enough food for 5 suppers, and some lunchmeat- for lunches. We spent $121.00- and we bought crap in my opinion. For the exception of the hotdogs and hamburger for burgers, we'll be eating a family sized frozen lasagna (not as healthy or as yummy as home made) corn dogs, soup and pizza's.
I'm used to making a nice, healthy, balanced meal with three items (protien-veggie and carb/startch) which costs more, as I use fresh ingredients and nothing prepackaged.

I commend you for being able to find your food at such reasonable prices. I'm so disgusted with food costs it makes me wanna spit.! 18 eggs at a local store (where I will only go to if desparate) is $4.00! FOR EGGS! It used to be 0.89 cents for a dozen! Thankfully I found 18 eggs at Wal*Mart for under $3.00-

So as we were leaving Wal*Mart he said is this how we'll have to eat to save money, and I said, yes- until we both get jobs, I'm sorry! I still have standards and won't buy hamburger helper... :) LOL Oh, and A red, yellow or orange pepper here in my town is about $4.99 a pound. If you buy a package with one green, one yellow nad one red you'll pay about $6.00 for those three peppers!

You could have bought a lot more food if you made the stuff yourself. A can of spagetti sauce, a pack of lasagna noodles and a pound of mozz cheese will set you back 5 bucks instead of the 10 dollars you spent on the frozen lasagna. I refuse to buy frozen pizzas because I can make a much better crust with a sack of flour, salt, sugar, and yeast (plus MUCH cheaper). Turkey sausage is also a pretty good pizza topping. With a can of tomato sauce and the parmesan garlic seasoning, you have an instant pizza sauce. I also use ground turkey instead of ground beef. the two week dinners done cards offer an array of cheap meals that are much better tasting than the prepagaged stuff!!

As far as eating cheap, you can buy some elbow macaroni, and some tomato sauce, with a few ingredients from your spice cabinet, you can make your own chili mac (maybe even use 1/2 pound of meat and a can or two of red kidney beans to stretch your meat further), instead of hamburger helper (which is full of nasty preservatives!!).

Hope that helps, and I hope you get jobs soon!! We are in a similar boat, we recently moved because of my active duty husband. I had plenty of job offers, but it is taking a while to get all of the credentialling for my new job, so we are getting pretty tight, so the other money saving tips found here have really helped me!!
 
shelly.nurse said:
As far as eating cheap, you can buy some elbow macaroni, and some tomato sauce, with a few ingredients from your spice cabinet, you can make your own chili mac (maybe even use 1/2 pound of meat and a can or two of red kidney beans to stretch your meat further), instead of hamburger helper (which is full of nasty preservatives!!).

Hope that helps, and I hope you get jobs soon!! We are in a similar boat, we recently moved because of my active duty husband. I had plenty of job offers, but it is taking a while to get all of the credentialling for my new job, so we are getting pretty tight, so the other money saving tips found here have really helped me!!


That's an old post - thankfully, they both do have jobs now. :)
 
Yeah, I needed a recipe, but I should have figured people read and answer before getting to the end of the thread. :)
 
moneysavingmom.com also posts alot of the deals at stores paired with coupons. I did thegrocerygame.com and found moneysavingmom.com had basically the same thing
 
Jen1409 said:
moneysavingmom.com also posts alot of the deals at stores paired with coupons. I did thegrocerygame.com and found moneysavingmom.com had basically the same thing

What are the benefits of moneysavingmom over grocerygame?
 

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