That’s when a good re[repertoire of recipes comes in handy . . . you can use the same protein but with such different flavor profiles you don’t get tired of it. I think I could make chicken for a month without repeating a meal.
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Yes… I’ve gotten ideas from the recipes on the weekly menu planning thread.
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Tracking: April - July (15 weeks) average spending $155 per week, so $3.70 per person per meal.
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I remember a cashier telling me she didn’t bake cheesecake because of the cost to bake. I rarely think about that, and I know it’s a privilege.
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It’s so much creamier made in the Instant Pot 
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Agree. I just priced out the cost of a monster pizza that I made last night. From that calc, I can see that my normal 3-cup breadloaf would be about $1.26 (83 cents flour, 43 cents yeast (!!!)), and if there’s a couple of teaspoons of olive oil in it, add another 40 cents. That’s COR, my fault for buying it, a more mass market brand like Pompeian would only be about 26 cents worth of olive oil.
And I’ll argue with Greg (@DaBadger) more broadly, too, on his comment that it’s mainly pre-prepped stuff that’s expensive. Staples like butter, eggs, most beef and pork are considerably more expensive than what they were a few years ago.
Here’s a useful tool.
Eggs in 2020 were $1.35 national city average, peaked at close to $5/doz in early 2023, and are now down around $3/doz.
Ground beef, $3.8 vs $5.50; sirloin steak, $4.5 vs $12; all cuts of beef steak amalgamated, $7.60 to $10.90; butter $3.4 to $4.9.
Okay, rant over.
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Canadian Butter is currently costing $8.99 CAD /lb for 4 unsalted sticks. I could get salted house brand for around $6.50-$7/ lb CAD. Exchange rate has been around 72 cents USD lately.
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Sounds pretty similar, as long as what FRED is using is also house brands. I’m not sure what they use - likely not Aldi, but also likely not Plugrà or President. Maybe an amalgamation across brands?
When I was in college, ground beef was around 59 cents a pound. I’m very, very old ….
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I have no idea but my local and online shopping is also enhanced by neighbors sharing produce, herbs and flowers as well as cost splitting with several people. I do try to shop wisely locally so I can try new items I find along the way.
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SCORE!!
Dollar Tree had these marked down to 25 cents. I grabbed eight of them. I figure I can slice 'em up & use them in soups, casseroles, stews (Hoover Stew), etc. I haven’t tried them yet, but I assume they’ll add meat flavor to whatever they are in.
I’m not saying the basics haven’t gone up. It’s just, to me, I saw a 12 can of Coke go from $4 to $8. Junk stuff like that has really gone up. My eggs have gone up $1 from 8 years ago. Flour has jumped, as well. But they haven’t jumped like the junkfood. I’m fortunate in the meat meat department not to have a meat department.
Latest calculation for our household of 2, August - Nov 2024. $149 / week, which works out to about 3.55 per person per meal.
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While I am stocking up on some things that end up in the freezer and pantry that aren’t used each week, I know how much I’m spending each week.
I’m spending around $450 CAD on groceries each week.
I usually spend $150-$200 on Monday, $150 on Friday when I buy our Friday fish ($25-$45 for 3 servings at dinner, plus leftovers, depending on which type of fish) and Saturday steak ($20-$26 for the piece of ribeye or t-bone, which is enough for 2 plus some leftovers), and $150 over the weekend.
I will try doing a breakdown for meals.
It’s easiest for me to keep an eye on the cost of the meat.
This week, Monday’s 2.5 lb lamb cost $45. I put half in the freezer, so let’s say $23 for the lamb at Monday’s dinner, for 3 people. I also made eggplant parm with jarred tomato sauce. ($10) Yogurt sauce ($1) Roasted potatoes using olive oil ($2) roasted parsnips ($2) Mixed salad ($5) Lemon tart ($8) $51/3. Around $17/ dinner on Monday.
Tuesday, I made Swedish meatballs, using $8 of ground pork and $8 of ground beef. I guess the egg, bread , milk, cream, and onion would cost less than a dollar. $3 for the beef broth tetrapak. Mashed potatoes cost around $2 to make, from 5 small potatoes. Corn on the cob, which one dining companion likes, cost $1.50 each right now. Baked beans (-$2.50). Baked apples (-$2). Lingonberry sauce runs $8 for a jar, so maybe $1-$2 for what was used.
-$30/3 around $10 per person
Wed was leftover lamb, and leftover meatballs.
Thursday was home-made chicken thighs (4 for $8 CAD), supplemented by take-out pad Thai and holy basil vegetables ($21.70 and $17.95 before tax, which came to $48 after tax and tip)
Also, corn (-$3 can) and home-made charros (~$3) from the freezer, and one apple fritter (~$3) Roughly $21/ person
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So are breakfast and lunches extra.
I guess the lunches are bonus meals.
I cook vegetables and sides all week, often to last 3 days. That’s what 80 percent of the lunches at home are made from.
One of my dining companions eats an English muffin, oatmeal, jam and fresh fruit for breakfast each day, so I guess those meals run around $5 each.
I usually eat brunch, snacks, and dinner. I don’t usually eat breakfast and lunch.
Same dining companion makes lunch out of the dinner leftovers.
I eat a fried egg with a piece or 2 of toast maybe 2 days a week, so that’s around $2. Maybe $$4-5 on the days I make a Smoked Salmon Benedict or grilled cheese.
I could divide my weekly groceries by the number of meals eaten at home that week. I only stock up on the breakfast foods for one dining companion once every 4 or 5 weeks.
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I guess the grocery store buyer purchased too many Turkey Breasts for Thanksgiving, as my local store put them on sale for $.87/pound (limit 2).
I grabbed two, one for the freezer and one is thawing in the fridge. I’ll probably cook it on Saturday. I don’t know what I’ll do with it yet, but I’ll think of something.
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Turkey parmsean. Make a bunch and freeze some for future meals!
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