Current Events > Making food at home is no longer cheaper than fast food

(+) Yeah! (+)

You could go buy value menu and be better off at this point

I have mixed feelings at this

also I dont think its true. I make all the food at home and I can make a good and filling meal for just a few dollars

You know what else isn't cheaper than fast food?

Plutonium.

VampireCoyote posted...

I have mixed feelings at this

also I dont think its true. I make all the food at home and I can make a good and filling meal for just a few dollars

what kind of food do you usually make?

Couple cans of kidney beans, few cans of tomato sauce, whatever seasonings you have to use, simmer for a couple hours, and delicious chili for you.

No you don't have to have meat in the chili the beans have plenty of protein and are plenty delicious by themselves. Just eat the fucking beans!

NOM posted...

Couple cans of kidney beans, few cans of tomato sauce, whatever seasonings you have to use, simmer for a couple hours, and delicious chili for you.

No you don't have to have meat in the chili the beans have plenty of protein and are plenty delicious by themselves. Just eat the fucking beans!

i aint eating no kidney fucking beans dude

NOM posted...

No you don't have to have meat in the chili the beans have plenty of protein and are plenty delicious by themselves. Just eat the fucking beans!

Beans themselves are not considered a complete protein, with the exception of soy.

That's why "beans and rice" is such a common dish, because that is a complete protein.

You can make a pot of soup that'll last a week cheaper than 2 meals at McDonald's. Fast food is super expensive these days. The dollar menu was the best thing but those days are gone

LeoRavus posted...

You can make a pot of soup that'll last a week cheaper than 2 meals at McDonald's. Fast food is super expensive these days. The dollar menu was the best thing but those days are gone

Youre going to eat a pot of soup for a week?

darkprince45 posted...

what kind of food do you usually make?

my favorite thing is rice with canned chicken and avocado

other than that we just eat stuff like beans, cereal, sandwiches

uh no it's definitely cheaper at home lmao

darkprince45 posted...

Youre going to eat a pot of soup for a week?

Why not? Or one pot meals like chicken casserole.

I mean you have your vegetables, meat, whatever and it's not expensive to make. I'd still eat other things in between to break it up

VampireCoyote posted...

I have mixed feelings at this

also I dont think its true. I make all the food at home and I can make a good and filling meal for just a few dollars

I can buy a good and filling meal and have it delivered for that, or eat at a restaurant.

True

A full combo at most fast food places is 9-10 dollars per person.

With that, I can make a full meal for me and the wife, with left overs

darkprince45 posted...

You could go buy value menu and be better off at this point

No. I have a family of 4. I can feed the 4 of us for like $6 total.
I buy a pork loin for like $15, that makes 5 meals (I cut it up myself and freeze it for later). Throw that in the crock pot with some seasoning. When its almost done, take those drippings from then crock pot add flour and butter and make a gravy. Cook a box of pasta and some frozen green beans.

A 15 dollar pork loin lasts your family of 4 for 5 meals??? I can probably eat a pork loin after a workout

uhh even if true...I wanna live past 50

But home made pasta/ rice + some protein and veggies is the cheapest you can get.

For an apples to apples comparison:
I buy breaded chicken patties in bulk from a restaurant depot type store and just cook them in the air fryer. Add pickle and mayo and it's essentially a bigger chik fil a sandwich. With bun and mayo, it works out to about a dollar a piece. I get full from two.

Rice, chicken thighs/breasts, mixed veggies. Less than $20 and can be eaten for at least 4-6 meals.

Tofu is like $2 for a 16oz block

Loaf of bread and some lunch meat depending on how fat you are should last a week.

darkprince45 posted...

A 15 dollar pork loin lasts your family of 4 for 5 meals??? I can probably eat a pork loin after a workout

Honestly, I think the its cheaper to cook folk just eat like birds or something.

I tried buying chicken breasts and other meats and I realized very quickly how fucking fast I eat through it.

The only thing that is actually cost effective are pasta, rice, or beans.

Vegetables are pretty cheap, but they arent typically a main dish or anything.

Hell, the eating out with reward points or apps really mitigates the costs of eating out too.

Glob posted...

I can buy a good and filling meal and have it delivered for that, or eat at a restaurant.

You really can't. Do you even look at your receipts?

LeoRavus posted...

Why not? Or one pot meals like chicken casserole.

I mean you have your vegetables, meat, whatever and it's not expensive to make. I'd still eat other things in between to break it up

Imagine eating the same shit for a week either that's insanity or dedication

Chicken thighs are cheap.
Slow cook em in chicken broth and whatever spices your like.
Pull out the bones, meat falls apart, serve on egg noodles, add the broth as a sauce.
That's like 4-5 meals for $15.

darkprince45 posted...

A 15 dollar pork loin lasts your family of 4 for 5 meals??? I can probably eat a pork loin after a workout

You can eat almost 8 lbs of meat in a sitting? Guess you are one of those competitive eaters, lol.

I buy my pork loins at Costco, $2/lb, many times they also give you another $4 off the whole thing. I stock up and freeze.

Cuticrusader09 posted...

You can eat almost 8 lbs of meat in a sitting? Guess you are one of those competitive eaters, lol.

I buy my pork loins at Costco, $2/lb, many times they also give you another $4 off the whole thing. I stock up and freeze.

Yeah, I usually buy my meat in bulk and then slice it up and put it in quart sized freezer bags. Each bag is enough meat to feed three people, plus give me just enough left overs for lunch the next day.

cuttin_in_farm posted...

Honestly, I think the its cheaper to cook folk just eat like birds or something.

I tried buying chicken breasts and other meats and I realized very quickly how fucking fast I eat through it.

The only thing that is actually cost effective are pasta, rice, or beans.

Vegetables are pretty cheap, but they arent typically a main dish or anything.

Hell, the eating out with reward points or apps really mitigates the costs of eating out too.

No, we buy in bulk and freeze. Buying a good knife and cutting up meat and portioning it out and freezing it saves you a ton in the long run.

I can buy a can of beans and literally cook a meal. That is a lot cheaper than buying a pizza

codey posted...

You really can't. Do you even look at your receipts?

My dinner tonight was 55,000 dong including a beer.

Thats $2.41.

darkprince45 posted...

Youre going to eat a pot of soup for a week?

This sums up why I don't like meal prepping. It sounds great until you're eating day old chicken or soup or whatever for the fourth day in a row.

Glob posted...

My dinner tonight was 55,000 dong including a beer.

Thats $2.41.

Okay, look, being in literal fucking Vietnam or any other South East Asian Country is cheating. It's an Apples to Landmines comparison.

Crazyman93 posted...

Okay, look, being in literal fucking Vietnam or any other South East Asian Country is cheating. It's an Apples to Landmines comparison.

Im sorry but thats where I live. I wasnt trying to be facetious. It is genuinely incredibly cheap for me to eat here, with a handful of exceptions.

Glob posted...

Im sorry but thats where I live. I wasnt trying to be facetious. It is genuinely incredibly heal for me to eat here, with a handful of exceptions.

Fine, but we're talking America or Europe, where food is a lot more expensive and a thousand dollars can't buy you a McMansion.

Crazyman93 posted...

Fine, but we're talking America or Europe, where food is a lot more expensive and a thousand dollars can't buy you a McMansion.

Dude, housing is cheap over here (not that I care because I get mine for free) but its not *that* cheap.

Eh, TC doesn't know how to properly budget.

Maybe if you're terrible at cooking?

Chicken - $8
Boxed Stuffing - $2
Biscuit Dough - $2

$12, enough food to feed me and my wife for 2 meals. Here's another:

1lb hamburger - $4
Box of pasta - $2
2x Pasta Sauce - $3

$9, and it's multiple meals. Add canned tomato and use elbow noodles, and it's amazing.

This is at least 4 meals for the price of two McDonald's "value" meals.

I can't get a meal at a restaurant for less than $10; of you're paying $10 per meal in groceries you're doing something wrong.

darkprince45 posted...

A 15 dollar pork loin lasts your family of 4 for 5 meals??? I can probably eat a pork loin after a workout

Do you eat anything else? Usually you have veggies and grains to add to the pork loin that you should be cutting up. Though lasting a family of 4 for 5 meals seems really stretching it, unless the kids are young.

The value of eating, expensive, healthy food far outweighs, eating shitty, cheap fast food

DrizztLink posted...

Beans themselves are not considered a complete protein, with the exception of soy.

That's why "beans and rice" is such a common dish, because that is a complete protein.

what if I do beans and quinoa?

I love cooking topics. Every CE user acts like they're a master chief and a person who is great with money.

Costco pizza is 10 bucks and big af. Hot dogs are cheap as hell too there. McDonalds double cheeseburgers and chicken sandwiches are often 2 for 2 dollars.

That's about all I got for cheap fast food. Besides those things, it's definitely cheaper to cook at home if you know how and what to cook. I love cooking, but I can't make a pizza as good as Costco's, you know? Especially not for the price.

Vegito posted...

Costco pizza is 10 bucks and big af. Hot dogs are cheap as hell too there. McDonalds double cheeseburgers and chicken sandwiches are often 2 for 2 dollars.

That's about all I got for cheap fast food. Besides those things, it's definitely cheaper to cook at home if you know how and what to cook. I love cooking, but I can't make a pizza as good as Costco's, you know? Especially not for the price.

I mean, you could if you really wanted to put forth the effort to learn.

Most seem to be only calculating the cost of one meal a day rather then 2-3.

My household of 6 can devour a massive beef strew in two days. So prepping a feast on Sunday to last the next 5 days outside of Thanksgiving or Christmas isn't possible.

Prismsblade posted...

Most seem to be only calculating the cost of one meal a day rather then 2-3.

My household of 6 can devour a massive beef strew in two days. So prepping a feast on Sunday to last the next 5 days outside of Thanksgiving or Christmas isn't possible.

But, the equivalent amount of food from a fast food chain is going to cost more than that beef stew. Cost per meal is the point.

My breakfast, lunch, and dinner are each cheaper than a single value meal.

I need to find more cheap meals to make. My goto cheap meal and also extremely lazy meal is going to a local korean grocery and buying kimchi for $8, buying some sliced meat for $10, and then rando veggies for like $10-15, and rice for $6

Cook the meat, put some water in a pot, and dump all of that shit in there. ~$30 and enough to eat for 4 days with some nice flavor. I don't know how my parents managed to feed me and my sister growing up because I ate like a fridge (they also called me that) with crazy high metabolism playing any sport that I could.