5+ years ago I was careful and made sure I added up the cost of my meal prep ingredients to calculate the cost of my final meal.
Sometimes I'd be shocked and realize I could have just ordered from a deli or eaten at a nice restaurant for what I paid for either my weekly meal prep or a few days worth of dinners. ...but I'd recognize my mistake and move forward.
The past year has been so difficult! EVERYTHING I try to "homecook" winds up being way more expensive than if I'd just bought a few cans or frozens instead.
When I add up the cost of all the ingredients I'm using, I'm shocked at what I'm paying for the luxury of doing all the work myself.
For example, right now, I just finished a pot of hot dog chilli. I figured hot dogs would be a cheap thing to throw together for a weekend grill out, and I'd have hot dogs for my work lunches this week.
The hot dog chilli took two pounds of beef, a few onions, garlic, tomato sauce and paste, and gobs of spices. For that, I could have bought a dozen or more cans of hot dog chilli.
Plus there's the cost of the packages of franks, buns, cheese, etc...
This is just today's example. It seems like every week I'm spending more money for the luxury of doing all the cooking myself.
What am I doing wrong?
April 02, 2023 at 04:35AM
