What's a "good" cost for a supper - Page 2

[sanguine_speed]

It's easy to see how our food budget is so high. By only choosing organic animal products, it seems we really increase our spending substantially. For instance, the frittata that would cost this poster $7.50 would cost us at least $10 plus veggies plus fruit for a side dish.

The chicken meal would cost a lot more, but I cannot quantify it because I don't know how much chicken the poster's recipe uses.

Just a picture of the variance in the cost of the animal products we eat. I think I will post a spin-off to see what ethical meat costs elsewhere, for interest's sake.
mine in red

Originally Posted by Ruthiegirl

Our cost per dinner is usually around $5-8 to feed 2 adults and 3 children. We seem to eat pretty cheap.

Our dinners this weeK

frittata $7.50

-- 8 eggs ($2), 1 C milk (~$.50), garden and CSA veggies (~$2), cheese ($1) fruit for a side dish ($2)

eggs $4 (for 8), milk .75 for 1C, cheese is $5 for one cup organic

Chicken and rice, veggies ($7)

-- chicken ($3), rice (~$1), veggies (~2.00), milk to drink ($1)
organic chicken breast is $13.11 per pound (that's through co-op, ordering in bulk), whole chickens are $5.50 per pound (ditto). Milk to drink would be $3 if we drank 1L between 5 of us, which is less than one cup each.

[Norasmomma]

For us it is dependent on what we are having, but mostly we're in the $5-10 boat. I buy mostly on sale, organic if I can, we have a garden and I freeze a lot of veggies in the summer. We have 2 adults who like to eat, a 4 year old and an almost 1 year old who eats more than the 4 year old, and they both like to eat.

Last night was pot roast that was $5, og yukon gold potatoes from our garden, og carrots, and homemade beef gravy. It total was probably $7.50.

We get organic eggs from my BIL, many fruits and veggies for free from neighbors and our garden, I work at a bakery and get tons of day old bakes goods for free.

My biggest food expense right now is local organic flour, it costs much more a lb, but my baked goods and my family benefit from the goodness.

Most of our meals aren't really that expensive, even when they are more gourmet. I just really plan from our stockpile and have most things that were bought on sale.

[Ruthiegirl]

Originally Posted by sanguine_speed

It's easy to see how our food budget is so high. By only choosing organic animal products, it seems we really increase our spending substantially. For instance, the frittata that would cost this poster $7.50 would cost us at least $10 plus veggies plus fruit for a side dish.

The chicken meal would cost a lot more, but I cannot quantify it because I don't know how much chicken the poster's recipe uses.

Just a picture of the variance in the cost of the animal products we eat. I think I will post a spin-off to see what ethical meat costs elsewhere, for interest's sake.
mine in red

Organic eggs are $3.00 a dozen.

Organic milk is $5.50 a gallon.

Our chicken is $3.00 a pound for Amish raised meat. It is the best chicken source I can find where I live. I buy whole roasters for about $12-14.00 a piece. I cut the birds up and freeze in pieces -- we don't eat a lot of meat, so I can stretch a chicken over 4 meals -- about $3.00 to $3.50 a meal.

I agree that organic is expensive. If we ate our fill of meat, eggs, and milk, my grocery budget would be much, much higher. We simply do not have the money to buy as much as we want. So, we are making do with less right now.

[Ruthiegirl]

Oh sanguine_speed, your prices are much, much higher than I see. We would be living on beans and rice if eggs and chicken cost that much.

[yeahwhat]

Originally Posted by Ruthiegirl

Organic eggs are $3.00 a dozen.

Organic milk is $5.50 a gallon.

Now, for reference to more expensive areas, the cheap eggs are $2.59 regular price per dozen. I have no idea what organic eggs are because they're too much for my budget.

Regular milk is $5.09 for 4L of 1%. More for 2% or whole milk. Again, no idea what organic costs.

[littlest birds]

average $10 for a family of six, kids ages 7-15. Some meals push $15. Mostly conventional nonorganic cheap stuff.

cheap meals:

Spaghetti dinner with pastured meat, 2lb pasta $7-$8

2lb pasta salad with garbanzos and veggies, plus soy/mayo sauce $7

baked potatoes, topped with cheese/sour cream/yogurt, side veggie $5

Burritoes with beans/cheese/fresh salad/salsa/sour cream $7

expensive meal:

peanut-ginger-coconut milk chicken breasts over rice, with baby carrots (4lbs chicken) $15


We are in a low COL area. I grow some things organic but did not include these as they are all seasonal so their inclusion varies. (I have fall spinach, lettuce, and broccoli just planted!)

[caiesmommy]

My meals average 5-10. I like the lower meals the most LOL

We're vegetarian, pretty much vegan. The only animal product my family eats is eggs. And I'm lucky and get a flat of organic eggs for 6 bucks! Thats 30 eggs and they last us about a week sadly. There's dh, ds(4)dd(22m) and me. And we all have big appetites!

We eat a lot of curries, soups, pastas ect.

Some of our cheap meals:

slow cooker red lentil coconut soup-5 bucks enough for 2 meals
minestroni soup-3 bucks-enough for 1 meal and leftovers for dh
thai green curry-5 bucks at most(depends on if the veggies are in season/in our garden)-enough for 1 meal and dh leftovers
thai peanut butter stirfry-3 bucks-1 meal/leftovers
potato/chickpea curry-3 bucks-2 meals easy

[zebra15]

I feed 1 adult and a 10 yr old boy (who varies between eating like a bird and eating everything in sight). Sometimes I get stuck feeding our roommate as well, so 2 adults those nights.

I like to keep the cost under 10$. I can cook well and I enjoy cooking but I also like to keep things simple.

Sunday I make 'stovetop chicken' 3 lbs chicken breasts, 2 cans condensed soup, 1 can broth, 1 c milk simmer til done ($6)
Homemade mashed potatoes, 5# taters 99c, 1c milk, 1 stick butter ($2)
Salad $2 maybe

Dinner $10 and enough for all 3 people for 2 days. (not organic)

[NightOwlwithowlet]

Wow, we ate out last night at a pasta place (it was kids eat free night) and with non alcoholic drinks and tip, we spent $21 dollars. That was 2 adults and two kids. I guess our COL isn't that bad.

Normally, for two adults and an 8 yo who eats a lot, I spend $5 to $10 dollars for dinner. We eat a lot rice and root vegetables based meals with meat as flavoring.

[PoetryLover]

Originally Posted by caiesmommy

thai peanut butter stirfry-3 bucks-1 meal/leftovers

This sounds delicious! Do you mind sharing the recipe? Thanks!

[ALittleBitCrunchy]

We average under $5 for dinner. There are 4 of us (39, 37, 8, 6) and we typically spend $200-250 a month on groceries. It's a lot of cooking from scratch - we spent much much more when we were eating convenience foods!

[caiesmommy]

Originally Posted by PoetryLover

This sounds delicious! Do you mind sharing the recipe? Thanks!

I don't really have a recipe..if you google peanut sauce youll get some but this is basically what I do. trick is to get things on sale to make it a cheap meal.

1/2 a brick of tofu cubed-fry in a bit of oil to brown and crisp
add
onion
garlic
ginger all diced to taste
stir fry with veg of choice-I use sliced mushrooms, eggplant, broccoli and zuke since that goes a long way..or you can use a 1/2 a bag of frozen

In a bowl mix peanut butter, coconut milk, sesame oil until you get a sauce consistancy, usually a couple spoonfuls of peanut butter, 1/4-12 can of coconut milk and a dash or two of sesame oil. I also through in a thai seasoning mix I have..but you really dont need to. And chilis if its just dh and I. then stir the sauce into the veggies and let cook until thickened and veggies tender.

I serve it with rice noodles. Usually a half a bag.