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June 26, 2009 2:51 PM

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Where, exactly, can I buy five cents' worth of tahini? You have to buy a whole container ($5-6). Ditto peanuts, lettuce, teriyaki sauce (unless you steal it from the Chinese joint) peanuts, and tortillas. You can't just buy four tortillas. I hate stuff like this; it's a lie.

10 replies

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Kimberly Gist-Collins

June 26, 2009 7:55 PM

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@winstonthorne: No, but yiou can freeze the tortillas for later and make Quesadillas from them (another cheap meal).

But I do get your drift. I get peeved about stuff like that too, especially if it is an ingredient you will never use again.

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KidU

June 26, 2009 7:08 PM

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@winstonthorne: 100% agreed, complete BS to call these $5 meals. You can't buy 25 cents of rosemary, 50 cents of teriyaki, 10 cents of lettuce, 25 cents of peanuts, or 5 cents of tahini. Took a breeze through her site, and all of her meals have similar ridiculous amounts; 30 cents of onion, 50 cents of taco shells, 40 cents of salsa, 15 cents of carrots, etc. Some of the meals do actually look cheap, but trying to pass them off as $5 meals IN PRACTICE, is ridiculous.

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Trai_Dep

June 26, 2009 8:02 PM

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@KidU: Wow. Have you ever cooked anything? In your life?!
Shockingly enough, taking advantage of a cooking site requires that you have, y'know, a kitchen. And a \"kitchen\" is more than four walls, a stove and a countertop.

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KidU

June 26, 2009 11:34 PM

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@Trai_Dep: Yeah, I have cooked. Which is why I know that it would cost way more than $5 to make any of those meals, you fucking moron.

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Trai_Dep

June 27, 2009 4:28 PM

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@KidU: This f*cking moron humbly suggests you look up the difference between fixed and variable costs, since you're erroneously mixing the two.

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nevesis

June 26, 2009 9:33 PM

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I do *a lot* of cooking.

Lettuce isn't kept on hand by many because it quickly spoils. Tahini lasts forever, but unless you cook a lot of asian food, it's unlikely you'll use more than the 5 cents worth (out of a $5+ bottle)

The real trick to $5 meals is to know what you have (and keep) on hand, know what can be made with every ingredient, and to not let things expire.

The former and latter are possible for everyone - knowing what to do with five random ingredients about to spoil.. that takes some cooking knowledge that a lot of people don't have.

In a nutshell: this site is BS. 95% of \"$5 dinners\" are BS.

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Trai_Dep

June 26, 2009 11:49 PM

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@nevesis: But you're presenting a different, and more nuanced, argument than some others. Your point's excellent: tastes differ, make sure you consume your perishables before they rot, all good tips. Who'd argue that?
Tahini's also good as a substitute for mayo, btw. Or falafel sandwiches, or dipping sauce. Or anything sauteed over rice. Or a thickener for curry. Part of the fun of cooking is breaking rules, once you've learned them. But I can see it not being everyone's cuppa. (shrug)

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ShariC

June 27, 2009 12:47 AM

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@Trai_Dep: Most people don't even include the condiments and spices in their cost estimates for these kinds of recipes because those costs are incidental to an individual meal.

Also, honestly, you can omit or substitute things like tahini (which is exotic and can be expensive). It's a little like peanut butter so you could always use about half as much organic peanut butter instead. Since peanuts are already a part of the recipe, it's unlikely to have a huge impact on the overall taste.

There are many ways to mitigate the expense of investing in a lot of spices or condiments. One is to keep them in the refrigerator where they last a long time. Another is to split it with someone else who is interested in sampling these recipes, but doesn't want to invest the whole cost. Another is substituting or omitting those items (as previously mentioned). Dried herbs can be used for fresh ones, but you'll have to use less and to prepare things slightly differently. And, as someone else mentioned, cook for the freezer. This is always good anyway since you can have quick and handy meals to toss in the oven or microwave in the future.

The site has good, healthy recipes for a low price. Granted, I can't do these for $5 in Tokyo, but I'm guessing that the food will still be cheaper than eating out and more nutritious than take-out or frozen dishes.

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Trai_Dep

June 26, 2009 4:14 PM

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@winstonthorne: Damn straight.
And hold on a second. That pot? $20. That pan? $40? That stove? $600!!
That's a thousand-dollar meal, buckaroos! What a scam!
(Son, buy yourself a kitchen (utensils, spices, staples). Seriously. Yeesh!)

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spanky

June 26, 2009 3:48 PM

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@winstonthorne: It's not really a lie. I think it mostly depends on what you consider a staple--the things you replace as soon as they run out. For me, tortillas, sesame seeds, and olive oil are staples. So I don't always have a batch of tahini made already, but when I don't, I have the stuff to do it. (And tortillas are actually pretty easy to make, too, out of things that most people probably have around.)

Obviously, you consider salt and pepper staples, because you didn't mention those. But yeah, most people do tend to stick with a couple different cooking styles, and their pantries would reflect that. And it is a little more difficult and expensive to branch out from those, at least initially.

Also, I would just like to take this opportunity to brag that one of my local grocery stores has a huge bulk section, so you can actually buy precise amounts of things like peanuts.

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June 26, 2009 2:55 PM

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@winstonthorne: that's the tough thing about meals like this for me. unless you plan on making it more than once, or at least making more meals using the 'different' ingredients, it's not worth it.

too often I buy things for recipes and then don't use them. nowadays, i plan on picking out other recipes to use the ingredients so they aren't wasted.

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catastrophegirl chooses not to fly

June 26, 2009 5:08 PM

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@tonalanswer: you can also do stuff like buy the components for the ingredients so you don't have a whole bottle of teriyaki sauce sitting around if you don't use teriyaki sauce often. teriyaki sauce can be made from sugar, soy sauce and pretty much any white wine [if it's a sweet wine use less sugar] and thickened with corn starch, if you so choose. there are a lot more uses for the individual components of the ingredient that could make it more useful for you.
and it takes less than 3 minutes to make teriyaki sauce so it's not a huge ordeal

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johnva

June 26, 2009 3:22 PM

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@tonalanswer: You can't just look at it as a one-off thing. You have to plan your meals to not waste a lot.

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stephennmcdonald

June 26, 2009 3:50 PM

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@winstonthorne: the best thing to do in this instance is work freezer meals to your advantage. when i cook lasagna, for example, i make at least 3-5 trays of it. then i can cut 30 servings, freeze them, and have homemade lasagna anytime i want over the next 6 months. do this 4 or 5 times and you have a nice stock of things to choose from and you're never at a loss for what to eat on those busy days.

plus, isn't that just what a lean cuisine/insert-favorite-frozen-box-meal-here is? anything a company is selling you as a freezer meal you can make at home yourself.

anyway, yeah, whenever a recipe calls for something i need to buy a lot of, and i don't see myself using it for anything else anytime soon...i make enough portions of it all at once to use said ingredient. i mean, you're cooking anyway, right? might as well make a ton :)

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Lauri Ames

June 26, 2009 2:56 PM

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@tonalanswer: Menu planning for a week or even a month can definitely help cut down on the waste.

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Lauri Ames

June 26, 2009 2:53 PM

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@winstonthorne: It's not a lie if you use a small portion of a condiment you already posess and will reuse many times.

I have actually made many recipes from this site and there are some great, frugal resources there.

","

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June 26, 2009 2:51 PM

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Yeah, $5 in OHIO. Not in Boston.

How the hell do you buy 4 chicken breasts, 3 oranges, sweet potatoes, and peas for $5? ORGANIC peas, no less.

7 replies

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Trai_Dep

June 26, 2009 4:16 PM

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@KStrike155: That's only because in Boston, the chicken eats YOU!
Tough town, considering all the lattés they sip, huh?

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June 26, 2009 4:40 PM

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@Trai_Dep: I've seriously never seen so many man-eating, latté-sipping chickens in my entire life. It's like a full-time convention up here.

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June 26, 2009 4:08 PM

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@KStrike155: What's strange to me is that in Recipe #1, three chicken breasts is priced at $2.21, but in Recipe #2, four chicken breats is priced at $2.06. How does that reflect reality, in an Ohio grocery store or anywhere?

Locally-raised farmer's market chicken breats in Baltimore can run you as much as $9/lb. Totally worth it if your plan your recipes with meat in small doses as a side portion.

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June 26, 2009 3:01 PM

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@KStrike155: I stopped at the 10 cent lettuce. My MILK is $5.

It's very different geographically. For those in the DC area however, The Washingtonian has an ongoing feature called The Frugal Foodie where they get a local chef to make a meal for 4 people for less than $15. For us DMVers that's a frickin deal.

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rpm773

June 26, 2009 2:58 PM

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@KStrike155: $5/person. You're going to have to put more cash than $5 up front in order to get all the ingredients (which is the age-old issue when you're single or just a couple and trying to eat inexpensively). But call some friends and make it a cheap-eats party.

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June 26, 2009 3:41 PM

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I love the comment on the article on the Houston Chronicle's page ...

\"1) These meals do not have adequate serving size of vegetables per USDA guidelines. 2) There is no calcium/milk/soy milk. 3) There are NO fruits. 4) The serving size would not be adequate for boys 14 and 16. \" [the author's boys are 2 and 4]

Even the cheapest, most inhumanely raised chicken costs more than $5 for the amounts in these recipes. I think to be more effective, she should refer to her shopping habits ... how she utilized coupons/sales for these recipes.

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June 26, 2009 3:12 PM

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@rpm773: That's not what it says. It's 5/meal. And it says:

\"Makes 4 servings: ... Cost $5.05:\"

Nowhere does it say \"per person.\" I could totally believe feeding a family of 4 for $20 though.

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Segador

June 26, 2009 3:27 PM

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@KStrike155: I completely agree. As soon as I saw that she listed the chicken for $2.21, I realized that there was no way this meal was going to cost $5, and I live in Texas, where groceries are pretty cheap. If it's $5 a person, she needs to clarify that.

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GreatCaesarsGhost

June 26, 2009 3:41 PM

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@Segador:
It's $5 per meal, not per person. I'm from Columbus, Ohio. 99 cents for a bag of peas is about right (on sale) but $4 would be far too much.

The price on the chicken is too low though. We get Boneless skinless breasts at $1.88 on sale at the lowest, that would be about twice what she's quoting here.

She talks about using coupons and that being necessary to the success of her program, but she uses too much fresh food for that to be the case.

I'm not calling her a liar, I just think her recipes are too specific to her individual grocery store's prices to be of much help to people on a wide basis.

For those who think $5/person is hard to do, you really need to learn how to shop. I'd have to really try to spend more than that. My steak dinners run about $4/person.

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catastrophegirl chooses not to fly

June 26, 2009 5:55 PM

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@GreatCaesarsGhost: bravo for learning how to shop! i just visited my local grocery store for a massive sale in the butcher department last night. it's all of the \"cook or it freeze it within 24 hours\" variety and it was very picked over by the time i got off work but i still got some fantastic deals - enough meat for several meals for me for under $4 [total]

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Eyebrows McGee (now with more baby!)

June 26, 2009 5:18 PM

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@GreatCaesarsGhost: \"She talks about using coupons and that being necessary to the success of her program, but she uses too much fresh food for that to be the case.\"

Some inserts do give fresh food coupons. I get a reasonable number of them -- from, like, \"the Apple Growers of America\" I'll get a $1 off 5 lbs. of apples or whatever. Lots and lots for dairy from various dairy associations. Plenty on fresh and frozen meat, sometimes from the supermarket, sometimes from the mfr/packager, sometimes from the \"we love beef\" advertising cabal.

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GreatCaesarsGhost

June 26, 2009 6:32 PM

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@Eyebrows McGee (now with more baby!):

That's good news to me. I was raised on practically free (crappy)food with coupons, but have leaned toward mostly fresh in my adult life (out of preference, not health concern). I've mostly given up on coupons because I've never seen them for fresh foods. I'll have to start looking!

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June 26, 2009 5:44 PM

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@Eyebrows McGee (now with more baby!): The cheap supermarkets around me have, count 'em, 0 coupons. For anything. Not joking. They have fliers that show the sales, but NO coupons.

I guess they figure that their prices are low enough because they are still lower than nicer grocery store prices with the coupons.

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Trai_Dep

June 26, 2009 8:08 PM

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@KStrike155: Try farmer's markets. I'm sure, being a Bostonian, there are several around you. I just bagged around 4 pounds of doughnut peaches (they look like fuzzy, sweet doughnuts) for $1.50/lb. And herbs, plums, onions, blueberries and two varieties of tomatoes. All for <$20.
Bonus: they put up a MUCH weaker fight than those espresso-sipping, cage-fighting, Boston chickens.
(and as said before: buy a whole chicken and start hacking (friendly advice: wait until it's dead first). Or two-for-one, freezing the other. There are ways to get meat that won't break the bank as well)

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June 26, 2009 4:37 PM

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@GreatCaesarsGhost: When you're going for cheap, you don't buy the pricey cuts like boneless and skinless, though. I suspect she's talking a cost based on the breast portions of whole chickens, which is going to be considerably cheaper.

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Trai_Dep

June 26, 2009 4:20 PM

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@GreatCaesarsGhost: Try whole chicken. You pay 4x for the pleasure of someone else doing the slicing for you.
Plus as a bonus, you can wave the blood-dripping giblets, kidneys and heart in the faces of wayward schoolchildren's trying to sell you cookies at your doorstep.
(Yes, I am that guy. What? WHAT?!)

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Prole

June 26, 2009 3:32 PM

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@Segador: It's got to be some Aldy's frozen chicken or something.

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pecan 3.14159265

June 26, 2009 3:51 PM

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@Prole: I think that's possibly what it is. Trader joes sells a big bag of frozen chicken for around $10 or $12 and that equals about $2 for three pieces. It would help if she clarified how much weight the chicken is and also how much food we are really talking about. It would be feasible if the three or four chicken breasts were only equaling to less than a pound but not so much if you need more.

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Lauri Ames

June 26, 2009 2:54 PM

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Sales, manager's specials, markdowns, etc. Menu planning and stocking up when things are on sale that you know will use can make a meager food budget go a long way.

3 replies

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June 26, 2009 4:48 PM

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@Lauri Ames: yes. these are great methods. HOWEVER - who has that kind of time?

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June 26, 2009 5:04 PM

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@the_wiggle: People to whom it's worth it. If you're doing well enough that a weekly check through the circulars and websites isn't worth the time, you're probably okay with a pricier meal, too. But if you're, say, trying to pay off $25k debt on your credit card, taking 5 minutes to save, say, $10 weekly is going to be a sensible investment.

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Xay

June 26, 2009 4:59 PM

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@the_wiggle: It's not that time consuming. Keep a grocery list and be aware of the sales flyers. If there is one ingredient that you really enjoy, just watch out for it when the weekly sales flyers come out and during youy shopping trips

I love cooking lamb shanks so I just keep an eye out for when it is on sale, buy in bulk, and freeze the excess.

","

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mgy

June 26, 2009 2:55 PM

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As a young single guy living alone, I've never found any of these ideas practical primarily because they are intended for large groups of people. For a lot of the ingredients, you must buy in huge quantities in order to see the savings that these authors promise.

At that point, you're left with two choices. Either follow the recipe and end up with a lot of leftovers to either try to save (quite a lot will not keep for very long) or throw out, or do a little math, hope that downsizing the recipe doesn't cause any horrific chemical reactions, and eat that particular dish frequently enough so your ingredients don't spoil.

I hate saying it, but sometimes, fast food just makes more sense.

10 replies

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Anonymous

June 28, 2009 10:34 PM

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@mgy: Baloney. And no, not the lunchmeat.

I lived as a young single guy for seven years and I NEVER went to fast food places, except for the rare work lunch where I was going out with others who wouldn't eat anything else.

I built up what I've been told are some very good cooking skills, and even to this day, I can easily cook a meal for one, or a meal for forty from the same basic pantry.

Do some reading, both offline and on, and experiment with learning some new skills instead of leaning old excuses.

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Trai_Dep

June 26, 2009 8:13 PM

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@mgy: Pair up with other singles, or your roomies, or friends. Play cards once or twice a week, and whoever loses the worst fixes dinner the next time (and the 2nd worst dessert). BYOB (or BYOV if you're more prone to martinis).
I became a vicious Uno player doing this. Jenga, however, is my nemesis.

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Eyebrows McGee (now with more baby!)

June 26, 2009 5:20 PM

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@mgy: I think there's good money out there for someone who runs a supper club/restaurant that makes home-made mom-style cooking for young singles who don't want to cook. You charge less than a restaurant, you serve up two shifts, you make the attendees serve themselves and wash up after, and half of them end up married to people they met at your supper club.

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June 26, 2009 8:52 PM

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@Eyebrows McGee (now with more baby!):

Oh that would ROCK.

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Eyebrows McGee (now with more baby!)

June 26, 2009 9:53 PM

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@HogwartsAlum: It's sort-of like old-timey boarding houses with room-and-board ... only without the room part.

You could even let people take the extra home in gladware to nuke it for lunch tomorrow. :) Let people buy guest tickets -- at a higher rate than \"subscribers\" pay for their regular meals, of course, so they could bring a friend with. I think in a place like New York City or any larger urban area, if you could just solve the problem of location cost, it would be fantastic.

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June 27, 2009 1:06 AM

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@Eyebrows McGee (now with more baby!):

That is a FANTASTIC idea. I want someone to do it! I would totally go there. Lots of times I don't want to cook anything and it'd be a great way to meet people!

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catastrophegirl chooses not to fly

June 26, 2009 5:57 PM

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@Eyebrows McGee (now with more baby!): so when do you open that place? sounds like a winner!

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June 26, 2009 4:40 PM

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I'm also single and pressed for time. About half my meals are single frozen dinners -- I buy a bunch of Lean Cuisine and Healthy Choice when they are on sale for $2-$3.50 each.

Other than that, a rice cooker and pre-cut chicken strips are your friend. Toss in some frozen veggies and you have quick, cheap meals that will last 2-3 days.

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June 26, 2009 3:53 PM

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@mgy: I agree. I'm both single and not a big fan of cooking. There's all these great recipes...that require a lot of ingredients. I don't keep Tahini or rosemary on my shelf (I think I have salt, pepper, and garlic). I don't need a ton of leftovers, because I don't enjoy eating the same meal over and over for days on end.

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r4__

July 1, 2009 4:24 PM

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@catskyfire: You're missing out if you don't have rosemary. It doesn't have to be fresh, but grab some rosemary and sprinkle it into a few cut up vegetables in a pan with some oil. When I was still living alone, that would be like half my meals. You control exactly how much you cut up, so you control how much is left over.
(The other half was hummus and spinach, mushroom slices, etc. on pita bread.)

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June 26, 2009 8:52 PM

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You just posted the exact post that I was going to post.

I HATE frozen leftovers. I also hate recipes with a lot of ingredients, or weird ones that I don't keep around. I'll check out her blog, though. If she's got some simple ones I can adapt for one or two portions, I might try them.

One thing I do like to do though, is make scrambled eggs in a small cookie sheet in the oven and slice them up in squares. Then I get a thing of English muffins, and a package of the ready-to-go bacon slices from ALDIs and some cheese. Then I make little Egg McMuffins and I can grab them on the way out the door and nuke them at work. Breakfast!

I have a large collection of cookbooks and I like to read them, but I seldom cook. When I was with my ex, I cooked a lot more but since it's just me, hardly ever. Next time I have someone to cook for/with, I'll probably put some of the cookbooks to use.

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June 26, 2009 3:04 PM

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@mgy: eh, I've never had any problems downsizing recipes, especially like these. Typically I'll make enough for 2-3 meals for myself, i.e. for dinner and lunch the next day, or following 2 days. I can make some really awesome food, very cheap. Salads for lunch are healthy and depending on ingredients can be both cheap and taste awesome. I even make my own bread (usually sourdough) which I can freeze and use as much as I need. Fast food is ok once in a while, but it sure as hell ain't the only game in town for single people.

","","","

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lilyHaze

June 26, 2009 2:57 PM

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I loved playing Oregon Trail in my youth. The teachers would reward us with this game in my elementary school. I'm pretty sure you can play it online now. But it isn't the same with the very old Mac computer and watching the other kids do work while I play.

4 replies

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June 26, 2009 5:04 PM

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@lilyHaze: Always start out as the Banker!

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ludwigk

June 26, 2009 3:10 PM

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@lilyHaze: You mean Apple ][. That's the only REAL way to experience Oregon Trail.

@diasdiem: When I was in 5th grade, I would min/max every aspect of my Oregon Trail family, eating the biggest meals possible at every stop, everyone in peak condition, full stock of bullets, food, clothes (I believe it was 50 sets), and wagon supplies, and I'd roll as Teacher (no beneficial skills) for maximum score multiplier. (Hmm. I wonder how all those teachers felt about that...)

The secret is that the trading system in Oregon Trail is broken, and you can perform unlimited trades netting %30-50 profit per trade forever.

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calquist

June 26, 2009 3:05 PM

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@lilyHaze: It also makes an excellent drinking game. Put you and your friends on the wagon: a sip each time something bad happens, a shot if you die.

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diasdiem

June 26, 2009 3:02 PM

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@lilyHaze: The only way to play Oregon Trail is to spend all your money on ammo, no food, and maybe a couple wheels and axles if you have any money left. Then blow the hell out of every animal you come across.

","

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Gnort

June 26, 2009 2:57 PM

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HOLY HANNAH, I forgot how cheap groceries are down there compared to up here! In Canada I can't buy 2 chicken breasts for under $5-6. Sigh, I need to move back. Mind you, if I do a big \"family pack\" I could probably get the price of the chicken down to $3-4 per 2.

","

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June 26, 2009 2:57 PM

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Where the heck do you get that much chicken for $2, do you have to kill it yourself?

3 replies

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Xay

June 26, 2009 5:01 PM

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@frodoUnderhill: Go to Costco and buy a huge package.

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June 26, 2009 3:25 PM

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@frodoUnderhill: I was wondering that myself. 4 chicken breasts for 2 bucks?? Hm.

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pecan 3.14159265

June 26, 2009 3:44 PM

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@AlxFherMana: I've only seen chicken for $2 when it was something that the butcher probably found hiding in the back of the freezer. The pricing is unrealistic.

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June 26, 2009 4:44 PM

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@pecan 3.14159265: I would bet it's based on the price of whole chickens, which you then save money by cutting yourself. Two chickens for just shy of $9 is pretty believable.

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June 26, 2009 2:58 PM

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While the BULK cost of things is more then $5, (a bottle of sauce versus the amount you use), the price points there taken in the use. Buying 1 bottle of peanut sauce obviously costs more than 50 cents, but if you use it 4-5 times and it costs $2, it works out.

Who buys groceries in trips for single meals besides french grandmothers anyway?

6 replies

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pecan 3.14159265

June 26, 2009 3:56 PM

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@laughingweek: there are some thing I only buy fresh and they are either not abs to be frozen (herbs, tomatoes) and don't keep long of they're just not advisable frozen. If we are doing a seafood bake (and only because seafood is on sale that week) we have to buy it as fresh as possile and it can't be frozen for later use.

I keep chicken stock and some heartier veggies on hang (onions an potatoes) but I would never buy frozen fish fillets or frozen chicken. It's just better to buy it fresh and then freeze it. Pre-frozen chicken tastes like cardboard.

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Juliet Bernstein

June 26, 2009 5:18 PM

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@pecan 3.14159265: Actually, you can freeze fresh herbs! Just search for \"freeze herbs\" and you should come up with lists of instructions like this:
[gardening.about.com]

I use a lot of fresh herbs and tomatoes in my cooking, and the one thing I have used most to preserve them is actually the \"Green Bags\" advertised on those infomercials. For herbs, I dry them thoroughly, wrap them in paper towels, and keep them in a green bag in the fridge. I find that herbs that go bad after a couple of days the fridge without a green bag keep for over a month with one. For tomatoes, I remove the stems and place them in a green bag with several paper towels (I don't put them in the fridge). They will stay good for several weeks that way. I find that the paper towels are important when keeping produce in plastic bags to regulate moisture.

The other thing I do with herbs I use frequently (e.g. basil) is to buy living basil plants and keep them on my windowsill. I just trim them whenever I need basil.

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Trai_Dep

June 26, 2009 8:16 PM

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@Juliet Bernstein: Is there some way to make a homebrew green bag? I'm intrigued.
Oh, regards basil, cilantro, etc: if there are any ethnic supermarkets in your area, buy from there. It's literally 1/5 the cost. Certain spices and seeds, as well.

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pecan 3.14159265

June 26, 2009 3:58 PM

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@pecan 3.14159265: I'm a good speller I swear! It's just that Internet is down so I'm using my iPhone and the auto correct doesn't use context... So abs is a word and hangs is a word, but neither are the words I wanted!

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June 26, 2009 4:45 PM

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@pecan 3.14159265: Heh. I actually assumed you were talking about leaving onions and potatoes in hanging baskets and didn't even get to the \"on hand\" usage.

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pecan 3.14159265

June 26, 2009 6:25 PM

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@floraposte: actually, when I move that's exactly what I'm going to do! I'll have a good spot for a pot rack and I'm hanging some onions to save fridge space!

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June 26, 2009 8:55 PM

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@pecan 3.14159265:

I have a pot rack! In a box in my garage. :) I might have to dig it out and hang it up over my stove so my pots don't fall off the shelf on me.

You can chop up onions and freeze them too, in a plastic bag. They will squish in amongst other squishable freezer things.

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johnva

June 26, 2009 3:24 PM

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@laughingweek: Me. We plan some things, have a big stock of staples on hand, but we buy fresh things in small quantities. And we usually bike to the grocery to get it, so the frequent small trips provide a reason to get exercise.

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diasdiem

June 26, 2009 3:06 PM

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@laughingweek: I buy for single meals when it requires fresh ingredients. I used to do one big shopping trip every week or so, and buy produce that I was going to use for meals I'd planned, but then something would come up and I wouldn't get around to cooking it and the perishable stuff would go to waste. So now I only buy it when I know I'm going to be using it. Even still I have problems with some things. I have a lot of trouble getting through an entire bunch of bananas, or container of strawberries, or a whole bag of salad.

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June 26, 2009 3:54 PM

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@diasdiem: Bananas and strawberries can get chucked into the freezer, at least.

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June 26, 2009 3:06 PM

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THE ASIAN CHICKEN WRAPS WITH STEAMED SNAP PEAS IS A LIE!

1 replies

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B*

June 26, 2009 5:42 PM

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@bigroblee:
So is the cake.

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Verucalise (Est.February2008)

June 26, 2009 3:11 PM

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How about this, instead of planning $5 dinners, why don't you budget $35 every week for dinner? These recipes sound wonderful, but most of these foods you have to buy in bigger portions (and prices) than listed here. If I were single or just a couple, I would rather spend $15 a week on meat and get $5 worth of chicken, beef, etc... and the rest of the money on veggies and pasta.

Depending on what your tastes are, it really is easy to plan a cheap dinner. I buy in bulk because I feed a family, and I don't generally shop with a menu. I portion out huge \"bulk packs\" of ground beef, chicken, ham to save money- You might spend $35 on meat, but that will last you 2-3 weeks if you do it right. I find the hardest thing to save money on is fresh fruits and veggies unfortunately. I wait until frozen veggies go on sale and stock UP! (An extra freezer always helps!)

I think it's just all about self control when you shop- Don't buy it unless you are going to use it. A box of bisquick can go a LONG way for breakfasts, and the occassional cop-out dinner of macaroni and cheese, baked beans and hot dogs is dynamite to a child :)

2 replies

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pecan 3.14159265

June 26, 2009 6:47 PM

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@verucalise: I'm packing and I realize that I had a box of rice from before I moved in more than a year ago that I never used. I got it free but it's been hiding for more than a year. And I have only had to buy two boxes of Bisquick in two years! That stuff really does last, as long as you're only using it for pancakes.

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sponica

June 26, 2009 4:47 PM

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@verucalise: back in my independent days before i moved home after grad school unemployed, i used to base my meals on what was on sale that week.

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June 26, 2009 3:13 PM

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I'm single, shop with coupons, hit sales, buy in bulk, use a vacuum sealer for extra stuff, and easily hit the price per servings mentioned in the recipes above.

A little planning and getting over the impulse of waiting to plan your meal before actually wanting your meal makes saving money on meals very easy.

2 replies

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June 26, 2009 4:15 PM

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@Damocles57: I rarely use coupons (all the ones I see are for junk that we don't need) and I don't usually pay attention to sales. If I stick to a healthy meal plan, $80 a week is more than sufficient for 2 people, even including extras like all the soda that my husband drinks. Of course, we don't eat meat every night, but it's always good food and healthier than if we were eating out. It's always the sudden urge to get out of the house and eat out somewhere that throws us over budget.

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June 26, 2009 4:15 PM

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@samurailynn: Oh, and the $80 per week is for 3 meals per day, not just dinners.

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embean

June 26, 2009 3:24 PM

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Where I live in Canada, a jar of tahini puts you out about $10. And no matter how you eat, you can never use it up quickly enough for it to actually be worth that much. I might use a couple of tablespoons on the odd occasion I decide to make hummus.

1 replies

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HooFoot

June 26, 2009 8:39 PM

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@embean: Tahini has a very long shelf life. I had an opened jar of tahini sit in my fridge for a year--it tasted fine and didn't make anyone sick. Even if you only used a few tablespoons a month, you would still finish the jar before it spoiled.

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June 26, 2009 3:26 PM

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There's definitely a learning curve when it comes to portions, food costs, and teenagers. Erin may have to rethink her \"can't cook a meal for more than $5\" when her 2 and 4-yo boys are 14 and 16 instead.

When my kids were younger, it was pretty easy to keep dinner costs under $5 and even wind up with leftovers. Nowadays, though, if I labeled a single tortilla chicken wrap per person as \"dinner\" for my family of 4, the $5 dinner would be inevitably followed by the $10 8:00 pm raid on the refrigerator.

With my teenage son in particular, if I don't provide enough food at dinner, he starts to exhibit that starved-dog food-aggressive behavior that would get him put to sleep as \"unsuitable for adoption,\" were I to drop him off as a stray at the animal shelter (which is not to say that I've ever thought about doing that).

3 replies

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Trai_Dep

June 26, 2009 4:26 PM

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@OneTrickPony: Teenaged boys look SO cute in the window but the second you take them home, they start sulking and demanding car keys. And don't even get me started on how difficult it is to get them trained to not hit the rim when you forget to take them on their walk.
Wise potential owners would eschew buying a teenager for their kids during holidays. While they're a pleasure at first, they're really more bother than they're worth after the first week or so.

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June 26, 2009 3:56 PM

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@OneTrickPony: Responsible people would turn first to neutering.

Don't tell me you never thought about that, either.

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Trai_Dep

June 26, 2009 4:28 PM

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@floraposte: Any good tips on how to keep them off the furniture? I've tried sprays, plastic wrap, even squirt guns, to no avail.

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catastrophegirl chooses not to fly

June 26, 2009 6:42 PM

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@Trai_Dep: may i suggest a sofa in a bright floral pattern, wrapped in protective plastic and topped with a lace doily? then make sure the TV in front of it is not hooked up to any reasonable entertainment sources. this should provide an excellent deterrent.
if all else fails, make sure the seating and tables are further from the TV than the cable on the game console controller will reach. this will ensure those pesky teenagers sit on the floor in front of the TV instead of on your precious upholstery

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June 26, 2009 5:48 PM

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@Trai_Dep: It's a wash entirely. Put the good furniture in storage and get secon hand for them to destroy. And God have mercy if you forget cook enough.

My mom knows this all too well, with 4 boys being only 9 years from youngest to oldest. I think we went through two turkey's one year for thanksgiving.

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VA_White

June 26, 2009 3:37 PM

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I make one whole organic pastured chicken last four meals for a family of three. At $10.50 per chicken (average), that's 88 cents per serving of chicken.

And many of the meals I make from it can be prepared in single servings. You cook the whole chicken, freeze the meat, and pull out what you need when you need it. Chicken wraps, for example, can be made one at a time. One small bowl of chicken salad can be divided in half, one portion for dinner tonight, the second portion for lunch tomorrow.

Even with all this, I agree with OneTrickPony. I have a tween boy who is just getting into his bottomless pit phase. For him, I serve extras of everything else other than the main dish and he often supplements his dinner with an entire peanut butter sandwich, a bowl of fruit, and two glasses of milk.

4 replies

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JulesNoctambule

June 26, 2009 6:25 PM

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@VA_White: My husband is 31 and he still eats like that. Still whip-thin, too!

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VA_White

June 26, 2009 8:41 PM

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@JulesNoctambule: My husband is almost 40 and um, somewhat rounder in shape. He eats one wrap plus a side salad plus homemade crackers and hummus - still relatively inexpensive. People in general eat too much, even grown men. Not everyone needs to eat less (your husband, my growing son, and my whippet-thin brother, for example) but those headless crowds of chunky people on all those news reports on obesity are not all ladies, you know?

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June 26, 2009 4:52 PM

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@VA_White: nice to see it's not just my tween who's developed a spare stomach & 2 hollow legs all of which demand constant filling :)

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FigNinja

June 26, 2009 5:41 PM

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Heck, even without teenagers it could be hard. One serving of that meal would be fine for me but no way would that be enough for my husband. There'd be hardly anything left for the kids. 300-500 calories for a meal is what many women aim for when they're trying to lose weight. A full grown man needs more. So if I ate one serving, he ate 1.5-2, that's not a whole lot left. Unless they're little, they need a lot more than that to grow on. Still, you can make $5 stretch. You just need less meat. Add protein with stuff like beans and put more veg in there. Healthier and cheaper.

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talithaborealis

June 26, 2009 3:38 PM

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While it's not $5 a meal quite, I find that these are great ideas for inexpensive recipes that are (usually) healthy depending on what you choose:

[simplyrecipes.com]
[www.seriouseats.com]

Lots of other recipes about the Serious Eats pages, but I tend to find the most useful ones in the Dinner Tonight column.

Hillbilly housewife boasts a $40/week 4-6 serving menu, but I have never tried it - I don't eat baked goods and those are a huge chunk of it.

2 replies

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talithaborealis

June 26, 2009 3:41 PM

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@talithaborealis:

Woops, just saw Hillbilly Housewife's costs more now, adjusted for inflation/economy/etc. 75/week now. Even the cheap stuff is expensive these days.

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VA_White

June 26, 2009 3:45 PM

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@talithaborealis: Her menus are great for when you're in truly dire straits financially but I can't bring myself to feed the family margarine and powdered milk. No.

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Gokuhouse

June 26, 2009 3:50 PM

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We have started making what we call \"subway at home\". It's pretty darn good too. We buy all the ingredients we would normally have at subway and we have been building them exactly the same way, with different breads. The current set of food we have costs about 20 to 25 dollars and we only have to replenish some foods at a time. We might run out of bread before meat, so we buy a loaf of bread and that's all it costs us that time. We have, mostly for fun, calculated the cost of each sandwich with all the ingredients and it ends up at about 1.25 each. They are very large too because we add meat, cheese, olives, lettuce, tomato, onions, cucumbers,banana peppers, salt pepper and oil, ranch or mayo or mustard. The bread tastes different than subway and that's ok with us.

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RRich

June 26, 2009 3:51 PM

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If you go shopping and buy specials, with a flexible repertoire of recipes, you can eat cheaply, especially if you're cooking for the family.

And your freezer, crockpot and pressure cooker are wondrous things.

Look around, too. Ethnic markets and places other than megamarts can save you quite a bit. (Whole Foods, not so much.)

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June 26, 2009 3:58 PM

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I'm not arguing that some people prefer to low-carb or lower-budget or what have you, but if we're really feeling guilt for eating a single flour tortilla? Our relationship with food may be beyond repair.

4 replies

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Kishi

June 26, 2009 8:03 PM

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@floraposte: I didn't think about the carbs of the tortilla, but aren't they generally pretty high in fat?

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June 26, 2009 8:58 PM

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You can buy some not made with lard; I don't know how much of a difference that makes. I love them but can never finish the bag before they all get funky.

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June 26, 2009 10:32 PM

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@HogwartsAlum: I've lived in the southwest most of my adult life. Most of the tortillas I find are made with hydrogenated shortening, not lard.

That said, I heartily endorse cooking with lard for those of you who like to use fat to cook and are on a budget. I prefer Armour brand over Morrell. You might have other options. It is less than $1/lb and tastes great. Lard is less saturated than butter, but more so than veg. oil.

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mmmsoap

June 26, 2009 4:19 PM

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@floraposte: I was thinking the same thing. I can understand reconsidering a ginormous burger bun or bagel or something similar, just because you're eating a ton of something that's not the main focus of the meal. But a single tortilla?

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June 26, 2009 4:05 PM

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@floraposte: Indeed. And I think people take the sugar, calorie and carb hating to new levels...

I'm like, you know, you DO need to eat 2000 calories per day.

You could even have a cookie every morning if you adjusted your diet that way, let alone a flour tortilla.

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pecan 3.14159265

June 26, 2009 4:05 PM

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I think these recipes are also a matter of circumstance. I hate sweet potatoes and to substitute them with something else may cost me a little more. Does this make the under $5 goal a sham? And I think there needs to be information about how much food one needs ...obviously a family of two adults and two young kids who aren't bottomless pits could fare but what about two teens or extremely athletic adults? The $5 meal should merely be an evidenciary starting point to say \"this can be done\" - but the results may not be typical.

1 replies

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June 26, 2009 5:06 PM

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@pecan 3.14159265: word. these sites need give a disclaimer about the make up of their family or hush up.

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outlulz

June 26, 2009 4:12 PM

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If you're lucky enough to have a 99 Cent Store nearby, you can buy most fruits and veggies there, which is good if you're cooking for one. For meats you just split them up when you get home from the market and freeze portions separately so they'll last. And maybe just don't cook the recipes that have ingredients you don't use often or keep in stock? Just a thought.

2 replies

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johnva

June 26, 2009 5:35 PM

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@outlulz: Part of the problem is that too many people view recipes as some sort of secret formula that can't be varied. In fact, recipes are really just a starting point.

You're supposed to vary what's in your cooking. That's how you make it tasty, non-boring, healthy, and cost-effective. Cooking is more of a process skill than it is a task where you mechanically put things together and follow directions. After a while, you won't need directions as much anymore.

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pecan 3.14159265

June 26, 2009 4:19 PM

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@outlulz: if you're really keeping to a strict budget I understand but it also important to diversify your cooking and the things you make, especially if you have children. They need to be exposed to variety starting from an early age. I learned to like a lot of different foods by taking a chance and buying some ingredients I didn't have in small quantities. It's important to try. I wouldn't be happy only being able I make 4 things because I wasn't willing to buy a jar of sauce because it was untested on my palate.

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Aaronjk

June 26, 2009 4:19 PM

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There is no way you can feed a FAMILY with those recipes. Maybe a couple, with the first one but no even a couple with the second. How many people eat 320 or 500 calories for dinner??? Double it, not it costs $10, AND that's if you've actually been planning it for the last month to find all this crap on sale!!!!

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June 26, 2009 4:22 PM

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The prices of these meals is about accurate, so long as you don't live in an expensive (i.e. coastal) urban area.

At Walmart, I can get 12 frozen chix breast for $6, which is 50¢ each. It's anybody's guess how long they'll stay that cheap though. I'd rather not have my breasts soaked in detergent and flash-frozen, but that's the price you pay for cheap chicken.

Tahini is pretty expensive these days. A 12 oz jar at WM is about $7.50. That comes to about 32¢ a tablespoon. I'm sure if I priced it in a health food store I would have to grab my manhood in reflexive protective horror.

There are some dollar stores that sell produce. I was afraid at first, but am now a convert. The quality is usually acceptable and the price is always right. I just bought a 10-pack of ripe slicing tomatoes for a buck.

Of course you have to buy extra groceries and cost it out per recipe or per meal. That's how restaurants budget, and that's how you budget your own life. You don't put aside $3 each day to pay your electric bill. You pay it at once. Same for groceries.

My complaint about the referenced recipes is that the portions are too small for many people. An asiatic burrito and a side of snap peas isn't a very satisfying meal, and there are cheaper ingredients that will give you better calorie and nutrition bang per buck. If your household has active adults and growing children, anticipate low-blood sugar cranky rioting and refrigerator raids.

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raleel

June 26, 2009 4:33 PM

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I can't help the urban dwellers too much, but we have a garden where we can get a lot of this stuff. Always taste better than the store, and there are a number of techniques to do it in very small spaces and get good yields.

Lettuce can easily be grown in a window sill though, as can a number of herbs. Aerogardens will give solid cherry tomatoes.

I ended up starting a garden to give fresh produce to the food bank because we had hungry people in the area and I felt it was a crying shame that we lived in good agricultural land and there were so few veggie gardens.

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June 26, 2009 4:47 PM

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FTA: \"For a guilt-free version, replace the tortilla with a large piece of lettuce\"

People feel guilty about eating flour tortillas?! ...Bwaa ha ha ha.
But in all seriousness... I do feel for all those poor slaughtered tortillas that had to die for your wraps and burritos. Shame on you all!
... :-} .... *pfft* Bwaaaaa ha ha ha ha!

(You can put down your flamethrowers. I know some people are deathly afraid of carbs. .....*pft* Bwaaaa ha ha ha! :-p)

1 replies

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Kishi

June 26, 2009 8:05 PM

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@Coop: Tortillas are made with lard, so it may not just be a carb thing...

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Pinget

June 26, 2009 4:48 PM

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So this would be the regular chicken that's loaded with arsenic, hormones and antibiotics? No thanks. And what kind of health costs will this $5 dinner lead to down the road?

2 replies

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Trai_Dep

June 26, 2009 8:33 PM

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@Pinget: That's why you should always wash your fowl down with three or four martinis. Even if it doesn't sterilize everything, you'll be too plastered to care.

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VA_White

June 26, 2009 5:01 PM

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@Pinget: You can eat a pastured chicken meal for less than $5. I do it all the time. We made a commitment to eat no industrial meat which means we pay more per pound for the meat we do buy. And that means we eat less of it at every meal. Less meat is more healthy anyhow.

A typical serving of chicken at our house is 2.5 ounces, give or take, depending on the meal I make. The meals don't usually feature a giant hunk of chicken on the plate in the starring role with token vegetables sitting forlornly to the side.

We stay within our budget and we don't compromise on the family's health.

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limiter

June 26, 2009 4:53 PM

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I do not understand why the goal for some of the people commenting is cheapest possible meal and not a balance of good, healthy, varied, and affordable food. Sure you can buy bulk 30lbs of ground beef and eat for 3 months at $0.20 a day, but honestly life is too short to go ultra cheap on every meal.

The recipes from Chase actually sound good, seem good for you, are varied, and are fairly economical which I think was the point of the post.

2 replies

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Juliet Bernstein

June 26, 2009 5:52 PM

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@limiter: I agree, you should be striving to get the most nutritional value for your dollar. For example, say this is what you eat in a day (I am vegetarian, so I didn't include any meat):

Breakfast: Oatmeal, eggs, banana, orange juice.

Lunch: Baked potato with sauteed mushrooms, broccoli, and a slice of melted cheese. Carrot sticks with hummus. Green Tea.

Snack: peanuts and raisins.

Dinner: lentils cooked with carrots, onions, frozen spinach, and tomato paste, and spices (make in advance and freeze small portions) with a side of brown rice.

You would be eating very healthfully (no processed food, plenty of veggies), but not spending very much at all. You could make that whole day's worth of food for less than $10, assuming you bought everything in bulk.

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June 26, 2009 8:59 PM

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@Juliet Bernstein:

Lentils are awesome. They taste great and are SUPER cheap.

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June 26, 2009 4:56 PM

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Seriously, the best place I've found for cheap & easy dinner ideas?

campbellskitchen.com

easy recipes. affordable. plenty of leftovers.

1 replies

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Trai_Dep

June 26, 2009 8:37 PM

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@pot_roast: Lots of salt and HFCS, too. I'd recommend The Joy of Cooking or some other mainstay book. You'll find cooking from scratch isn't so bad. The processed foods save a bit of time, but just a bit. The extra 5-8 minutes to make a sauce from scratch is cheaper, healthier and better.
But I can see the Campbell's site being a good source for inspiration, though. Say, when a cheese sauce might work, or a broth base, etc.

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B*

June 26, 2009 5:53 PM

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Nine months pregnant, hubby and I living off unemployment since he got laid off a little over a month ago. Usual dinners include:

Barilla Plus pasta, sauce, some shredded cheese, occasionally garlic bread
Rice and veggies (lazy nights)
Grilled cheese and soup
\"Hillbilly stir-fry\" (brothless Ramen noodles with broccoli and steak or chicken on top, cook the meat with Ramen seasoning packet)
Spicy chicken tacos (taco shells or tortillas, ground chicken, cajun seasoning)
Hamburgers or all-beef hot dogs and whatever side we have around
Frozen pizza

The pasta meal especially is pretty cheap. Obviously not getting enough of the food pyramid in, especially me, but who can afford it on unemployment? Doing pretty good considering the circumstances. I think the commentors who complain about this site are looking for something more like our diet.

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ZoeSchizzel

June 26, 2009 6:38 PM

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I cook A LOT, and I'm kind of a snob about some ingredients. I splurge on good olive oil for salads and finishing, on cheeses, on organic milk and dairy, and good beer (although I'm not opposed to cheap beer!).

I never buy store-made baked goods. If I want something sweet, I'll make it myself -- blondies, sheet cake, brownies, muffins, quick breads, etc. It may cost more to do it that way, but because of the inconvenience, you'll eat these items less often, so I imagine it works out to be less expensive in the long run (and healthier for you as well.)

I stock up on buy-one-get-one deals for pricey items like cereal, snack and frozen food. If Publix has bogo on our favorites, I'll go back a couple of times that week to stock up (there are usually limits so you need to go back).

I buy convenience foods IF they are aren't ungodly bad for you, and IF they save me time so that I'm more likely to cook. Frozen bags of ready-to-steam microwave brown rice -- GENIUS!!! I can have a tuna/broccoli/brown rice casserole or a tex-mex bean and rice quesadilla casserole ready for the oven in 10 minutes, and we can eat that for lunch throughout the week.

At least once a week, I'll clean out the fridge looking for neglected produce or products that need to be used up and I'll make a big pot of soup or a shepherd's pie, or some sort of frittata or stir fry.

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June 26, 2009 7:36 PM

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I rarely spend more than $50 a week for groceries for 2 adult people. This is without soda, or any alcohol (that goes in the entertainment budget, as it is a luxury). We eat primarily staples like rice, lentils, dried beans, canned tuna, and fish ($1 a serving is a regular sale at my grocery). I buy all my fresh produce at the local farmer's market, and allocate about $20 of my weekly budget for fresh foods (easy to do when a bag of sweet potatoes is $1, 9 limes for $1, a pound of apples for $2, etc).

We buy meat in bulk at places like Sams Club, usually a 3' pork loin, chop it in individual serving sizes at home, and freeze it all. That lasts for 4 months.

Sunflower seeds and frozen fruit smoothies are the economical snacks of choice in our household.

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Kimberly Gist-Collins

June 26, 2009 8:02 PM

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If you don't mind the nutritional inadequacies and tiny portions of these meals, then I am sure they are great.

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Ron Adams

June 26, 2009 11:34 PM

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There is definitely a call for caveat emptor here (this is $5 a person if you have the ingredients, so it would be best to just say \"cheap meal\"), and most of the site linked seems to be this way. For single guys like me, I can't make something like this for me, or me and a friend, and get the same efficiency.

But this is why we read articles, instead of getting all pissy about the titles.

Also, the first paragraph was fantastic. Oregon Trail should be used to discuss every supply and needs problem possible.

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layton59

June 27, 2009 4:01 AM

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My wife says \"The Most Expensive Food Is... food you buy but never eat.\" On a frugal note, I like to buy one of those rotissere chickens for $4.99 in the grocery deli and eat the white meat for a main course and then use the dark meat to make skillet tacos for another day. My dog gets the chicken skin in his dry food and so goes the circle of life in our house.

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blueb

June 27, 2009 7:23 AM

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she also does a lot of \"i got this in the reduced meat about to go bad for this price\" or \"i had 3 coupons and a sale at once on this\". which of course you wont have the same. so its almost more of a bragging on her deals more than anything her readers are going to be able to do.
she claims she paid 5 dollars... she actually never said you could do the same.

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Anonymous

June 28, 2009 1:43 PM

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I appreciate that most of these tips are aimed at families, but as a single bloke it's not that hard to cook on the cheap if you don't mind cooking and don't mind freezing the results for later.As long as you have cream, margarine and some parmesan cheese in the fridge it's easy to do a white pasta sauce and pasta is so cheap it's barely worth making yourself, but you can if you have eggs, flour and time. I also have a curry kit of dried ingedients including all the seeds, grains, chillis, etc which costs about $40 per year and then I can make a gourmet malaysian or thai curry of about 2KG (or 4-5 lb) for less than $10 a go - with rice that's about 7-8 meals at a time. Another great money saver is corned beef, a kilo (2-3 lb) is about 5 bucks, and with a mashed potato made with garlic and cream is a cheap meal, with leftovers that make great sandwiches to take to work. Frozen beans/corn make great fillers that are easy to microwave at the same time as the main course is cooking. the idea is to build up a cupboard of staples that last for months, so that the fresh ingredients such as meat and herbs can be bought fresh each fortnight. I recently found a dip made of chopped basil and nuts that when mixed with cream makes a great pasta sauce. If you have plenty of time and want to really save money, it's a lot of fun to make your own ravioli - a small amount of mince meat, a mushroom or two, some spice, some flour, an egg or two, some cream and a bit of cheese and you can feed up to a dozen people for under $10.

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June 29, 2009 8:58 PM

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wait wait wait...

Guilt = Tortilla?

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