How To Do Budget-Friendly, Frugal Cooking

A while ago I began to wonder…. What does it really cost to feed me? 

When we buy in bulk or buy the sales in bulk or try out new long term storage cans it becomes difficult, at least for me, to know what it really costs to feed me for a day or a week.

I decided to keep track of my food intake for a few days and see what it cost.  I was shocked at how expensive it is.  As I have been maintaining a well stocked pantry for many many years I lost track of the cost of “replacement food.” I actually took the 2.99 gallon of milk divided by 16 servings and came up with serving cost, same with bread, eggs etc. I even figured in the coffee per half pot I brew.  I added a minimal few pennies for the garden veggies and fruit.  Growing  your own food has a cost at some level.

I think cooking in bulk and freezing in portion size also added to my blur of the rising cost of food. I know it has risen but I needed a reality check.

I began to research a bit to see if there were meal plans for $3 a day, $4 a day with a healthy diet. There is not much out there for sample menus and what there is is quite a few years old so not applicable for pricing.

What was my cost? $4 the first day. The second day was on the way to around $4 until I ran errands and had Dairy Queen ice cream for lunch and ran up the food costs.  These were low cost meals with what I had in the fridge meals as I was busy and I expect it would be higher cost at other times like when I buy my favorite, salmon.

I found this large recipe file with low cost easy items. Not sure of the year it was put together but each recipe has a total cost and per serving cost.

Also, remember that variety and spice are keys to success in frugal meal planning.