Oh, that dreaded word, " scratch" cooking. Really, scratch cooking can be quick and easy. The thrifty budget doesn't have a lot of wiggle room for ready made foods. Most pre- made , or semi pre-made foods are too expensive. They also have ingredients that you can't pronounce. LOL Learn to read sides of boxes. It is really enlightening.
I did a series of blogs on a hamburger meal box. It is very revealing. Most same people won't buy another one after reading the blog. LOL. That being said, they have changed the box and added some real food.
Buying a deli chicken is a real mistake. I have seen deli chickens for six dollars for two pounds! That's three dollars a pound. There are three good reasons why you don't want a deli chicken.
1) three pounds is the break even point on buying a chicken. Less than three pounds you are paying for too much bone and not enough meat. The more weight after three pounds the better.
2) I can still get chicken for a dollar a pound. Northwest grown, no antibiotic, no hormone chicken.
I can get a chicken ready to roast in about ten minutes. The savings are remarkable.
3) you don't know where that chicken from the deli comes from!
There are styles of cooking that get dinner on the table as fast and as easy as processed, ready made food. They make scratch cooking doable for the busiest of cooks.
1) the slow cooker can be your best friend in the kitchen. There so something very therapeutic about coming home to dinner cooked and waiting for you. The Betty Crocker web site is full of ideas. Some of them call for ready made expensive ingredients. Remember you can always make substitutions or adjustments to a recipe. Remember, same bulk and same texture when substituting. Celery makes a good substitute for onion, for example.
2) anything you can get together and shove on the oven to cook is a good thing. Oven time so non-passive cooking. You can go about your business and get something else done. Foil packet dinners are easy and provide for no cleanup. They also allow each person to build their own and make their own combinations .
3) skillet meals don't have to come out of a box. Pasta is easily cooked on a microwave pan. My daughter got hers from big lots for five bucks. It is well worth the money. Pasta becomes a passive cooking venue.
4) making meats ahead and doing prep work ahead of time saves a lot of work at dinner time and makes the dinner hour less hectic. The grocery chains rotate their meat specials weekly. Take advantage of it and buy the special in bulk. Buy enough to have a meal or two a week for a month. When you get home, cook the meat and divide it into meal portions and bag and freeze it. I would leave pork chops off the pork loin raw.
This maximizes your savings, minimizes your work at dinner time, and affords you a variety of meals.
I can still get
Pork loin for 2.00 a pound
Good ground beef under 3.00 per pound
Pork sausage for 2.30 a pound (Costco)
Chicken whole or grill packs for a dollar a pound.
Beef roast for 3.00 per pound or less.
If beef roasts ( chuck) are under three dollars and cheaper than good burger, I grind my own, or ,, rather my husband grinds it for us.
I have a matrix ( outline) for meal plans to afford us balance and variety. ours is based on my families wants. Yours may be different. A plan makes meal planning easier.
2 beef
2 pork or chicken
2 vegetarian
1 fish or shellfish
I have written a lot of ideas in the past three days. What you do with them and how much of them make sense to you is your call. The more you do, the more you will save. It's up to you. I am not going to tell you that food will magically appear on your dining table. It takes work. Spending a little time prepping for your shopping trip and shopping and less time in the kitchen can be very rewarding in your pocket book. If you have a lot of time to cook, go for it. Everyone loves a gourmet meal ! It's just not always practical with our schedules!
Thanks for stopping by
Please share
Jane
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