I Got Taunted For Budgeting $2 Per Meal

Camilla and I love to play a little game when we're sitting together eating a meal that we've just finished cooking. We talk about what we like and don't like about the recipe, add up the cost of the ingredients, look at how many actual servings we got from a recipe (sometimes our serving sizes are bigger than what the recipe says), and talk about how we could make the recipe better next time.

We've been structuring our meals around the idea of "cheap meals that taste good" by keeping the cost at about $2 per person, per meal. Our inspiration comes from ChooseFI and we think it's a great foundation to build on. Sure, sometimes it's more than $2/person/meal, but it's a great feeling to keep most meals we cook together to be under $3 per serving. Follow the link above to try out some of their meals and let us know how you did!

We recently also learned about Budget Bytes and boy are we excited to try out these recipes! It's essentially the ChooseFI Meals page on steroids! Budget Bytes has got a great selection of recipes that are cheap, tasty, and healthy. Admittedly, not all of the meals are healthy, but many are! You'd be surprised at what you can do with recipes to modify them to make them healthier and still stay within that $2-$3 per serving range. Overall, with a good balance in eating and exercise, we're working toward a successful diet so we're not always so worried about the calorie count.

So why does this even matter? Well, first of all, we like to cook so it's a great hobby for us! Second of all, we love saving money! After all, we save money so we can do other cool activities! Let's not forget the fact that we're not always eating the entire cooked meal. We're not above the idea of reheating food the next day, so I actually like having food to bring to work for multiple days!

When I brought this idea up in a group we were chatting with (a group of Catholics, no less), I was picked on because it seemed like we were depriving ourselves just to save money. We tried to explain that it was fun for us, but they didn't quite understand the value of the $2 per person per meal concept. We didn't have a lot of time to get into the weeds of it, but I truly believe that this is one area of life that everyone can do better at if they're looking to save money somewhere.

Let's do some quick math with a hypothetical comparison. Family X of 4 eats 3 meals a day at $2 per meal while Family Y of 4 eats 3 meals a day at $3 per meal and finally, Family Z of 4 eats 3 meals a day at $5 per meal. Let's do a time stretch of 20 years and see what the numbers look like!

Family X per day cost: 4 x 3 x $2 = $24

Family Y per day cost: 4 x 3 x $3 = $36

Family Z per day cost: 4 x 3 x $4 = $48

Not too bad, right? Let's keep going.

Family X per week cost: $24 x 7 = $168

Family X per week cost: $36 x 7 = $252

Family X per week cost: $48 x 7 = $336

Truth be told, Camilla and I like to eat at Chipotle, Chick Fil A, and a few other fast food restaurants, so sometimes, our weekly average comes in closer to the $3 per meal figure. We're okay with that :)

Family X per year cost: $24 x 365 = $8,760

Family Y per year cost: $36 x 365 = $13,140

Family Z per year cost: $48 x 365 = $17,520

I don't know about you, but if I'm averaging $4 a meal for a family of 4, I'd start considering if those meals are worth the extra $8,760 per year compared to the $2 meals. I think you can see where I'm going, but for the sake of the bigger picture, let's finish up the example:

Family X cost over 20 years: $8,760 x 20 = $175,200

Family Y cost over 20 years: $13,140 x 20 = $262,800

Family Z cost over 20 years: $17,520 x 20 = $350,400

Are you surprised? Do you know how much you're spending on food? I know what my expenses are, because I'm tracking my spending! Remember, these are based on $2, $3, and $4 per person, per meal. They're conservative for the sake of the examples, but the fact of the matter is, life is a lot more lumpy than that. I'm trying to help you see that if we spend money at a fast-food joint or a sit-down restaurant way more often than we need to, things can easily get out of hand. Think about how much big of a difference between Family X and family Z in 40 or 60 years.

Here's the bottom line - you can make good and healthy food on a budget. You're also allowed to go out and eat at a restaurant once in awhile, but don't make a bad habit of doing it too often. Consider other things you're saving for: getting out of debt, a lavish anniversary dinner, a vacation getaway, a car, a wedding, a child's college education, a house, early retirement, or whatever else you put value in. The possibilities are endless.

Cooking cheap and delicious meals is simply one way Camilla and I have decided to control our budget so we don't ever have to feel guilty about spending money on other things we value. We save now to enjoy other things later, but the process of saving doesn't have to suck. We hold on to the concept of delayed gratification close to our hearts and this is one way we express it.

What if you're short on time? There are plenty of creative ways to plan freezer meals if you're short on time. I personally can't speak to this need, but I know the struggle is real for many families. I'd love to write about this topic more in the future, but for now, a Google search will have to do! I encourage you to look up how to prepare freezer meals and give it a try. I have heard people spending 4 to 5 hours in the kitchen to plan 30 days of meals (yes, an entire month!) so the investment of time upfront has a great payout. The meals are ready and can sometimes be as easy as popping it into a pressure cooker and having it ready in 30 minutes when it's dinner time. That is, you might compare it to 1 hour each day cooking a meal (a total of 7 hours a week or 28 hours a month). Now consider a reasonable weekly meal prepper who does 3 hours a week to meal prep for 7 days (upwards of 12 hours a month). So you can see how many people who try the monthly bulk freezer meals strategy can sometimes come out ahead. Let's not forget that buying things in bulk often costs less! If you find yourself in that situation, I challenge you to try this out and let us know how it goes!

Good luck and send us some pictures of your food creations!!

Yours,

Khang

P.S. The main picture is of the Shepherd's pie Camilla and I made!