Not sure how today’s cost comparison is going to go. Mainly because I don’t think I have ever purchased a Spaghetti Bolognese Ready-Meal in my life.
Here goes…
SimplyBeingMum’s Slow Cooked Spaghetti Bolognese – Serves 4
- Approx 1lb of Extra Lean Scotch Beef = £2.50
- 1 Onion = £0.15
- 2 Garlic Cloves = £0.07
- 1 Beef Stock Cube = £0.08
- 1 Can of Tomatoes = £0.54
- Mixed Herbs/Oregano = £0.05
- 2 Tablespoons of Tomato Puree = £0.10
- 300g Wholewheat Spaghetti = £0.53
- Blackpepper = £Negligible
(normally I would add some red wine – but we don’t have any open (which is unusual and I don’t want to open a bottle today for fear of drinking it)
Total for 4 Servings = £4.02 (approx £1 per person)
Okay so you know the deal by now, I presume I can get cheaper ingredients – in fact I know I can. The tomatoes, for example, I can half the price by shopping elsewhere. If this experiment has taught me anything it’s that there are better deals out there and that the convenience of doing one online shop a week does have a price. This is something that I will certainly be looking at, in fact this is probably going to be my next experiment. the costings are based on what’s in the cupboard/fridge/freezer presently,
Also I initially claimed this is a cooking from scratch experiment, but in reality it isn’t. If it were, my toms would be fresh, I’d make the beef stock, grow the herbs or at least use fresh, and ultimately MAKE the pasta! To make the pasta was actually the plan, but I decided against that today for many reasons.
Sainsbury’s online offers two ready-made spag bol’s. The average price is £1.70. Although the fresh version is actually £2.10. I’ll go with the average of £1.70 as I cannot compare meat content etc…
SimplyBeingMum’s Spaghetti Bolognese £1 per serving
Sainsbury’s Spaghetti Bolognese £1.70 per serving
————————————————————–
Buon Appetito!
Interested to see the cost differences. I have always cooked from scratch, and usually get my weekly foods from half of what my friends do.
I had wondered whether my dishes would come out lower than they have in cost. It has made me think that maybe my ingredients could be purchased cheaper, and I’ll be looking at this going forward!
M
Interested to see the cost differences. I have always cooked from scratch, and usually get my weekly foods from half of what my friends do.
I had wondered whether my dishes would come out lower than they have in cost. It has made me think that maybe my ingredients could be purchased cheaper, and I’ll be looking at this going forward!
M
Interested to see the cost differences. I have always cooked from scratch, and usually get my weekly foods from half of what my friends do.
I had wondered whether my dishes would come out lower than they have in cost. It has made me think that maybe my ingredients could be purchased cheaper, and I’ll be looking at this going forward!
M
just one more thing…if you get fresh tomatoes, liquidise them and mix it italian spices, it is great ( and freezable) sauce for bolognese as well as for pizza.
I’m a bit shy around tomatoes. I don’t like/eat raw toms, and as such aren’t very experienced with handling them (you may notice I use a lot of chopped toms and puree). I am always put off when you have to ‘peel’ them, it isn’t very efficient (IMO) – can you liquidise with skins on and get a great consistency? This is something I would look at going forward, as toms are an amazing fruit and probably all the better for being fresh rather than canned/carton…
just one more thing…if you get fresh tomatoes, liquidise them and mix it italian spices, it is great ( and freezable) sauce for bolognese as well as for pizza.
I’m a bit shy around tomatoes. I don’t like/eat raw toms, and as such aren’t very experienced with handling them (you may notice I use a lot of chopped toms and puree). I am always put off when you have to ‘peel’ them, it isn’t very efficient (IMO) – can you liquidise with skins on and get a great consistency? This is something I would look at going forward, as toms are an amazing fruit and probably all the better for being fresh rather than canned/carton…
just one more thing…if you get fresh tomatoes, liquidise them and mix it italian spices, it is great ( and freezable) sauce for bolognese as well as for pizza.
I’m a bit shy around tomatoes. I don’t like/eat raw toms, and as such aren’t very experienced with handling them (you may notice I use a lot of chopped toms and puree). I am always put off when you have to ‘peel’ them, it isn’t very efficient (IMO) – can you liquidise with skins on and get a great consistency? This is something I would look at going forward, as toms are an amazing fruit and probably all the better for being fresh rather than canned/carton…
Hi Jo! A few questions…..
1) I’m pretty good at doing grams to ounces conversions on the fly….but it would be really helpful for me if you’d list sizes of things like “1 can”. Here where I am, we have a few different can sizes that tomato products can come in, and the difference is substantial between the sizes.
2) Scotch beef? I have this image of a drunk cow…. 🙂 Is there anything particularly fancy about it, or does “extra-lean” pretty much sum it up?
3) I’m sure I could figure it out, but I didn’t see any directions for preparing this dish. I’m assuming that you brown the meat, and that everything goes in with it at some point thereafter, but … ? Pasta boiled in a separate container and then added to the dish, I’m assuming? Do you put the onions in with the beef while you’re cooking it, or add them later? Is this a long-simmer sauce, a quick sauce, … ?
This sounds like an interesting change of pace, since (from the picture anyway) it looks to be substantially less sauce-covered than the typical American spaghetti. 🙂
Oh Robert when I commented on your post yesterday I nearly didn’t as it did cross my mind that I might see you back over here to keep me on my toes!
🙂 and it’s rather early in the UK (ok it’s 8.30am but I’m not a morning person!)
Here goes…
1. The conversions I need to be more on the ball. Sorry I will include all weights/measures – I’m being lazy! As you know I like to keep it simple, but in this case it’s not enough detail.
2. Scotch Beef? Okay got me thinking and had to Google ‘Is Scotch Beef better?’. I am not sure why Scotch Beef is regarded as a superior product if I am being 100% honest. All I know is that I have always had that presumption. This experiment has been very interesting because it has made me question some of my presumptions and ingredient choices. I know the beef I buy is extra lean – there is hardly any fat contained and it is ground finely. I prefer it that way. However one of my favourite places on this earth is Scotland so I’ll probably carry on purchasing! 🙂
3. The prep of the dish. I am a “chuck it all in cook” when it comes to my slow cookers. Now (and here comes the disclamier) I have never read in any books etc that this should be done. They always brown meat etc…etc… My aim is to keep it as simple as possible, and with beef I am confident that it can be cooked this way without there be any health implications. Mainly because I have been doing it for years, and we never have any issues. the books etc state that it improves flavour to pre-cook – I’m not convinced. If it does, it is negligible in my opinion.
What I tend to do is put my meat dry in the cooker on high whilst I prep the other ingredients. With the beef (I include onion at this stage), very often, particularly if I have got side-tracked in the process, when I return to add the other things the meat has browned. I give it a stir and chuck all the other stuff in and reduce temp to low and leave for minimum 6 hours but normally 8. Toward the end of cooking with spag bol, chilli etc… i do sometimes remove lid if it seems particularly watery and leave for 15-30 mins on high to reduce. You can add some flour at this point. I tend not too (unless critical) as I can always taste flour in recipes. With the pasta (if dry), you can boil up 15 mins before serving separately. Alternatively fresh pasta can be added directly to the pot a few mins before serving. I have put dry pasta in the pot approx 45 mins before serving on occasion, but it is hit and miss and requires practise. It needs to be a recipe with adequate water/fluid, and does need supervising to ensure it doesn’t clump and stick. Pasta is better done in a pan. Unless lasagne, that works fine with dry noodles/sheets.
4. I’ll deal with the Meat Vs Pasta content as a separate point. I have only spent 4 weeks in total in the US in 37 years (plus 2 in Mini-Florida – Cancun). So am no expert on your portion sizes etc… However I do know that after 2 weeks in California I put on 7lbs in weight, not eating more meals (infact I skipped lunch most days as the breakfasts were huge!). In the UK when eating out, spag bol is as much, if not more, pasta than meat, and it is mixed well not with meat placed on top. My dish looks comparable with a UK spag bol. I’d be interested to hear what your’s looks like?
ps – in this recipe my can is 400grams – is that 14fl oz?
Our can’s of the typical shop shelf tend to be 200g or 400g – in light of above conversation about portion sizes I wonder how that compares to US?
Hi Jo! A few questions…..
1) I’m pretty good at doing grams to ounces conversions on the fly….but it would be really helpful for me if you’d list sizes of things like “1 can”. Here where I am, we have a few different can sizes that tomato products can come in, and the difference is substantial between the sizes.
2) Scotch beef? I have this image of a drunk cow…. 🙂 Is there anything particularly fancy about it, or does “extra-lean” pretty much sum it up?
3) I’m sure I could figure it out, but I didn’t see any directions for preparing this dish. I’m assuming that you brown the meat, and that everything goes in with it at some point thereafter, but … ? Pasta boiled in a separate container and then added to the dish, I’m assuming? Do you put the onions in with the beef while you’re cooking it, or add them later? Is this a long-simmer sauce, a quick sauce, … ?
This sounds like an interesting change of pace, since (from the picture anyway) it looks to be substantially less sauce-covered than the typical American spaghetti. 🙂
Oh Robert when I commented on your post yesterday I nearly didn’t as it did cross my mind that I might see you back over here to keep me on my toes!
🙂 and it’s rather early in the UK (ok it’s 8.30am but I’m not a morning person!)
Here goes…
1. The conversions I need to be more on the ball. Sorry I will include all weights/measures – I’m being lazy! As you know I like to keep it simple, but in this case it’s not enough detail.
2. Scotch Beef? Okay got me thinking and had to Google ‘Is Scotch Beef better?’. I am not sure why Scotch Beef is regarded as a superior product if I am being 100% honest. All I know is that I have always had that presumption. This experiment has been very interesting because it has made me question some of my presumptions and ingredient choices. I know the beef I buy is extra lean – there is hardly any fat contained and it is ground finely. I prefer it that way. However one of my favourite places on this earth is Scotland so I’ll probably carry on purchasing! 🙂
3. The prep of the dish. I am a “chuck it all in cook” when it comes to my slow cookers. Now (and here comes the disclamier) I have never read in any books etc that this should be done. They always brown meat etc…etc… My aim is to keep it as simple as possible, and with beef I am confident that it can be cooked this way without there be any health implications. Mainly because I have been doing it for years, and we never have any issues. the books etc state that it improves flavour to pre-cook – I’m not convinced. If it does, it is negligible in my opinion.
What I tend to do is put my meat dry in the cooker on high whilst I prep the other ingredients. With the beef (I include onion at this stage), very often, particularly if I have got side-tracked in the process, when I return to add the other things the meat has browned. I give it a stir and chuck all the other stuff in and reduce temp to low and leave for minimum 6 hours but normally 8. Toward the end of cooking with spag bol, chilli etc… i do sometimes remove lid if it seems particularly watery and leave for 15-30 mins on high to reduce. You can add some flour at this point. I tend not too (unless critical) as I can always taste flour in recipes. With the pasta (if dry), you can boil up 15 mins before serving separately. Alternatively fresh pasta can be added directly to the pot a few mins before serving. I have put dry pasta in the pot approx 45 mins before serving on occasion, but it is hit and miss and requires practise. It needs to be a recipe with adequate water/fluid, and does need supervising to ensure it doesn’t clump and stick. Pasta is better done in a pan. Unless lasagne, that works fine with dry noodles/sheets.
4. I’ll deal with the Meat Vs Pasta content as a separate point. I have only spent 4 weeks in total in the US in 37 years (plus 2 in Mini-Florida – Cancun). So am no expert on your portion sizes etc… However I do know that after 2 weeks in California I put on 7lbs in weight, not eating more meals (infact I skipped lunch most days as the breakfasts were huge!). In the UK when eating out, spag bol is as much, if not more, pasta than meat, and it is mixed well not with meat placed on top. My dish looks comparable with a UK spag bol. I’d be interested to hear what your’s looks like?
ps – in this recipe my can is 400grams – is that 14fl oz?
Our can’s of the typical shop shelf tend to be 200g or 400g – in light of above conversation about portion sizes I wonder how that compares to US?
Hi Jo! A few questions…..
1) I’m pretty good at doing grams to ounces conversions on the fly….but it would be really helpful for me if you’d list sizes of things like “1 can”. Here where I am, we have a few different can sizes that tomato products can come in, and the difference is substantial between the sizes.
2) Scotch beef? I have this image of a drunk cow…. 🙂 Is there anything particularly fancy about it, or does “extra-lean” pretty much sum it up?
3) I’m sure I could figure it out, but I didn’t see any directions for preparing this dish. I’m assuming that you brown the meat, and that everything goes in with it at some point thereafter, but … ? Pasta boiled in a separate container and then added to the dish, I’m assuming? Do you put the onions in with the beef while you’re cooking it, or add them later? Is this a long-simmer sauce, a quick sauce, … ?
This sounds like an interesting change of pace, since (from the picture anyway) it looks to be substantially less sauce-covered than the typical American spaghetti. 🙂
Oh Robert when I commented on your post yesterday I nearly didn’t as it did cross my mind that I might see you back over here to keep me on my toes!
🙂 and it’s rather early in the UK (ok it’s 8.30am but I’m not a morning person!)
Here goes…
1. The conversions I need to be more on the ball. Sorry I will include all weights/measures – I’m being lazy! As you know I like to keep it simple, but in this case it’s not enough detail.
2. Scotch Beef? Okay got me thinking and had to Google ‘Is Scotch Beef better?’. I am not sure why Scotch Beef is regarded as a superior product if I am being 100% honest. All I know is that I have always had that presumption. This experiment has been very interesting because it has made me question some of my presumptions and ingredient choices. I know the beef I buy is extra lean – there is hardly any fat contained and it is ground finely. I prefer it that way. However one of my favourite places on this earth is Scotland so I’ll probably carry on purchasing! 🙂
3. The prep of the dish. I am a “chuck it all in cook” when it comes to my slow cookers. Now (and here comes the disclamier) I have never read in any books etc that this should be done. They always brown meat etc…etc… My aim is to keep it as simple as possible, and with beef I am confident that it can be cooked this way without there be any health implications. Mainly because I have been doing it for years, and we never have any issues. the books etc state that it improves flavour to pre-cook – I’m not convinced. If it does, it is negligible in my opinion.
What I tend to do is put my meat dry in the cooker on high whilst I prep the other ingredients. With the beef (I include onion at this stage), very often, particularly if I have got side-tracked in the process, when I return to add the other things the meat has browned. I give it a stir and chuck all the other stuff in and reduce temp to low and leave for minimum 6 hours but normally 8. Toward the end of cooking with spag bol, chilli etc… i do sometimes remove lid if it seems particularly watery and leave for 15-30 mins on high to reduce. You can add some flour at this point. I tend not too (unless critical) as I can always taste flour in recipes. With the pasta (if dry), you can boil up 15 mins before serving separately. Alternatively fresh pasta can be added directly to the pot a few mins before serving. I have put dry pasta in the pot approx 45 mins before serving on occasion, but it is hit and miss and requires practise. It needs to be a recipe with adequate water/fluid, and does need supervising to ensure it doesn’t clump and stick. Pasta is better done in a pan. Unless lasagne, that works fine with dry noodles/sheets.
4. I’ll deal with the Meat Vs Pasta content as a separate point. I have only spent 4 weeks in total in the US in 37 years (plus 2 in Mini-Florida – Cancun). So am no expert on your portion sizes etc… However I do know that after 2 weeks in California I put on 7lbs in weight, not eating more meals (infact I skipped lunch most days as the breakfasts were huge!). In the UK when eating out, spag bol is as much, if not more, pasta than meat, and it is mixed well not with meat placed on top. My dish looks comparable with a UK spag bol. I’d be interested to hear what your’s looks like?
ps – in this recipe my can is 400grams – is that 14fl oz?
Our can’s of the typical shop shelf tend to be 200g or 400g – in light of above conversation about portion sizes I wonder how that compares to US?
400g is somewhere in the neighborhood of 14oz, yes.
Cans of tomatoes here can be 8 oz (uncommon, but I’ve seen it), 10-11 oz (slightly more common), 15 oz (pretty standard, and what most people mean when they say “one can”), 28 oz (usually considered equivalent to 2 15 oz cans, although it’s technically 2 oz off), and the foodservice sizes.
As for the differences between countries, this probably isn’t a bad characterization of what most spaghetti I’ve eaten looks like:
http://static.panoramio.com/photos/original/7663715.jpg
Very heavy on the sauce, lots of tomatoes. And don’t forget the cheese for on top!
To me, your recipe looks to be an entirely different dish. One 14 oz can of fine-diced tomatoes to 11 oz of dry pasta wouldn’t produce the picture I included above. I don’t think it would do it even if the 14 oz can was pretty much straight-up sauce.
I may well be trying this – only possibly with less (or no) onion, just because my wife isn’t as into that.
Thanks for the clarifications Jo!
Thanks Robert – all very interesting info – an average can then is approx the same as over here I’d say 14-15oz. I reckon we do eat smaller portions over here. Confession time – I have cheese on mine, the rest of the family doesn’t. That’s because I find it rather bland, I’m more of a chilli and curry eater.
Regarding the onion, what I do in some dishes is blend the onion with the puree so you get the flavour but not the texture/bits. This only works if you don’t mind the taste of onion. I get away with very finely chopped onion in this dish, but where the kids can identify it – such as in Burgers as it sticks out, I have to disguise it.
400g is somewhere in the neighborhood of 14oz, yes.
Cans of tomatoes here can be 8 oz (uncommon, but I’ve seen it), 10-11 oz (slightly more common), 15 oz (pretty standard, and what most people mean when they say “one can”), 28 oz (usually considered equivalent to 2 15 oz cans, although it’s technically 2 oz off), and the foodservice sizes.
As for the differences between countries, this probably isn’t a bad characterization of what most spaghetti I’ve eaten looks like:
http://static.panoramio.com/photos/original/7663715.jpg
Very heavy on the sauce, lots of tomatoes. And don’t forget the cheese for on top!
To me, your recipe looks to be an entirely different dish. One 14 oz can of fine-diced tomatoes to 11 oz of dry pasta wouldn’t produce the picture I included above. I don’t think it would do it even if the 14 oz can was pretty much straight-up sauce.
I may well be trying this – only possibly with less (or no) onion, just because my wife isn’t as into that.
Thanks for the clarifications Jo!
Thanks Robert – all very interesting info – an average can then is approx the same as over here I’d say 14-15oz. I reckon we do eat smaller portions over here. Confession time – I have cheese on mine, the rest of the family doesn’t. That’s because I find it rather bland, I’m more of a chilli and curry eater.
Regarding the onion, what I do in some dishes is blend the onion with the puree so you get the flavour but not the texture/bits. This only works if you don’t mind the taste of onion. I get away with very finely chopped onion in this dish, but where the kids can identify it – such as in Burgers as it sticks out, I have to disguise it.
400g is somewhere in the neighborhood of 14oz, yes.
Cans of tomatoes here can be 8 oz (uncommon, but I’ve seen it), 10-11 oz (slightly more common), 15 oz (pretty standard, and what most people mean when they say “one can”), 28 oz (usually considered equivalent to 2 15 oz cans, although it’s technically 2 oz off), and the foodservice sizes.
As for the differences between countries, this probably isn’t a bad characterization of what most spaghetti I’ve eaten looks like:
http://static.panoramio.com/photos/original/7663715.jpg
Very heavy on the sauce, lots of tomatoes. And don’t forget the cheese for on top!
To me, your recipe looks to be an entirely different dish. One 14 oz can of fine-diced tomatoes to 11 oz of dry pasta wouldn’t produce the picture I included above. I don’t think it would do it even if the 14 oz can was pretty much straight-up sauce.
I may well be trying this – only possibly with less (or no) onion, just because my wife isn’t as into that.
Thanks for the clarifications Jo!
Thanks Robert – all very interesting info – an average can then is approx the same as over here I’d say 14-15oz. I reckon we do eat smaller portions over here. Confession time – I have cheese on mine, the rest of the family doesn’t. That’s because I find it rather bland, I’m more of a chilli and curry eater.
Regarding the onion, what I do in some dishes is blend the onion with the puree so you get the flavour but not the texture/bits. This only works if you don’t mind the taste of onion. I get away with very finely chopped onion in this dish, but where the kids can identify it – such as in Burgers as it sticks out, I have to disguise it.
We had spag bol yesterday, i costed it at £4.34 for 6 so that was 72p per head (6 of us). I use 2 cans of toms and a spag bol oxo cube and always have some left over for lunch the next day too. I go to aldi and get my toms tom puree and veg there and it costs significantly less. I have found that by visiting aldi then onto tescos or asda i have shaved around £20 a week off our food bill. I know that for those who are time-poor this isn’t an option, but the savings are there to be had.
I do count this as ‘from scratch’. My mother in law uses those awful jars of sauce for hers, so anything that requires making up is from scratch in my book!! It’s our use- up day today, looks like it’s a smorgs board again!!
Really enjoying these posts, i have burgers planned for the weekend and i’m going to make some soup tommorrow. Thanks Jo!!
Sharron
Gosh Sharon you are putting me to shame with your costing 🙂 It’s really good to get this feedback. In fact the main point I have identified doing this experiment is rather than the difference between the ready-made and my home-cooked versions (which I presumed would be cheaper), is that I could be getting my ingredients cheaper. I’ve been sitting on my laurels a little, because I don’t buy a huge amount of food, and mix. match and make up stuff I can get away with approx. £75 a week now (I’ve reduced from £100 this month) which i have always thought of as pretty good. However I am wondering whether I could shave quite a bit of as you have. Definitely going to be doing a costing based on this week, plus new ingredients.
I hate bolognese sauce in jars, it has a weird fat residue, and they are pointless. It’s like pancake mix – but don’t even get me started on that! Particularly I have heard (through comments on this blog) you can now buy it in a bottle, so you just pour in the pan. Freaks me out!
Good luck with the burgers and soup – do let me know how it goes. By the way the carrot and lentil soup is very thick, I made some more this week for lunches and used just 100g of lentils (as using stuff up) and it was much thinner – so bear that in mind regarding consistency. I love thick soup but it’s not for everyone!
Sorry meant Sharron! Must proofread replies 🙂 Enjoy your Smorgs!
I forgot to say that the minced beef is 500g not 250g @ £2.49, so technically you could half your cost of the meat straight away!!! I spend Between £80 and £100 a week, this is 4 six of us (2 adults, 2 massive boys, 2 little ‘uns) and 2 cats and 2 dogs!! I should say that 3 years ago i used to spend around £120 at asda, so i’m rather chuffed with that. I’m keeping quiet on the pancake mix thing tho…
Sharronx
I forgot to say that the minced beef is 500g not 250g @ £2.49, so technically you could half your cost of the meat straight away!!! I spend Between £80 and £100 a week, this is 4 six of us (2 adults, 2 massive boys, 2 little ‘uns) and 2 cats and 2 dogs!! I should say that 3 years ago i used to spend around £120 at asda, so i’m rather chuffed with that. I’m keeping quiet on the pancake mix thing tho…
Just read that back and you’ve shaved off £25 a week that’s pretty good going!!
Sharronx
Sharron – I read your comment on Friday, and couldn’t quite work the mince price example out… it was bugging me. Then guess what? – I realised whilst brushing my teeth that I had put the wrong cost down on my Burger Post! Eureka! Thank you so much – it has been bugging me all week how could my burgers not be cheaper than shop-bought ones?!?!? I must have got confused between my 250g and £2.50 – 250g of mince is £1.25! Off to update my post. That means this week I have definitely demonstrated that cooking from scratch (or half scratch is cheaper!) Hurrah! Have a great Sunday 🙂
We had spag bol yesterday, i costed it at £4.34 for 6 so that was 72p per head (6 of us). I use 2 cans of toms and a spag bol oxo cube and always have some left over for lunch the next day too. I go to aldi and get my toms tom puree and veg there and it costs significantly less. I have found that by visiting aldi then onto tescos or asda i have shaved around £20 a week off our food bill. I know that for those who are time-poor this isn’t an option, but the savings are there to be had.
I do count this as ‘from scratch’. My mother in law uses those awful jars of sauce for hers, so anything that requires making up is from scratch in my book!! It’s our use- up day today, looks like it’s a smorgs board again!!
Really enjoying these posts, i have burgers planned for the weekend and i’m going to make some soup tommorrow. Thanks Jo!!
Sharron
Gosh Sharon you are putting me to shame with your costing 🙂 It’s really good to get this feedback. In fact the main point I have identified doing this experiment is rather than the difference between the ready-made and my home-cooked versions (which I presumed would be cheaper), is that I could be getting my ingredients cheaper. I’ve been sitting on my laurels a little, because I don’t buy a huge amount of food, and mix. match and make up stuff I can get away with approx. £75 a week now (I’ve reduced from £100 this month) which i have always thought of as pretty good. However I am wondering whether I could shave quite a bit of as you have. Definitely going to be doing a costing based on this week, plus new ingredients.
I hate bolognese sauce in jars, it has a weird fat residue, and they are pointless. It’s like pancake mix – but don’t even get me started on that! Particularly I have heard (through comments on this blog) you can now buy it in a bottle, so you just pour in the pan. Freaks me out!
Good luck with the burgers and soup – do let me know how it goes. By the way the carrot and lentil soup is very thick, I made some more this week for lunches and used just 100g of lentils (as using stuff up) and it was much thinner – so bear that in mind regarding consistency. I love thick soup but it’s not for everyone!
Sorry meant Sharron! Must proofread replies 🙂 Enjoy your Smorgs!
I forgot to say that the minced beef is 500g not 250g @ £2.49, so technically you could half your cost of the meat straight away!!! I spend Between £80 and £100 a week, this is 4 six of us (2 adults, 2 massive boys, 2 little ‘uns) and 2 cats and 2 dogs!! I should say that 3 years ago i used to spend around £120 at asda, so i’m rather chuffed with that. I’m keeping quiet on the pancake mix thing tho…
Sharronx
I forgot to say that the minced beef is 500g not 250g @ £2.49, so technically you could half your cost of the meat straight away!!! I spend Between £80 and £100 a week, this is 4 six of us (2 adults, 2 massive boys, 2 little ‘uns) and 2 cats and 2 dogs!! I should say that 3 years ago i used to spend around £120 at asda, so i’m rather chuffed with that. I’m keeping quiet on the pancake mix thing tho…
Just read that back and you’ve shaved off £25 a week that’s pretty good going!!
Sharronx
Sharron – I read your comment on Friday, and couldn’t quite work the mince price example out… it was bugging me. Then guess what? – I realised whilst brushing my teeth that I had put the wrong cost down on my Burger Post! Eureka! Thank you so much – it has been bugging me all week how could my burgers not be cheaper than shop-bought ones?!?!? I must have got confused between my 250g and £2.50 – 250g of mince is £1.25! Off to update my post. That means this week I have definitely demonstrated that cooking from scratch (or half scratch is cheaper!) Hurrah! Have a great Sunday 🙂
We had spag bol yesterday, i costed it at £4.34 for 6 so that was 72p per head (6 of us). I use 2 cans of toms and a spag bol oxo cube and always have some left over for lunch the next day too. I go to aldi and get my toms tom puree and veg there and it costs significantly less. I have found that by visiting aldi then onto tescos or asda i have shaved around £20 a week off our food bill. I know that for those who are time-poor this isn’t an option, but the savings are there to be had.
I do count this as ‘from scratch’. My mother in law uses those awful jars of sauce for hers, so anything that requires making up is from scratch in my book!! It’s our use- up day today, looks like it’s a smorgs board again!!
Really enjoying these posts, i have burgers planned for the weekend and i’m going to make some soup tommorrow. Thanks Jo!!
Sharron
Gosh Sharon you are putting me to shame with your costing 🙂 It’s really good to get this feedback. In fact the main point I have identified doing this experiment is rather than the difference between the ready-made and my home-cooked versions (which I presumed would be cheaper), is that I could be getting my ingredients cheaper. I’ve been sitting on my laurels a little, because I don’t buy a huge amount of food, and mix. match and make up stuff I can get away with approx. £75 a week now (I’ve reduced from £100 this month) which i have always thought of as pretty good. However I am wondering whether I could shave quite a bit of as you have. Definitely going to be doing a costing based on this week, plus new ingredients.
I hate bolognese sauce in jars, it has a weird fat residue, and they are pointless. It’s like pancake mix – but don’t even get me started on that! Particularly I have heard (through comments on this blog) you can now buy it in a bottle, so you just pour in the pan. Freaks me out!
Good luck with the burgers and soup – do let me know how it goes. By the way the carrot and lentil soup is very thick, I made some more this week for lunches and used just 100g of lentils (as using stuff up) and it was much thinner – so bear that in mind regarding consistency. I love thick soup but it’s not for everyone!
Sorry meant Sharron! Must proofread replies 🙂 Enjoy your Smorgs!
I forgot to say that the minced beef is 500g not 250g @ £2.49, so technically you could half your cost of the meat straight away!!! I spend Between £80 and £100 a week, this is 4 six of us (2 adults, 2 massive boys, 2 little ‘uns) and 2 cats and 2 dogs!! I should say that 3 years ago i used to spend around £120 at asda, so i’m rather chuffed with that. I’m keeping quiet on the pancake mix thing tho…
Sharronx
I forgot to say that the minced beef is 500g not 250g @ £2.49, so technically you could half your cost of the meat straight away!!! I spend Between £80 and £100 a week, this is 4 six of us (2 adults, 2 massive boys, 2 little ‘uns) and 2 cats and 2 dogs!! I should say that 3 years ago i used to spend around £120 at asda, so i’m rather chuffed with that. I’m keeping quiet on the pancake mix thing tho…
Just read that back and you’ve shaved off £25 a week that’s pretty good going!!
Sharronx
Sharron – I read your comment on Friday, and couldn’t quite work the mince price example out… it was bugging me. Then guess what? – I realised whilst brushing my teeth that I had put the wrong cost down on my Burger Post! Eureka! Thank you so much – it has been bugging me all week how could my burgers not be cheaper than shop-bought ones?!?!? I must have got confused between my 250g and £2.50 – 250g of mince is £1.25! Off to update my post. That means this week I have definitely demonstrated that cooking from scratch (or half scratch is cheaper!) Hurrah! Have a great Sunday 🙂
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