How Much Does a Home-Cooked Meal Really Cost?

Crunchy Baked Fish Sandwich

It depends on the menu, how many people you’re feeding and how well stocked your pantry is.  If you’re a minimalist cook, you might have to add into your budget as much as $50 for basics that a long-time cook already has on hand—oil, vinegar, flour, sugar, rice, canned tomatoes, spices, soy sauce.  Also, you might need a frying pan or a big pot or a set of measuring spoons and cups.

And you haven’t even bought the main ingredients yet.

Let’s take the pantry issue out of the equation and concentrate on an easy meal for 4 people:

Crunchy Baked Fish with Baked Potatoes and Broccoli

Crunchy Baked Fish cost:

Tilapia at $5 per pound;  1 ½ pounds =$7.50

4 large chunks  French bread = $2
Small bag chopped cabbage = $2
Pantry items would include mayonnaise, breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, 1 tablespoon chopped garlic, spices, salt & pepper

A 10-pound bag of potatoes = $3-to-$4 for 12-15 medium-to-large potatoes

Butter for baked potatoes and broccoli = $1

1 pound broccoli = $2

Pantry items would include salt & pepper

Crunchy Baked Fish for 4 without pantry items would cost about $11.50.  Add potatoes and broccoli for a few dollars more.  That's for 4 people, not 1 person.

The point is: it’s a lot cheaper to cook at home.  Building a pantry to include items you will use every day is an investment, but it will pay off within a few weeks.

Look for my next post, which will be about pantries and what should be in them.

                  For easy recipes, order "Help! My Apartment Has a Kitchen!"