I bought a new apartment in a new neighborhood in late 2017. For safety reasons the gas company does not turn on the gas until 75% of the apartments are occupied. For various reasons it took nearly a year for the apartments to become occupied. During this time I spent a lot of money at restaurants and on takeout. After I finally had the gas turned on, and I had purchased a bigger better oven than I had before, I was able to start cooking my own food. I really had no idea how much extra money I was spending. The amount of money one can save by cooking at home is astronomical. As I learn to cook more and more foods, I'll post them here along with what it cost me to make it compared to what it would cost to eat out. I will include links to the recipes so that you too can experience the joys of the kitchen.
Chicken Cordon Bleu
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Typically, a chicken cordon bleu with dijon mustard sauce plate will cost anywhere from $10 to $20 depending on the restaurant and the location. I was able to make this plate complete with mac & cheese and a salad for $2.20. It was actually too much food. Next time I'll make it with half as much chicken. That lowers the price to $1.80. Either way, that is much better than $10-20.
The recipe can be found at recipetineats.com. |
French Toast
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3 pieces of French toast at IHOP: $7.25. Homemade French toast with bacon: less than a dollar. The recipe calls for 4 slices of bread, but I use 3 because I like more flavor.
The recipe can be found at mccormick.com. |
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Hamburger
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This hamburger, which has more meat, more cheese, more tomato, more pickle, more lettuce and more flavor than a McDonald's hamburger only costs about 50 cents to make at home. I just add a little McCormick's Montreal Steak spice to give it a little pep. Easy to make and delicious.
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Pepperoni Pizza
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Who doesn't like a good old-fashioned pepperoni pizza? Nobody in their right mind. Whenever I order pizza from the mall down the street, I can expect to pay about $10 plus delivery. I ordered this kit (comes with pizza crust, pizza sauce, and mozzarella cheese. The pepperoni and tomatoes were extra, but even with those added, the total price of my homemade pizza was only about $3.
It only takes about 10 minutes to prep, and 15 minutes to cook. Not only is is a third of the cost, it tastes 3 times better also. |
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Pork Chili
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This is a really simply recipe for chili. It is not always easy to find tomato paste here, so I use a recipe that calls for diced tomatoes instead. I used ground pork, but beef can also be used. Takes about 4 hours in the crock pot on high, but definitely worth the wait. I cook for 1, so I use 1/2 lb. of meat, and diminish the other ingredients by 1/3. This costs me about $1 to make. Recipe can be found here: https://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/easy-chili
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Crustless Spinach Quiche
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This crustless spinach quiche is simple to make, and easy on your budget. Because I live in China, and because cheese is expensive here, this dish costs a little more to prepare here than in America. I made this in a 9X9 inch pan. Total ingredients cost about $6.25. About half of that was the cheese. I served a 3X3 inch piece with a grilled chicken breast seasoned with olive salt, and topped with a fried tomato. Canned baby oranges finish the plate. The whole dish cost less than a dollar. The recipe can be found here: Crustless Spinach Quiche recipe.
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