How much should one meal cost?

[Holdfast]

There's this other documentary I saw, Forks Over Knives, that propagates a vegan diet, pretty much. And there's actually a really buff UFC champ in there who's a vegan. Supposedly there's protein in plants as well.

Quite a bit, in fact. But you have to learn a little about where it is to be sure of getting enough. If you're vegan rather than veggie, it's harder still, because you have to learn enough to know a little about which amino acids are where to be absolutely sure of getting enough of everything, on average. Doable, of course, but it takes a little light reading around the topic to be sure you know what you're doing.

I can tell you right now that those plans do not contain near enough protein for me to ever consider them.

For an average person, it's probably just about enough I think. If, for example, you work out a lot, or have a high protein requirement for other reasons, obviously that alters the balance. They're designed for the average (moderately sedentary) person I suspect.

Sometimes I forget that normal people don't eat like bodybuilders.

yeah, just a bit differently....

 

[Amaris]

Dinner usually costs me about $3-$5 per person, though when it's really tight I manage to get it down to $2 per person, though it's not at all healthy. I spend about $110 a week on groceries for 3 adults, 2 of which have more stringent dietary requirements.

 

[RoJoHen]

Shit. I spend about that much a per week for just myself!

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

People in the developed world do not as a rule suffer from protein deficiencies.

 

[MacLeod]

I would estimate an avergae in the region of £2 per person.

 

[SmoothieX]

My family consists of 2 adults and 6 children ranging from 6 months to 14 years in age. We basically never eat out, so our grocery bill covers almost all of our food, and we spend about $600/month on food, so that's about $20/day. Four of the children eat lunch at school, so there are 20 lunches/week that aren't included in that monthly amount. We reduce our grocery bill somewhat by canning food from our garden and we have a few chickens to provide eggs. That doesn't make a huge difference, maybe $50/month or so, but it should be factored in.

As for what a meal costs, that depends greatly on what we eat. If we make pancakes (made from scratch, not a mix) or oatmeal for breakfast (from oats, not the prepackaged/presweetened stuff), I doubt it costs more than $1-$2, whereas a typical dinner for my family might cost $8-$10 (for the whole family, not per individual).

We spend more than that for 2 adults period. Please tell me you're not feeding the kids chicken feed.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

My family consists of 2 adults and 6 children ranging from 6 months to 14 years in age. We basically never eat out, so our grocery bill covers almost all of our food, and we spend about $600/month on food, so that's about $20/day. Four of the children eat lunch at school, so there are 20 lunches/week that aren't included in that monthly amount. We reduce our grocery bill somewhat by canning food from our garden and we have a few chickens to provide eggs. That doesn't make a huge difference, maybe $50/month or so, but it should be factored in.

As for what a meal costs, that depends greatly on what we eat. If we make pancakes (made from scratch, not a mix) or oatmeal for breakfast (from oats, not the prepackaged/presweetened stuff), I doubt it costs more than $1-$2, whereas a typical dinner for my family might cost $8-$10 (for the whole family, not per individual).

We spend more than that for 2 adults period. Please tell me you're not feeding the kids chicken feed.

You live in Massachusetts. He lives in Oklahoma (I think). That's the difference.

 

[farmkid]

My family consists of 2 adults and 6 children ranging from 6 months to 14 years in age. We basically never eat out, so our grocery bill covers almost all of our food, and we spend about $600/month on food, so that's about $20/day. Four of the children eat lunch at school, so there are 20 lunches/week that aren't included in that monthly amount. We reduce our grocery bill somewhat by canning food from our garden and we have a few chickens to provide eggs. That doesn't make a huge difference, maybe $50/month or so, but it should be factored in.

As for what a meal costs, that depends greatly on what we eat. If we make pancakes (made from scratch, not a mix) or oatmeal for breakfast (from oats, not the prepackaged/presweetened stuff), I doubt it costs more than $1-$2, whereas a typical dinner for my family might cost $8-$10 (for the whole family, not per individual).

We spend more than that for 2 adults period. Please tell me you're not feeding the kids chicken feed.

Oh no, of course not. We eat just fine. The chicken feed is for the chickens only (although my pygmy goats quite like it, too, and I have to be careful to keep them out of it). We buy very little prepared food and make most things from scratch. We even grind our own wheat. My wife is a great grocery shopper--she almost never buys name brand stuff, she uses every coupon she can, she watches the ads and buys in bulk when stuff is on sale, etc. Our food costs are really quite low compared to most people, and I attribute that to my wife's shopping/cooking skills and our garden.

You live in Massachusetts. He lives in Oklahoma (I think). That's the difference.

Utah, actually. But we didn't spend much more when we lived in California.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

You live in Massachusetts. He lives in Oklahoma (I think). That's the difference.

Utah, actually. But we didn't spend much more when we lived in California.

I stand corrected!

 

[K'Ehleyr]

For just Son and me I've found making a huge dish ~ cottage pie, lasagne, stew, curry, or especially anything on the reduced section, on a Monday will see us through 3 days and not cost more than £7/8.

It's easy homecooked cheap food and ready to microwave when needed.

No, you don' have to eat it every evening.
Yes, your friends are welcome to dip into it.

If you are looking to cut down on cost ~ pasta is your friend.
That and hanging around supermarkets when they are discounting.

Our weekly 'blow out Sunday Brunch' ~ sausage, bacon, eggs, mushrooms, toms, toast works out about £2 each for 3 of us.

You can shop wisely RoJo and eat well

 

[RoJoHen]

If you are looking to cut down on cost ~ pasta is your friend.

I am actively trying to cut back on pasta. I eat way too much of it as it is.

You can shop wisely RoJo and eat well

Indeed. I'm just trying to figure out the best ways to do it.

 

[K'Ehleyr]

The bugger is healthy food costs more. So to eat cheap you end up eating stodge.

Either that or grow your own yeg?

 

[RoJoHen]

Words that are foreign to me:

stodge

yeg

 

[O'Dib]

And here's a clarifier on bugger as well: A Bulgarian dualistic heretic that likes sodomy.

 

[MacLeod]

Don't know how it is in the US. But look out for things like

Buy One Get One Free's (or BOGOFs as they are known)
3 for 2's
2 for £x
Buy X, Y and Z for £5

 

[RoJoHen]

Don't know how it is in the US. But look out for things like

Buy One Get One Free's (or BOGOFs as they are known)

We just call them BOGOs.

 

[K'Ehleyr]

Words that are foreign to me:

stodge

yeg

And here's a clarifier on bugger as well: A Bulgarian dualistic heretic that likes sodomy.

Ok then...

"Oh damn and blast the problem with eating healthy food is it costs more and you end up buying cheap carbs.

And 'yeg' ~ ves, that is an Englishism for 'we don't know our 'v's from our 'y's

As for 'bugger' ~ well my Bulgarian is a bit rusty.
You do know what rusty means don't you?

Don't know how it is in the US. But look out for things like

Buy One Get One Free's (or BOGOFs as they are known)
3 for 2's
2 for £x
Buy X, Y and Z for £5

See ~ this is why we get confused at the end of the alphabet!

 

[RoJoHen]

And 'yeg' ~ ves, that is an Englishism for 'we don't know our 'v's from our 'y's

I still have no idea what the hell you're talking about.

 

[trampledamage]

And 'yeg' ~ ves, that is an Englishism for 'we don't know our 'v's from our 'y's

I still have no idea what the hell you're talking about.

She's talking about "veg" - vegetables

And "stodge" is cheap, unhealthy but filling food - too many carbs and processed fat.

 

[RoJoHen]

Ah-ha! Vegetables!

Yeah...I don't abbreviate that word.