On our way home from camping last week, we stopped at a fast food chain for dinner. We hadn’t planned on eating out, but thought it would be a fun treat for the kids since we don’t eat fast food often. Besides, I think they get more excited about the playground than the food anyway!
Our order was typical: chicken sandwich combo for Dad, classic burger combo for me and chicken tenders for the kids. Our total?
$23.13
In the grand scheme of life, $23 isn’t a huge amount of money. But at the same time, that’s a mighty chunk of change to spend on one meal. Our grocery budget is $300 for one month. If every meal cost $23, we’d eat for 13 days and then starve for 17.
Because of this, eating out was one of the first things to get cut when we created a budget almost 6 years ago. The price tag shouldn’t have been a surprise. Still, knowing how far we could stretch $23 made this sting a bit (ok, a lot).
We sat down to eat our meal, opened up our cute little ketchup packets to truly enjoy all that’s good about fast food french fries.
We ate our sandwiches, tasting the messy beef/mayo/cheese/lettuce combination that seems only achievable by fast food chains.
The kids dunked their chicken tenders as fast as they could so they could play.
And then there was a problem. As Mr. Crumbs took a bite of his sandwich, he nearly ate all the chicken.
In one bite.
Mr. Crumbs doesn’t have a dinosaur-sized bite or anything. After taking a mouthful of bread, he opened up his sandwich to see two small chicken nuggets in place of what should have been a breast filet. His $6 sandwich was comprised mostly of bread and condiment (notice that’s singular – because there was only one).
To say that Mr. Crumbs was disappointed is an understatement.
It was like adding injury to insult. First we’re expected to pay a pretty penny for food whose ingredients are incredibly cheap. Then we’re supposed to enjoy our meal while feeling like it was money well spent.
Yet the most expensive portion of the meal was nearly non-existent.
Eating fast food reminded us why we don’t.
Thoughts of how I could have made that chicken sandwich better instantly ran through my mind. What would it take for me to make it on my own from scratch?
Boneless skinless chicken breasts were on sale recently for $1.99/lb. Five chicken filets could be made with only one pound of chicken, making each filet cost only 40 cents.
We make our own buns. Even with the expense of vital wheat gluten (which can be upwards of $3.60/lb), the price of each homemade bun is only 11 cents.
Swiss cheese can be expensive, but even one piece of a quality brand will cost you only 40 cents.
How about the bacon? That can be pretty expensive… but again, when it’s only one piece being cut in half, it’ll set you back a whole quarter.
The lone condiment of ranch dressing can be made with mere pennies, but I’ll toss in a dime for safe measure.
So how much would it cost to make the same sandwich from scratch?
(brace yourself)
$1.26
We all know that chicken breasts cost more than ground beef, so even though I had a burger, we’ll use the cost of the samewich times three – one for mom, one for dad and one for the kids to split.
(Even though the kids had nuggets and there wouldn’t be a cost for bread and condiments… I’m feeling generous).
Our total is up to $3.78 for all four of us to eat the same sandwich at home.
But what about those delicious, skin-on fries? Considering I recently bought a 10lb bag of potatoes for $1, and our three orders of small fries maybe equaled one pound of potatoes, I don’t mind adding in a dime.
Oh wait, the oil for the fryer. How could I forget?! At a mere $.44 per cup, we’ll say the fries were cooked in two, just to be safe.
This meal could have been made at home for $4.76. But you know what’s worse?
I would still have $18.37 in my pocket, and that little bit truly can go a long way. So far, that I could have made this exact meal another four times and fed my family for nearly a week.
Eating fast food reminded us why we don’t.
No joke. It’s so expensive. Unless you exclusively shop the dollar menu, and even then it’s probably still cheaper to just cook at home.
What’s interesting is for the families that eat fast food, because they say they can’t afford to eat healthy. When in reality, it’s much cheaper to eat healthier, and you’ll have less health problems as you age.
Didn’t you take the chicken sandwich up to the counter and let the one in charge know of your disappointment? They probably would have made “Mr. Crumbs” another sandwich with the correct meat.
We contacted the company when we got home to explain our disappointment. They’ve graciously offered compensation for a future visit, but we’ll probably use it for milkshakes instead.
This was an eye opening post for me!! Thanks so much. It’s crazy…thinking you are saving time and money when you are actually spending way more and getting way less! And eating who knows what in this ‘food’. WOW!
My thoughts exactly. Stay tuned for a nutritional comparison next week – I think that may sting too!
Yes,yes and yes. We only eat out for two reasons:1-It’s a special occassion and we are eating at a great restaurant 2-We are someplace near where we can run errands while we are doing something else(at the zoo,visiting family,etc.) and it just makes since to eat out rather than spend more time and money in gas by coming back another day. In other words spend $12 on eating out or $10 on gas coming back another time. When possible we do bring a picnic,but that isn’t always feasible.
Well, it wouldn’t “kill” you to celebrate by eating out!! Don’t be so paranoid! You know places that have good food. But of course, those are the pricey places you used to go to. Yes, I’m being facetious! But hey, you’ve gotta have a little treat once in awhile.
BTW, I just saw something that prompts this question: are you still going to Starbucks on a regular basis?
Last I looked, I’m still a human.
We cut out Starbucks in exchange for a local business. Not only is their coffee better, but we like supporting local. Plus, every 10th cup is free!
wow, that’s a huge cost difference! i just checked out that bun recipe, and since i’ve never made bread from scratch, you gotta tell me where to find the vital wheat gluten? i love home cooked burgers and baked frozen french fries, that bun could keep me out of the drive through for the rest of my life!
You are going to LOVE making bread from scratch! It’s SO rewarding, and it makes the house smell delicious! I found vital wheat gluten at Target, but a regular grocery store should have it. Check the area where the specialty flours are. I use Bob’s Mill brand, and our local store has all of that brand in one area so it’s easy to find it. If you have a hard time finding it locally, check Amazon. Price warning – it may seem expensive, upwards of $7/8 per package. You don’t use much often, so it will last a long time. Or you can go the Amazon route and spend less per package, but get more up front. If you want to bake with whole wheat, vital wheat gluten will come in very handy.
And oh yes, this bun – fast food deterrent baby! Hubs asked me one time if I could make a regular loaf of bread with this recipe, lol.
thanks! love target! now i have a legit reason to go there!
“Browsing” the dollar spot is good enough reason for me!
Fast food sure adds up! We don’t do it much either. Thanks for visiting me!
My husband is reading this post over my shoulder and laughing because I do the same thing. Hmmm How many bags of food can I get at the store or how many basic ingredients can I buy for that amount and then bake at home for a month or two. Glad to see I am not the only one who does this. I will restrain for my daughters birthday though. She wants to go to Cheesecake factory (she will be 15 and fast food does not cut it anymore). Thanks for the info.
I think dining out for special occasions is a very nice treat. Cheesecake Factory has some yummy salads, and you’ll need the jaws of life to keep me away from the desserts!
I want to know how you can make 5 chicken filets from 1 pound of chicken so I can do that too! How to stretch the chicken?
There’s a write up here, part 1 and part 2, but essentially in one pound of chicken you get 2 breasts and 2 tenders (the small strip that fits snugly between the breast and ribs). Pound each breast out to 1/4 – 1/2 inch thick and cut it in half (hamburger-way). Each half should fit on the average slice of bread, giving you four sandwiches. Then pound out each tender slightly and both of those are used on the fifth!