I bought a ready-make Chinese dinner mix for $6. What did it contain?

[Deja Q]

75 cents' worth of vegetables (carrots, onions, pea pods, broccoli) had I bought the generic mix from the other side of the freezer.

$1 worth of sliced chicken.

50 cents' worth of tangy teriyaki sauce.

Is convenience worth $3.74? Fuck NO.

Today I'm buying bulk of everything from above and eat decently for 2~3 weeks.

[XanaDUer]

1. Seriously Hypno

get a wok, season it, then just buy the stuff in bulk and cook it in the wok. It will be 1000% better, I promise, than any shit from a ready-made mix.

[Darth_Kitten]

2. I'm going to try to budget better when it comes to buying groceries...

buy staples and just experiment.

Anything is tasty if you slop it with the right sauce and/or gravy. :D

[WCGreen]

3. And don't forget all that salt and MSG.... Yumm Yummm

[Deja Q]

4. I think it's hawthorne, bilberry, or cayenne that aids in salt removal

from the body.

I take 'em all so I know I'm detoxifying. :D

[WCGreen]

5. I did not know that......

[BiggJawn]

6. Cost of transporation...

That same dinner cost $4 last year...

I watched it really close last night and got out of the store for $50. This time last year, I'd have steak and snax in the basket for that money. Not now....

[BigMcLargehuge]

7. Dude, if you are going to buy quick chinese food... get this

it's the best. Add your own chicken, red and green peppeers, and a can of chow mein vegetables... total cost, $5, feeds 4 adults easy. Better still, you can buy the gravy mix and noodles in bulk (we do) and have chow mein whenever you want it for pennies a serving.

http://www.famousfoods.com/newengland-chow.html

[Rabrrrrrr]

8. Eschew any pre-boxed, pre-packaged food items of any kind

especially anything that is a "full meal" in a box, like stir fries, pasta dishes, etc.

The only ones that are worth buying are the taco sets that have the taco mix and the tacos in them.

But never buy anything that has veggies or meat included in them.

Not only are they always a rip off, they're always shitty cheap versions of the foods, over-processed, and been sitting around forever.

When I shop for food, I hang out on the outside track - the produce, meat, and dairy sections.

I venture into the manufactured food aisles only to pick up olives, salad dressings, and the oriental section, and sometimes something awful for me for a snack.

You are way better off, as someone else said, buying a wok and buying fresh meats and veggies. Stir Fry is SO easy, you should do it yourself. Save money, and avoid all the nasty shit chemicals that food makers put into the foods.