Reply #27: Income and Food [View All]

[NashVegas]

If you tried cooking from scratch for a while, you might be surprised just how affordable a good meal really is.

I've started keeping a 'menu' in a spreadsheet, of various meals and the cost breakdowns.

Say you want a hearty, delicious tomato soup. Using canned tomatoes, it comes out to about 79 cents per person, feeds six. One can of Wolfgang Puck's similar goes for almost $3, and feeds two. Time to prep - about 30 minutes. 50% saving.

How about some artichoke ravioli in lemon sauce? 75 cents per person. Prep time - with a food processor - 30-45 minutes. In a grocer's deli, you could buy enough for two for closer to $5.

Maybe you'd like some baked macaroni & cheese, but not the Velveeta variety. This will cost you a little more - $1.35 per person (if you use top-shelf cheeses). Prep time - w/out a food processor - 1 hour.

Chicken dijon was more expensive - about $3.20 per person, using Bell & Evans chicken, but with Purdue would probably be less, like cut it in half. Takes about 15 minutes total prep.

The problem is not necessarily income, per sé, the problem is time. Low income people, you would expect to have less time, if they are working more than one job. Low income people are also less likely to have the kitchen space for time-saving equipment and gadgets, food storage, etc. If you make under 20k a year, the cost of a good food processor might seem exhorbitant. People with long commutes, regardless of income, have less time.