How Much Does it Cost to Eat In? A Detailed Financial Breakdown
To say I let myself go this summer is a huge understatement. I have been blessed with a high metabolism and certainly recognize how lucky I am to be able to eat almost anything I want. In general, I try to stick to a healthy diet, focusing on incorporating lots of greens and “real foods” (i.e. nothing pre-packaged/pre-made), never eating fast food (In ‘n Out doesn’t count :), but my diet is something that I have never spent that much time on. I just try to eat as well as I can and enjoy my life. As a result of reading “Four Hour Work Week,” however, I was inspired to pick up Tim Ferris’ second book, Four Hour Body. My mentality regarding food and diet has now changed dramatically.
By nature, I’m a “hacker.” I love trying new things with technology and oftentimes will throw some code together just to see if an idea I have might work. I also love challenging myself with various types of engineering problems, and Tim Ferris’ idea of “hacking” the body appealed to me. I have made a few minor changes to my diet, eating a lot more protein, including a hearty breakfast and drastically decreasing my white carb intake, and in doing so, I have lost over 20 pounds. Although I did start swimming a few days a week in the morning, I attribute the majority of this to simply eating “better.” By better, I mean smarter.
Now that I am examining everything that I eat, I wanted to write a financial post similar to my review of how my wife and I chose a credit card, detailing how much it really costs to make your own food. For instance that $9.88 Chipotle salad…surely you can make it home for less, have it taste great and be even healthier, right? So, without further ado, here is a breakdown of everything I ate for four days, Monday through Thursday, along with how much every ingredient cost.
Monday
Breakfast: $2.07 1/2 yogurt ($1.40) and 1/4 bag of frozen strawberries ($0.67)
Lunch: $2.50 Bland salad: 1/2 box of spinach ($1.75), 1/4 bag of carrots ($0.50), 1/4 cucumber ($0.25)
Dinner: $4.21 ($8.42 total) 1/2 Whole Chicken Roasted ($4.14), 1/2 pack of mushrooms ($1.25), 1 onion ($0.79), 1 garlic head ($0.25) and 2/3 Broccoli ($1.99)
Tuesday
Breakfast: $5.04 Smoothie with 1/4 bag of frozen peaches ($0.72), 1/4 bag of blueberries ($1.07), 1/4 bag of frozen strawberries ($0.67), 1/4 box of spinach ($0.88), 1/4 yogurt ($0.70), 1/8th of 12oz almond butter ($1.00)
Lunch: $4.79 Salad with chicken+gravy: 1/2 box of butterhead lettuce ($1.75), 1/8th of whole chicken ($1.04), 1/4 bag of carrots ($0.50), 1/4 cucumber ($0.25), 1/2 avocado ($1.25)
Dinner: $5.94 ($11.88 total) Asian Stir Fry: Two chicken breast with ribs (no antibios) ($6.53), 1/8th celery ($0.31), 1/10th ginger ($0.30), 1/2 pack of mushrooms ($1.25), 1/3 broccoli ($0.99), 1 frozen veggies ($2.50)
Wednesday
Breakfast: $5.66 3 strips of turkey bacon ($0.60), two eggs $0.50 + Smoothie with 1/4 bag of frozen strawberries ($0.67), 1/3 box of spinach ($1.17), 1/2 yogurt ($1.40), 1/8th of 12oz almond butter ($1.00), 1 banana ($0.32)
Lunch: $5.31 Taco Salad: 1/2 box of spinach ($1.75), 1/4 can of refried beans ($0.85), 1/4 of fava beens ($0.30), 1/4 of ground pork ($1.07), 1/4 salsa ($1.09, 1 tomato ($1.87) + 1 onion ($0.79) + can of corn ($1.69)), 1/8 sour cream ($0.25)
Dinner: $4.29 (total 8.57) Chicken Soup: celery, 1/4 whole chicken ($2.08), 1 portabello mushroom ($1.88), 1 onion ($0.79), 1 garlic head ($0.25) , 3 cans of chicken stock ($3.57)
Thursday
Breakfast: $0.65: 2.5 strips of turkey bacon ($0.40) and one egg ($0.25)
Lunch: $5.31 Taco Salad
Dinner: $15.61 Rawlsa: $9.44: 1/10 Ginger ($.30), 1/20 apple cider vinegar ($0.14), 1/10 tamari ($0.39), 1 lime ($0.40), 1/8 almond butter ($2.00), 1/2 napa cabbage ($3.75), 1/2 red pepper ($1.00), 1/2 yellow pepper ($0.80), 1/6 thai chili paste ($0.66) Tetraziki: $0.93 (total $1.85) 1/4 yogurt ($0.70, 1/2 cucumber ($0.25), 1/4 sour cream ($0.50), 1 lime ($0.40) Lamb Meatballs: $5.24 (total 10.48) Ground Lamb ($7.99), 1 portabella mushroom ($1.88), 1 egg ($0.25), 1/8 box of breadcrumbs ($0.36)
In short, my food for four days ended up costing $61.38 per person, or $15.35 per day. I did spend a LOT of time in the kitchen that week, including at least two hours every evening cooking dinner and preparing breakfast/lunch for the next day. I know I can’t commit this amount of time every week, but it was great to completely control everything I ate and interesting to detail how much everything actually costs. For instance, the $5 smoothies were surprising, but 60 cents here and a dollar there add up. Also spending almost 6 bucks on lunch while having to prepare it the morning was frustrating. I’ve always felt like it must be cheaper to cook for yourself, but that’s not always true, or at least, not by much.
Another interesting note that came out of this was noticing how cheap our dinner was on Wednesday night. Since then my wife and I cook a big pot of soup or chili as it makes 8+ meals and is remarkably inexpensive. Combine that with how easy it is to prepare the next morning to bring in to work; simply grab it out of the fridge and heat it up when ready. Here’s our latest recipe, which takes 5 minutes to throw together and leave in a pot to stew before serving. Simple, easy, cheap, and delicious, plus it’s high in protein and low in carbs and fat.
Chili ingredients: Black Beans $1.19. Goya Small Red Beans $1.19 Taco Seasoning $1.09. 1lb of ground turkey $6.99. 1 garlic head $0.25 1 onion $0.79, 1 can of crushed tomatoes $2.29. 2 peppers $1.25 Beef broth $1.19. Hot peppers: $0.75 = 16.98 but it makes at least 8 meals! $2.13 for a hearty lunch is great deal.
Lastly, I found it useful to experiment with various ingredients and compare prices vs. quality. I now always buy free-range eggs as it’s usually just a dollar or two more, but the quality is noticeable. When you look at how cheap eggs are compared to everything else we eat, to increase their quality so easily is a no-brainer. I also buy antibiotics-free meat where possible and have joined a local farm-share to get quality organic produce direct from the farmers.
The past few weeks have been great for my wallet as well as my health. It’s been educational and eye-opening and I hope this was helpful to you as well. Please reach out if you have any questions or comments.
