Over on UKA we’re discussing fast food, someone came out with the whole ‘fast food is cheaper’ line and I couldn’t resist. So my post:

It is actually cheaper to buy base ingredients in bulk and cook your meals yourself than it is to buy ‘cheap’ fast food.

If time is an issue, make a big batch and freeze it. When Weirdo was last here we made a shepherd’s pie, I froze four portions [or two dinners]. I made a stew last weekend, there was enough for eight portions [four dinners] again it went in the freezer. I made cookies yesterday, they’re in the freezer now, I expect they’ll last for at least two weeks if not longer. And I know that my cookies are not full of preservatives and extra salts and sugars.

As for the money side of things, I make my own bread. I buy four 5kg bags of organic flour from a local co-operative for £15 – then a few other bits and pieces like skimmed milk powder, yeast, sugar, pumpkin seeds etc. for about £20. All of this lasts for about six months at two loaves per week. So a year’s worth of bread is only costing me £70 – meaning each of our loaves is 67p.

According to Tesco.com a typical Kingsmill loaf of bread is 90p.

And it is worth noting that my loaves are 825g and most store bought loaves are only 800g.

That’s just one example, it is true with hundreds of soups, sauces and casseroles etc. And cooking it yourself is a lot more fun.