ack!

I hate being sick.

I've had some kind of minor stomach virus for 2 days now. I think it's getting better. I hope so. It's not the kind that makes you hurl, but it is the kind the makes you look funny as you writhe in pain from stomach cramps.

So, that's my life the last few days.

I want to sit down and figure out cost per meal of some of my meals. Last night, due to me being sick, we had tomato soup and grilled cheese. I know that the soup cost $2.49. But I need to breakdown the cost of the milk and slices of cheese. The bread (sourdough) was free, being given to us by friends who were going out of town. So let's see what we get:

16 cups of milk per gallon.
3 cups of milk used to make the soup
$2.50 per gallon
$.16 per cup

72 slices of cheese for $10.00 (It was slightly less than that)
$.14 per slice of cheese

Saren used regular bread for his sandwich. Approximately 18 slices of bread per loaf, $2.15 for the whole grain bread, = $.12 per slice

4 sandwiches at 3 slices of cheese each (wide bread)=$.42
1 sandwich at 2 slices of cheese $.28
1 sandwich at 2 slices of bread $.24
3 cups of milk in the soup $.48
1 can soup $2.49
1 sleeve of crackers $.30

Total $4.21 to feed seven.

Tonight's scheduled meal is Chuckwagon Stew
1 lb hamburger $2.00
3 lbs potatoes $1.50
Handfull pearl barley $.15
Milk and cornstarch $.50
Seasonings $.50
1 Loaf Home Made Bread $.70

$5.35 to feed seven, maybe as many as nine, with leftovers if only seven. Also there will be bread leftovers, which, if not eaten soon, will go into the freezer for french toast, resulting in a nearly free breakfast at some point, since the cost of the bread would have already been figured into a meal. I may throw some other veggies in, so that will change the cost, but still. You're looking at under $7 to feed at least seven people.

It's truly not that difficult to eat frugally, and still eat healthy foods.

Breakfast this morning is supposed to be granola cereal. It won't be, because I didn't want to make something for long term storage that wouldn't be heated with me being sick. It's heated once, when it's baked, but I will have to handle it after it's baked and it won't be heated again, so...

But it costs about $2.00 for a batch of granola. This provides a couple of breakfasts, and snacks, for as long as it lasts, which is never long. Because it's home made, I control the ingredients. Everything is fresh, there's no preservatives. It does have corn syrup in it, but it's the kind you use for baking, not the high fructose crap that is in all kinds of stuff you buy. It calls for honey, but until I can get up to Sam's Club, we are doing without honey.

Instead, we will have yogurt for breakfast. $.48/cup. I will probably make some sour dough toast for those who want it. So five cups of yogurt is $2.40. Again, the sourdough was free. I will just have toast (I don't like yogurt), and Larry doesn't eat breakfast. The littles will be in daycare today, and the bigs in school, so I don't have to feed them lunch. Mine and Larry's lunch will be leftovers from earlier in the week. So my total cost for meals today is $7.75

To be fair, let's look at a day that includes lunch. Tomorrow's scheduled brekfast is muffins. I did buy muffin mixes, just for convenience, because I knew I wouldn't have time to make muffins ahead.
2 honey bran muffin mixes $1.92
2 blueberry muffin mixes $1.60
butter $.15
Milk to drink $.80
Breakfast cost $4.47

We will have leftovers, so free snack on Saturday

Lunch is Macaroni and Tomato Sauce
16 oz elbow macaroni $.98
2 medium cans tomato sauce $.98
Butter $.15
Salt and pepper $.10
Lunch cost $2.21

Dinner is Sausage and Biscuit Sandwiches
2 lbs Sausage $3.00
10 slices cheese $1.40
2 batches home made biscuits $2.00
3 lbs potatoes $1.50
Seasonings $.50
Dinner cost $8.40

We'll also do baked apples at say $2.50 for two pounds of apples and spices.
Snack will be vanilla wafers $.25

Not a lot of veggies today, and dinner was overly expensive. Three servings fruit/veggies. That needs work.

But, total cost to feed my family of seven for a full day is $17.83.

I will look at more meal costs in future posts.