Added Value Convenience Foods that are Not Worth It
Posted on | April 19, 2010 | 9 Comments
I was watching a show on Saturday night, ‘Til Debt Do us Part’, and was utterly shocked that one couple (no kids) had managed to spend over thirteen hundred dollars in one month on just eating. How could any couple manage to do that? If Paul and I ate to satiate our wildest gastronomical dreams for the entire month of April, we could probably only manage to stuff $600 into our stomachs.
Aside from eating out a lot, I think that this couple also eats a lot of added value convenience foods from the grocery store. This means that the manufacturer adds some sort of convenience to your prepping of the food, and then uses this ‘added value’ to justify charging more money. In many cases the product costs more to manufacture, so it is understandable that the cost goes up…but my question is why are people choosing to eat these products and spend the extra money? This is not to mention the horrible ingredients people are putting into their bodies (don’t believe me? Just look on the ingredient labels of some of these foods).
I am not talking about the convenience products that can be a no-brainer for some parents—such as frozen vegetables, individual-sized yogurts, or even string cheese—all of which you can find with non-scary ingredients and at a reasonable price. What I am talking about, and what also helped to inspire this article, are things like Philadelphia’s cheesecake filling in a tub (see below). Why not make your own cheesecake? This will not only save you money by purchasing closer-to-raw ingredients, but probably a stomachache for you and your family as well.
I conducted some market research of my own to compare prices of making the product yourself versus purchasing it (if you are one of the associates at the store that followed me around while I took notes and periodically photographed products, rest assured I do not work for a competitor or a market research company, but just for myself! I left after I saw a police guard coming my way), and here is what I found.
One of the worst offenders in my book is the tub of pre-made cheesecake filling that you literally purchase for $4.00, splat into a $2.19 pre-made graham cracker crust, and viola—you have cheesecake, or at least something white and creamy in a crust!! I’ll do the math if you haven’t all ready; you are essentially paying $6.19 for a fabricated cake that takes you 5 seconds to prepare, but probably tastes like that as well.
Cost if You Made Homemade
Philadelphia Cream Cheese: $1.19
Kroger Brand 8 oz. Sour Cream: $1.00
Imperial Sugar (4 lbs.): $1.69
7 oz. Heavy Whipping Cream: $1.19
Home Made Graham Cracker Crust: $0.50
Approximate Total Cost: $3.94
Added Value Convenience Cost: $2.25
Oscar Meyer Lunchables, which include turkey, kraft cheese, crackers, Kool-aid tropical punch singles, nilla wafers, and a small water: $2.99
Cost if You Made Homemade
Oscar Meyer Turkey (1 lb.): $3.69
Kraft Cheese (8 oz.): $2.49
Nabisco Ritz Crackers (16 oz.): $2.99
Nilla Wafers (12 oz.): $3.49
Kool-Aid Tropical Punch Singles (12): $2.50
Water: Free
Approximate Cost to Assemble Identical Lunch on Your Own: $0.94
Added Value Convenience Cost of Assembling: $2.05
Healthy Choice Mixers, Baked Ziti: $3.59
Cost if You Made Homemade
Approximate Cost of Spaghetti/Pasta leftovers: $0.50
Added Value Convenience Cost of Putting Into One Dish for You to Microwave and Eat From: $3.09
Ready Made Tuna Salad Kit (includes can of tuna salad, crackers): $1.33
Cost if You Made Homemade
Can of Tuna: $0.73
Nabisco Ritz Crackers (16 oz.): $2.99
Heinz Relish (9 oz.): $1.69
Kraft’s Mayonnaise (32 oz.): $1.99
Approximate Cost of Making Tuna Salad with Crackers: $0.66
Added Value Convenience Cost of Mixing Tuna Ingredients Together: $0.67
Quaker Oatmeal Express: $1.39
Cost if You Made Homemade (in this case, purchased a box of Oatmeal Packets)
Quaker Oatmeal Box (10 packets): $3.40
Approximate Cost of Making Self One Packet of Oatmeal: $0.34
Added Value Convenience Cost of Putting Oatmeal in Single Serve Microwave Cup: $1.05
Smucker’s PB&J Uncrustables (4 sandwiches): $2.89
Cost if You Made Homemade
JIF Peanut Butter (18 oz.): $2.25
Welch’s Grape Jelly (18 oz.): $1.44
Loaf of Bread: $2.00
Approximate cost to Assemble PB&J Sandwich: $0.30
Added Value Convenience Cost of Assembling Sandwich and cutting out Crust (where Nutrients are): $2.59
Perhaps these prices do not strike you as extraordinary, because by themselves they are not. But what if you multiply your eating habits out for a month or a year? Let’s say you have one child, and typically purchase a lunchables kit for them for school five days out of the week. By not assembling this same type of food yourself, you are costing yourself $23.50 extra per month, or $282 per year. For PB&J sandwiches, if you purchase the uncrustables, not only is your child losing out on important nutrients found in the crust of breads (although I know it is difficult to get some children to eat the crust), but you are costing yourself $51.80 per month, or $621.60 extra per year! I realize you are most likely not feeding your children the same foods each day, but you get the point.
Make sure you understand the financial implications of these types of foods, and then decide for yourself if the cost is worth the convenience.
- The 7 Deadly Purchase Sins: You’ll Never Get Rich if you Practice These
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- It’s Frugal Confessions Friday–Pet Edition!
- A Trade Secret of Frugality
- Save Money on Food, Part 2: Lunches
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April 19th, 2010 @ 11:24 am
great post! but what I really want to say is: YOU’RE MARRIED!!! WOOOOHOOOO! Congrats
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April 19th, 2010 @ 11:25 am
What’s your take on the Country Crock convenience sides like mashed potatoes?
We’ve figured out how to make yummy homemade mashed potatoes pretty quickly, but if we really just need a fast side, those are actually pretty tasty. They do cost about $3.50 with a coupon, so we are paying at least an extra $2 for the convenience…
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April 19th, 2010 @ 2:24 pm
It’s really easy to blow through $1,300 a month and I’m single. Consider buying a $10 6 pack a day or a bottle of wine and then buying two of your 3 meals out and it runs up fast.
Budgeting, stay away from those mashed potatoes. They have some of those horrible ingredients that Amanda was talking about. Just yesterday I looked at 4 brands of those and 3 of the 4 had either fully or partially hydrogenated seed oils in them. The 4th was HEB’s brand that was made there in the store.
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April 19th, 2010 @ 3:03 pm
I am with Aurora here…..don’t forget to change your signature on the bottom of your articles….Mrs. Peacock!!!
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April 19th, 2010 @ 8:41 pm
As a poor college student, I figured out pretty fast that those types of foods are just not really in my budget. Instead, I home cook almost everything and take leftovers for most lunches.
It makes it that much easier to justify an excursion to a local restaurant with friends if I’m staying well within budget (and eating well) on groceries.
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April 20th, 2010 @ 4:03 pm
Thanks BluSky!
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April 20th, 2010 @ 4:05 pm
This is the entire premise of my regular post feature, Scratch vs. Store Bought. You didn’t mention that many value added foods also require you to add ingredients, making their cost even higher.
I compare cost, flavor, nutrition, time savings (and often, the time isn’t a huge factor!) and come out with a winner. Recently, I’ve compared pudding, Rice A Roni, and refried beans. I’m now more convinced than ever to cook from scratch, haha!
http://thesavedquarter.com/category/scratch-vs-store-bought/
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April 21st, 2010 @ 4:32 pm
Better late than never. Congratulations!!! I thought your wedding was this week. So happy for you.
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April 27th, 2010 @ 4:27 pm
Hello Everyone!
Thank you all so much for your comments and well wishes.
The Saved Quarter: Hello, and thank you for your comment! I was away…getting married:). I will definitely check out your blog.
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