Budget Bytes- Can you really eat this cheap? (coupons, fast food, healthy)

[UnexpectedError]

So I stumbled upon this blog Budget Bytes. Basically, she makes a dish and calculates how much it cost to make it and how much that is per serving, which usually works out to be less than a dollar. It's a testament to what I and many others believe, it's cheaper to eat healthy than eat junk.

But there are a few hitches that make me wonder if this site is too good to be true, hitches the blogger admits to herself. First is pricing. Prices vary by city, by store, and by your willingness to clip coupons and bargain hunt. The second is serving size. She says she's a small woman and is vigilant about portion control, so a dish that she thinks feeds four may really feed 2 or 1.

And last, her meals aren't in the strictest sense healthy. There's a lot of pasta, rice, and canned vegetables. A definite step up from choking down on McDonalds, but I know some people have a very narrow definition of what qualifies as healthy.

So what do y'all think? Do the recipes look misleading, bland, or just not quality enough for you and your family? Or does this look about right for anyone eating on a budget?

[silverbelles]

This definitely depends on the city you live in and then your neighborhood because where I live, hell no can I have chicken pasta for less than $5. The pasta may costs $.99 but then the chicken breasts are going to costs me $5 alone and we haven't even gotten onto buying the cheese and the red sauce! After buying everything ($10, if we're going real cheap), I will have enough for a few days. If I were still living with my family, there would be nothing leftover.

Also, this doesn't account for people who live in food deserts that do not have access to certain types of grains and beans, meats, cheeses, and spices and are surrounded by fast food on every corner.

[Gerania]

I think that the price of items, price per serving is misleading. She found pork loin for $1.33 per pound?

[jasper12]

Yes....the "serving size"....my kids are BIG eaters...3 men, one is career Army...he alone can eat a six egg omelet with a pound of home fries, a half pound of bacon, and four slices of toast, with two glasses of milk, a bowl of strawberries, and ask what time lunch is at....6'4", 200. Age 23.

[70Ford]

GO GO ARMY!!!

I used to be able to eat enough for 4 people. Seriouslly . Now, I'm doing fine on small portions.Less than 2k caloroes a day. Depends on stage of life, I think. I used to be able to eat almost an entire pizza and not gain weight. Today is 2, maybe 3 slices. (Burp)

[KittenSparkles]

I LOVE BUDGET BYTES BLOG!!!!!

I have found a ton of great recipes on that site. And to be fair, a couple that were not very good either. .

I've probably made at least 15 recipes from that site. I don't care too much about the cost, but I like the type of recipes she posts, love the full color step by step photos, and love that you can print a PDF version of each recipe straight off the site.

This, though, is my favorite recipe BY FAR from that site- it is sooooo frikkin good:
Budget Bytes: teriyaki meatball bowls $7.89 recipe / $1.32 serving

[Hedgehog_Mom]

Originally Posted by Gerania

I think that the price of items, price per serving is misleading. She found pork loin for $1.33 per pound?

1.33 was the weight in lbs of the pork loin. She listed $5.47 as the cost which would make it $4.11/lb.

It's on sale this week at my local grocery chain for $2.97/lb so I think her price is accurate.


Servings though, I don't think her servings are realistic for many people.

[cowdog]

FAT is healthy!

I didn't look at the site because from the above posts it seems she spends to much money on food.

[rainroosty]

Thank you, Kitten Sparkles! I like the site too - I just went to it for the first time, thanks to you!

[PennyLane2]

I like Budget Bytes too. I stumbled across it when I was looking for things to do with soba noodles. I do have to agree on the portion size though. They may be a little skimpy.