Is OS *REALLY* cheaper?

Pink.

I think it is cheaper.....though I'm feeding a hungry family of five and buying five ready made lasagnes/cottage pies etc wouldn't fill us and would cost much more than it does to make a large one for all of us.

For me OS cooking is more about quality rather than price. Home made food tastes so much better and as previous posters have mentioned you know exactly what's gone into it.

These older threads might help:

is home baking cheaper?

Is Old style really money saving?

Pink

catkins

Hi, I don't buy ready meals because I like cooking and like to know exactly what I am eating but I must ask what sort of ready meal can you get for 99p? Is that for one person? The few times I glance at any ready meals in the supermarket I am always amazed at how much they seem to cost for what looks like such a small portion.

I just don't like the idea of my food containing loads of salt, sugar, e numbers, additives etc. Maybe not all home cooking is cheaper but it certainly is healthier.

Uniscots97

Ready Meal Lasagne 99p


OS lasagne (my recipe):

beef mince (1Kg) = 2.00
lasagne sheets x 2 = 0.54
tin of tomatoes x 2 = 0.38
tbsp of herbs = 0.05
glug of worcestershire sauce = 0.05

white sauce
flour = 0.05 (1 kg bag is 27p)
butter = 0.15
milk = 0.20
little grated cheese = 0.10

total = 3.52

This normally makes 8 'man' sized lasagnes (i.e larger than the standard 400-500g ready meal) or 11 standard size (roughly same size as ready meal). Very difficult to judge item where I'm not using the whole thing what the cost is so its a best estimate.

All prices from Tesco price checker.


Ready meal lasagne 99p per portion

Homemade 'OS' lasagne 32p per portion (assuming same size as ready meal as portion guide)


OS wins again and no additives in sight.

pudding06

Lat nights tea quiche lorraine

pastry was shop bought ( not very o/s but I'm dreadful at pastry in our hot kitchen) 79p

4 free range eggs 59p
3 rashers outdoor reared smoked bacon £1.50
organic mature cheddar cheese ( red price £2 for 400g) approx 100g 52.5p
skimmed milk approx 250 mls aldi's own 9.5p
2 small onions approx 15p
total £3.65

with leftover pastry 21yrs old son made 1 dozen jam tarts for afters lol

12 teaspoons jam ( organic strawberry and blackurrant ones natch) ???

2 quiches and 12 jam tarts for about £4 quid. - added potatoes ( chipped)

you can probably buy it cheaper in a shop (but it wouldnt be organic/free range stuff0

but the remarks from the lads about how fantastic it was that makes it all worthwhile. lol

pudds

Bargain_Rzl

I can't say the difference in cost is huge for me, because I was always a cheapskate but now I'm a better class of cheapskate :rotfl:

When I used to buy ready meals I only ever used to buy them when reduced to clear, so they never cost all that much. Prices ranged from 10p or 20p (if I struck really lucky at closing time at Sainsbury's Local!) to about £1.50. I used to spend £15-£20 in total per week on food, that's cooking mainly for one, not including wine.

When I first started making an effort with OS cooking, it became VERY cheap as instead of the cheapie reduced ready meals I would buy cheapie reduced meat, supermarket veg and "value" products. I was probably feeding myself for £5-£10 a week on average.

However I feel I now have a much better balance. I am back to spending about £15-£20 a week, but that includes some top quality meat and cheese from Borough Market and independent suppliers; I buy veg in bulk, very cheaply from local shops and markets, I eat far more veg and less meat than I used to. I try to buy only organic eggs and milk; I never buy "value" meat, and although I do still keep my eye open for supermarket reduction bargains, I generally only buy fresh meat reduced from the premium ranges (Finest, Taste the Difference etc).

So it's swings and roundabouts cost-wise but the end result is a much better quality of diet.

helping_hubby

Here's my example:

We used to have 1 large pizza express pizza and garlic ciabatta doughballs. This cost £4.35 + £1.49 = £5.84 for 2 people.

Now I make homemade pizza, and a garlic bread...
1 bag of strong flour £0.49 (does 3 bases), so 16.3p
Yeast - 65p sachet does about 24 bread/pizza so 2.7p
Olive Oil £2.99 for 500ml (1 tablespoon) so pennys
Salt, sugar, milk (negligible)
1 pack of mozzarella at 63p
30pence worth of mushrooms
The tomato sauce - I save small pots from when I make my huge batch of tomato sauce for pasta (so pennys really).
Ready to bake baguette - 38p, but 2 in a pack, so 19p
Put my own garlic butter on (garlic = 20p, butter = 53p) - so, what another 10p maybe 15p max?

Thinks that's everything
So in total:
£1.46 for mushroom pizza for 2 and a garlic bread. And even if I add on 50p for good measure for all the negligibles, that's still less than £2

//edit:
OK so you could probably get a value pizza for less than that, but surely the above is healthier and has less additives? Either way it's saving me as the Pizza Express pizzas were the only home baked pizza I would eat before.

daysieblue

Thanks everyone, you have more than proved my point All I need to do now is print this off and stick it under DH's nose and see if he can digest it!

db xx

helping_hubby

pudding06 wrote: »

Lat nights tea quiche lorraine

pastry was shop bought ( not very o/s but I'm dreadful at pastry in our hot kitchen) 79p

4 free range eggs 59p
3 rashers outdoor reared smoked bacon £1.50
organic mature cheddar cheese ( red price £2 for 400g) approx 100g 52.5p
skimmed milk approx 250 mls aldi's own 9.5p
2 small onions approx 15p
total £3.65

with leftover pastry 21yrs old son made 1 dozen jam tarts for afters lol

12 teaspoons jam ( organic strawberry and blackurrant ones natch) ???

2 quiches and 12 jam tarts for about £4 quid. - added potatoes ( chipped)

you can probably buy it cheaper in a shop (but it wouldnt be organic/free range stuff0

but the remarks from the lads about how fantastic it was that makes it all worthwhile. lol

pudds

Mind me asking how long your quiche took in total (prep + cooking)? I made one a few weeks back, it wasn't too much of a success. Do you have a recipe for yours?

Uniscots97

pudding06 wrote: »

Lat nights tea quiche lorraine

pastry was shop bought ( not very o/s but I'm dreadful at pastry in our hot kitchen) 79p

4 free range eggs 59p
3 rashers outdoor reared smoked bacon £1.50
organic mature cheddar cheese ( red price £2 for 400g) approx 100g 52.5p
skimmed milk approx 250 mls aldi's own 9.5p
2 small onions approx 15p
total £3.65

with leftover pastry 21yrs old son made 1 dozen jam tarts for afters lol

12 teaspoons jam ( organic strawberry and blackurrant ones natch) ???

2 quiches and 12 jam tarts for about £4 quid. - added potatoes ( chipped)

you can probably buy it cheaper in a shop (but it wouldnt be organic/free range stuff0

but the remarks from the lads about how fantastic it was that makes it all worthwhile. lol

pudds

Can I have your quiche recipe too please?

milkydrink

Just my 2p worth.

I was in M&S yesterday & their victoria sponge (a fav of mine) was reduced from £1.99 to 99p. I bought one & was thinking as I walked around the shop that I doubt (with cooking fuel) that I could make it for that.

But with ready meals, most are pretty nasty. I did get the Tesco finest beef stew & chessy mash for DH once & let him believe it was homemade. But hes a big eater, so I had to get 2 for him & they were £4 (I think?) each!!!!!!!!
You could have made a lot of beef stew for that.

I think cheap ready meals are as cheap or perhaps cheaper than cooking from scratch,l BUT THEIR CRAP. Quality ingrediants cooked from scratch are not cheap, but mmmmmmmmmm