Cheaper to buy a ready meal?

ariarnia

Saw this on the news today and wondered:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-43125842



Yes, it's (probably) cheaper to buy a Big Mac than make a single burger; no-one sells just one burger's worth of the individual ingredients, you have to have enough money for a lettuce, a jar of pickles, a pound of mince, a pack of 8 buns, etc.

But, from what I recall, when Jack was blogging in her difficult times it was cheaper for her to cook than to buy ready meals. Including bean burgers...

Anyone else thinking this is potentially damaging (short sighted and politically motivated) advice for anyone who is struggling (and would benefit from switching to vegetarian/bulk cooking/meal planning to save money) because a 'celebrity expert' has said ready meals are cheaper than cooking from scratch?

Or am I just being grumpy because it's past my bedtime?

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Seeing as Jack Monroe is vegan (has been for some months now), I don't think telling them to switch to vegetarian cooking would be particularly useful.

Bulk cooking only works if you have the money to buy the extra ingredients.

Their Twitter feed went on to cost the items.

Ready meal: £2.75.

By cheapest available component parts:

Potatoes 80p
Mushrooms 85p
Wine £3.50
Onions: 90p
Oil: £1
Tomato puree: 90p
Flour: 65p
Salt: 45p
Parsley: 80p
Garlic: 35p
Sugar: 80p
Thyme: 80p
Pepper: £1

If you don't have the twelve pound-odd in the first place, even before you allow for the cost of electric for cooking, compared to reheating something in a packet, it doesn't matter if it works out cheaper in the long run. Because there is no long run when you don't have more than a couple of quid left and you're hungry.

PS - if that tweet was politically motivated, what on earth do you think the Conservatives saying if Jack could feed a kid for a tenner a week, that proves all other parents who struggle are simply indolent, was motivated by?

ariarnia

Jojo_the_Tightfisted wrote: »

Ready meal: £2.75...

If you don't have the twelve pound-odd in the first place, even before you allow for the cost of electric for cooking, compared to reheating something in a packet, it doesn't matter if it works out cheaper in the long run. Because there is no long run when you don't have more than a couple of quid left and you're hungry.

So don't cook a potato mushroom bake thingie with wine if you only have £2.75 in your pocket.

Buy the 80p potatoes and a tin of basic beans for 25-30p

Then use the remaining (roughly) £1.50 to buy oats, eggs, rice, beans, onions or something else that then lets you build up a store cupboard.

If you only have £10 to spend at the start of the week (which was the thrust of the first tweet) then spending a third of it on one meal is, frankly, stupid.

If someone came on here saying 'I have £10 to feed myself for this week' no one would be advocating buying ready meals (especially not ones that are so expensive).

PS - if that tweet was politically motivated, what on earth do you think the Conservatives saying if Jack could feed a kid for a tenner a week, that proves all other parents who struggle are simply indolent, was motivated by?

Because two wrongs make a right?

Yes, they shouldn't have tweeted mentioning Jack's name.

Yes, the tweet itself was offensive and stupid.

But, Jack's reaction (IMO) is wrong and potentially damaging.

More people take her seriously than what MPs say. Everyone knows MPs talk out of their bum. People listen to and believe Jack.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Having been there and done it, I have to say that sometimes, just for some semblance of sanity, even the most ascetic person needs to have something quick, warming, comforting and that tastes good. Particularly if there's no guarantee you'll have enough money on the keymeter to be able to boil the potatoes for long enough to make them edible.

Moreover, if you're hungry, making a lifestyle choice such as vegetarianism counts for nothing. Because Free Food (containing meat) is cheaper than any other type of meal - you eat anything you're given. Quick food is 'better' if you're so hungry that you're feeling sick and too dizzy to stand or cut up vegetables.

If I were to go into the nearest supermarket to me (or the 7 others that are within walking distance), I wouldn't find an 80p bag of potatoes or a 30p can of beans. Or porridge oats. What I would find is a £2 packet of 4 potatoes, full price beans and individual pots of porridge. To get to a supermarket that actually offered the basics/value range would cost me a minimum of £3 in bus travel.

You're falling into the trap of assuming that the income is guaranteed in the first place - with Universal credit, there's the six weeks with nothing and then there are the sanctions on top as well.

I've had help from complete strangers before now and I have been incredibly grateful to them. Every scrap of help was a lifesaver and was used to get the best value possible. And the colleague who delivered £80 worth of cooking ingredients at our lowest point kept us fed for far longer than they ever imagined because we were scared to use it all up in case things didn't get any better. But even that person put a couple of 'treat' type things in with the bags of pasta and tins of tomatoes.


Attacking the person who resents being held up as a justification for the state of affairs that led to their worst experiences is far more damaging than their pointing out that the cost of the ingredients of their dinner are more expensive than the meal itself.

ariarnia

Don't get me wrong. I've been there, done that. I've been homeless with no cooking facilities and no income. I've also been in a HA flat with minimal income that I chose to spend badly (addictions) meaning no money for food.

When I first came onto this site I was finally clean and sober, in a bed sit with a microwave and a kettle, and had no clue whatsoever how to cook/budget. I honestly thought a bag of chips for £1.50 (because they were hot and I could eat them right then) was being sensible with my money.

I'm not 'attacking' - but I think this is completely the wrong message to send.

Benefits, wages, payday loans, they all come in a lump sum and that lump sum has to be made to stretch until the next lump sum comes in.

A Feasters chicken burger for a £1 might well have a place in a budget menu.

A £3 single serve/needs an oven to cook... not so much.

Yes, Jack had every right to be upset about the use of her struggle in an ill thought out tweet BUT people do honestly believe that ready meals are the best value for money.

(IMO) Jack had the opportunity to highlight how hard it was for her (and others) to survive on next to no money. She had the chance to say how she had to rely on handouts and go hungry some times. She had the chance to reiterate just how many people have to rely on food banks, and who need that food parcel to last many more than the three intended days.

Rather than do any of that she decided to make a cheap point about the economies of scale that can be achieved via mass produced catering.

Even worse, the ready meal she's talking about, if the hypothetical mother had the hypothetical £10 for the week, it could be made with the quoted ingredients (minus the wine, which would only have been for flavouring).

Doing that would have worked out cheaper, probably healthier and left a significant amount of spices and similar left over for next week. But who's going to bother trying that? Jack's told them it's not worth it.

greenbee

There's a blog post behind that tweet which might help clarify some of what you are speculating about.

ariarnia

greenbee wrote: »

There's a blog post behind that tweet which might help clarify some of what you are speculating about.

Maybe it's just not my night...

Error 404 - Not Found

greenbee

Probably because the link includes a profanity. Look on her site, under blogs. It was posted 3 days ago so you need to scroll down a bit

https://cookingonabootstrap.com/2018/02/17/my-ready-meal-is-none-of-your-!!!!ing-business/

ariarnia

greenbee wrote: »

Probably because the link includes a profanity. Look on her site, under blogs. It was posted 3 days ago so you need to scroll down a bit

https://cookingonabootstrap.com/2018/02/17/my-ready-meal-is-none-of-your-!!!!ing-business/

Found it, thank you.

Very powerful writing from a very articulate and passionate person.

And I'll say again, I understand why she's angry (furious). Being linked to/used as justification for austerity in such a way must be completely galling for her.

But everything she says in her post about how hard it is to manage on so little money... that's exactly what she should have been saying in that twitter response.

She could have drawn attention to those people who, through no fault of their own, are reliant on food banks.

Those people who, through no fault of their own, have suffered as a result of inflated food costs and deflated incomes.

Those people who, through no fault of their own, would not have been able to cook that £3 ready meal (never mind cook it from raw ingredients) because they don't have an oven.

Yes, she was angry.

But those people, who believe in Jack, will see her saying it is cheaper to buy ready meals than to eat actual food.

JamesO

ariarnia wrote: »

But those people, who believe in Jack, will see her saying it is cheaper to buy ready meals than to eat actual food.

ariarnia

JamesO wrote: »

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Thank you James.

As ever, I'm not entirely sure if you're agreeing or poking fun.

But given the sick sprogglet seems to have finely decided to go to sleep and I'm getting ready for work on about 2 hours sleep... I'm appreciating the laugh.