Right now, Burger King in my town has a new $1 menu. On it is a bacon cheeseburger. The bacon cheeseburger has the patty, a slice of cheese, bacon and two pickles, plus ketchup and mustard. All for $1, and its pretty tasty too. I got curious and decided to break down what it costs to make burgers at home. These prices are from Kroger.
buns- $1.59 for 8 .20 each
store brand American cheese slices- $2.59 for 24 .11 each
cheapest 73% lean hamburgers- $3.00 for 5 .60 each
condiments- .25- .50 .05-.10 each
pickle- $2.79 for 28 servings .10 each
Total $1.06 - $1.11 for each burger and that doesn't include bacon
So what it comes down to, is that it is actually cheaper for us to bring burgers home and eat with chips and vegetables than to make them at home, and I don't have to cook them! I think to go the cheapest route, we need to fight the urge to order fries and drink and eat the burgers with something from home. It could work too for that night I only have a 30 minute turn around between work and scouts. We could bring veggies, drinks and pretzels or crackers and it will feel like a wonderful treat! I don't know how long they will have those sandwiches for $1, but it will be a fun treat once in a while that I think we can swing.
Another important benefit to that $1 burger is that it can also help with feelings of deprivation. When we bite into that meaty burger, when most of our meals will be without meat, or very little meat, it feels like a treat, and what normal people do. I don't know about you, but my husband and I start craving something meaty if we have had a lot of meatless meals in a row. And sometimes you just get tired of doing everything the hard way. You get tired of denying yourself or kids, and a $1bacon cheeseburger makes you feel normal for a little bit.
Also, everything costs money or time. Most of the time, I have more time (barely) than money, but $1 hot sandwiches that actually cost less than their counterpart at home and I don't have to cook is too hard to pass up. It is a treat with a mini vacation from cooking. $1 per person for a main dish is pretty hard to beat. We don't have any other fast food locally, but I bet there are other restaurants that have a dollar item that would be hard to pass up.
Doing these calculations has made a bright spot in my day! I can take advantage of this new deal once in a while and feel absolutely no guilt about it! I know there are cheaper homemade things we could eat, but I'm pretty sure they don't involve meat, and sometimes a nice bite of something meaty just hits the spot, especially if bacon is involved!
Beth at Budget Bytes does these kinds of calculations for all her recipes, and it can be very helpful!
Comments
Post a Comment