Putting It All Together: A Worked Example
Theory is great, but practical application is what saves you money. Let’s walk through two concrete examples: building a weekly food budget from Costco items and doing a direct cost comparison on a simple family meal.
A One-Week, $50 Costco Basket for Two
Can two people eat for a week on a $50 Costco trip? Yes, if you focus on versatile staples. Our sample basket starts with non-perishables: a large bag of brown rice and a twin-pack of whole wheat bread. For protein, we add a carton of two dozen eggs and a bulk package of boneless, skinless chicken thighs. From the produce section, we grab a large bag of carrots, a three-pound bag of onions, and a bulk container of spinach, which we plan to use quickly or freeze. This basket costs around $50 in most regions and forms the foundation for a week of meals. Breakfasts can be scrambled eggs or toast. Lunches can be chicken sandwiches or salads with hard-boiled eggs. Dinner one night could be chicken and rice with sautéed spinach. Dinner another night could be a large frittata using eggs, onions, and spinach. The remaining chicken can be used for stir-fries with the carrots and onions. It’s simple, nutritious, and incredibly cost-effective.
Is It Cheaper to Cook This? A Spaghetti Dinner Cost Breakdown
Let’s compare the cost of making a simple spaghetti dinner for a family of four using ingredients from Costco versus national brands at a typical supermarket. Our recipe is one pound of pasta, two pounds of ground beef, and a 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes. At Costco, you might buy an 8-pack of 1-pound boxes of organic spaghetti for $11.99, which is $1.50 per pound. A 6.5-pound package of 88/12 ground beef might be $29.99, or about $4.61 per pound. A 6-pack of 28-ounce cans of Kirkland organic diced tomatoes could be $7.99, or $1.33 per can. The total ingredient cost for our meal from Costco is about $12.05 ($1.50 + 2 * $4.61 + $1.33).
At a regular grocery store, a single 1-pound box of a national brand of pasta could be $2.49. Two pounds of the same brand’s ground beef at $6.99 per pound would be $13.98. A single 28-ounce can of a name-brand tomato product could be $3.29. The total cost from the supermarket is $19.76. In this direct comparison, cooking from Costco staples saved over $7, a savings of nearly 40% on a single meal. When you multiply that by several meals a week, the financial impact becomes clear.
