"Does Cooking At Home Really Beat The McDonalds $1 Double Cheeseburger?"

[Missy1961]

Leave it to the budget board to include those things

Even if it is more expensive, I'd rather eat my own home made burgers than fast food...

I'm with you.

 

[Danemom]

A great scene in the TV show Scrubs of a related note:

Man with health issues that prevent him from being able to eat red meats stops for a $0.59 cheeseburger somewhere and then goes to the hospital, and tells the nurse, "How can you pass up a $0.59 cheeseburger?"

Nurse (Carla) replies, "After you factor in the trip to the emergency room, the stomach pumping, and the IV that $0.59 cheeseburger is going to run you in the neighborhood of $1,500.00."

Man: "Now see that's where they get you."

I love Scrubs.

 

[Fintastic]

We don't eat at McDonalds as a rule, but I always factor the convenience into the cost too when we eat out. Sure it maybe cheaper to make it at home, but when I am tired or short on time, I have to add the cost of me making and cleaning up into the mix and that makes the McDonalds meal cheaper for me!

Time = money. It really does. When considering stuff like this you have to account for what your time is worth in a monetary sense. Would you rather save money and do it yourself or would you rather save time and buy it?

I think we agree that health-wise we can do better by making stuff at home, for sure.

 

[dawnball]

no.
it's actually 1.2 oz. of meat per patty,- although i don't see how one could get the meat for 1.99lb
so the analysis on that amount is correct.
the cheese should be doubled, though.
-and one must include the diced onions and pickle slices as well as the utility cost in preparation, which pretty much balances the scale.

Ground beef is on sale (although not a very good sale - since it's chub ground) for $1.79/lb this week here. And the cheese really shouldn't be doubled. For the small (non-quarter-lb) burgers they use half slices of cheese. So a double burger gets 2 half slices to total about an ounce.

I'll agree you should include the onions/pickles and utilities, but then you'd also need to include the gas to the McD's and back.

Oddly enough, I'm making slider-style burgers tonight in an attempt to get back to eating real food after recent oral surgery.

My price per 2.5 oz patty (I wanted a large thin patty to make it easier to chew) looks like it will be about $.47 (I got fresh ground at Whole foods for $3.00/lb). Plus $.19 for white deli american cheese. I need a special allergen-free bun (which I can't get at McD's, and costs me around $.10 to make including the utilities cost). Another $.20 for condiments and I'm at $.96. I'm not including electricity to cook the burger, because it's minimal and more than canceled out by the gas I'd need to get the McD's.

I'd consider my burger to be arguably better than a McD's burger simply because I won't have a reaction to allergens floating around a McD's - but it also uses higher quality ingredients and probably contains more protein. I see now that the original recipe called for 3oz of meat per burger. That would add another $.09, so a total of $1.05 - without reallyprice shopping or using the cheapest available alternatives, just what we'd normally buy or have in the house.

 

[Muushka]

We pay sales taxes on groceries.

Yup. Good old NC. I had never even realized states did that until I moved here.

 

[Obi-Wan Pinobi]

Hey, I thought McDonalds made their burgers partly out of Kangaroo meat

 

[kydisneyfans]

I bought multiple packs of 85/15 hamburger meat at Meijer a few weeks back for 1.29 a pound and it frys up with virtually no grease-it seems more like the 93/7 ground sirloin. Good thing I bypassed the 6 lb limit with my wife and I each buying the max and then going through different checkouts.

I agree, the sample prices are too high.

 

[maggiew]

Wow! Where are you getting a pack of buns for .59!!! I'm impressed!

Maggie

 

[Crazoo]

Wow! Where are you getting a pack of buns for .59!!! I'm impressed!

Maggie

Only on the budget board would somebody be impressed at $0.59 buns

 

[delmar411]

Wow! Where are you getting a pack of buns for .59!!! I'm impressed!

Maggie

you can get a pack of 8 buns for .25 at Kroger, pretty much any day of the week. The marked down packs of course!

I also got the Meijer super saturday $1.29/lb of ground beef. But unlike a PP I just loaded up about 10 3lb-ish packs into my cart and checked out in one single transaction! LOL They were pre-packing them like regular packs of ground beef so no limit.


and we don't eat McD's....I must be getting 'old' because their food makes me really ill now.

 

[cmurray234]

This is interesting, we made burgers and fries last night. The cost was 8.53 fed 3 (with DH eating 2 burgers) and our lunch today. So we ate for about 1.42 a person per meal not including DH's 2nd hamburger. And we got fries!

Plus after watching Supersize I can't eat McDonlds. Plus does it make anyone else have the mcickies afterwards or just me?

OMG. Yes. Since I watched Supersize Me, I haven't eaten at McDonald's ONE TIME. This was 4 months ago. LOL.

 

[tonilea]

no.
it's actually 1.2 oz. of meat per patty,- although i don't see how one could get the meat for 1.99lb
so the analysis on that amount is correct.
the cheese should be doubled, though.
-and one must include the diced onions and pickle slices as well as the utility cost in preparation, which pretty much balances the scale.

I can often get ground round at that price at Harter House.

 

[rantnnravin]

I can often get ground round at that price at Harter House.

 

[DawnM]

I don't care how cheap beef is.....we don't eat it!

I have watched Supersize Me and read Fast Food Nation. I am glad I am a Vegan.

Dawn

 

[tennvalgirl]

Anyone who hasn't seen 'Supersize Me' needs to give it a look.