For a while now, every time I’m at the supermarket, I’m checking out what people are buying and saying to myself “tsk, tsk” or silently saying “there is another, cheaper, better way to make that meal than to buy that packet mix/bottled sauce etc”. Then I got to thinking. Who am I to dictate to people what is better? What’s that person’s story? Do they know how to cook? Are they super, super busy? Is there really any benefit to cooking from scratch vs buying convenience foods?

I know that’s what I prefer to do because I love cooking but I’m not perfect (not that buying convenience foods make you some kind of evil person). I’m super, super busy, just like other parents but by having a well stocked pantry, I don’t have to buy those ready made, convenience meals. I can make them just as quickly with what I have on hand but that’s because I know how and I know how to do it quickly. I also have some ready made items on hand for those busy nights which you might prefer to buy takeaway but you can save so much money if you prepare it yourself at home.

Living with a more than fussy eater, I know that if there’s a meal that they will eat, you’ll cook it over and over again. Growing up I think my Mum had about 10 or 15 different meals up her sleeves that she would serve us over and over again. She knew that we liked it and ate it so why wouldn’t she cook it again. Same goes with a particular brand of ready made pasta sauce or packet curry mix. If you know your family will eat it and there will be no waste, why wouldn’t you buy it? 

My only advice is that if you spent $2 to $3 on a packet mix every time you shop, you can create something similar at home with basic ingredients that might cost up to $10 in total but you’ll be able to make it 20 or 30 times and those ingredients can also be used for other dishes.

For example, a basic Beef and Potato Curry I make in the slow cooker has nothing but salt, pepper, curry powder, plain flour and stock powder in it. You can add more spices but if your family eats it like this, then make it like this, every time.  The curry powder will last for a long time and can be used in just about every other cooked curry dish I can think of, used to flavour a salad dressing or flavour devilled eggs. I use stock powder a lot in my every day cooking, even if it’s just to boost the flavour of my pasta sauce and plain flour. Well, that is used in my baking, used to make white sauce or to dredge meat when frying.

On the other hand, I buy 2 boxes of homebrand crumbed chicken tenderloins, every fortnight, for $4 a box and each box is 400 grams. I could quite easily buy the raw chicken and crumb them myself but this is one of my ‘go to’ meals when an alternative might be to buy takeaway. I can cook these up with my homemade potato wedges and salad or vegetables, serve inside a tortilla, baked and sliced with an easy honey sauce for Chinese Honey Chicken (just pour over chicken a mix of 1/2 cup honey and 2 tbs soy sauce). 

Same goes for ready made baked goods that have been marked down at the supermarket. I quite often pick up a marked down pack of 12 doughnuts, sometimes for 50 cents, that can be popped in the freezer and brought out if I’ve got nothing in the biscuit tin for the kids. They can be warmed up in the microwave and still be fresh. I couldn’t make anything like that for 50 cents. 

As far as buying pre-chopped vegetables (except for frozen), I draw the line. The costs are so much higher because you have to pay for someone to cut them. It really doesn’t take all that long to cut a few potatoes or pumpkin.

But I’m not here to tell you what’s right or wrong. Do what works for your family but remember, there are other ways to cook a nutritious meal for your family, that is time saving and cheap and that is by cooking it from scratch yourself.