Convenience Foods—Thrifty or Spendy?

The Lure of Convenience Foods

Ever wonder how you can rack up such a huge credit card debt so fast? Many people tend to use their credit cards at grocery stores, mostly buying convenience foods. Why the lure of these items? Why is it that people would rather spend money on pre-made convenience foods that they could make for themselves for a fraction of the cost? For one reason, these foods make a hectic life a little easier. Many baking mixes, for example, brag on their packaging, "Just add water," while other mixes, such as stuffing, say, "Ready in 5 minutes." Is the lure of these foods so great that we would willingly go into debt just to shave off a few extra minutes of cooking time?

The pull of these products is mainly due to advertising. When you see a commercial for a popular pancake mix—you know the one where the mom is shaking up the mix and water in the container—what is that message telling you? That it's easier to buy their products versus putting an extra three minutes of making it yourself. The truth of the matter is, if you were to buy the ingredients and blend them yourself, you would get a better tasting, cheaper product than you could buy on the shelf—and for pennies.

Healthier and Cheaper Alternatives

Staying on the pancake mix idea, you could blend the dry ingredients, using whatever flour you want, such as whole wheat or grain versus the highly refined flour used in the commercial mixes, and store them in food storage bags until you are ready for it. Then, when you want to make pancakes, you would simply place the desired amount of your homemade mix in a bowl and add in your wet ingredients. It's pretty much the same process you would go through with the commercially made mixes. ... click here to read the rest of the article titled "Convenience Foods—Thrifty or Spendy?"