April 2017 Summary and Observations

April was mostly spent at home, except for the last week which was in Las Vegas for the NAB Show. Our averages this month are back close to our typical amounts, unlike March.

The averages for this month:

  • Lunch prepared at home $2.50 ($3.11 in March)
  • Lunch eaten or purchased outside the home: $11.50 ($9.80)
  • Dinner eaten at home: $5.51 ($6.81)
  • Dinner eaten out: $21.75 ($11.48)

Our most expensive meal was dinner at Gordon Biersch (again) at $21.00 per serve. Because we were traveling there was another paid for dinner outside the home.

Had we purchased every lunch and prepared none it would have cost us $345.00 per person in April. We actually spent $37.45 for lunches at home plus $161.06 for lunches purchased or eaten out: $198.51.

Had we purchased every evening meal out and prepared none at home, it would have cost us $652.50. We actually spent $121.23 for dinners at home and $43.50 for dinners out: $164.73.

We saved $634.49 by preparing and eating most meals at home, plus we have better control over what we eat. Over the month we prepared 19 different recipes for evening meals.

Apr 30: Supermarket Sushi; Baked Ham with Apple, Ginger Lentil Salad

Lunch

Since a trip to Whole Foods was in order, supermarket sushi became the preferred lunch option.

Sushi was $8.34 per serve.

Dinner

We had ‘banked’ another discounted ham while they were in stock, and enough time has elapsed to cook it! Fortunately not spiral cut this time! We served with a mustard, sour cream sauce of Greg’s invention.

As a side, there was the Apple, Ginger, Lentil salad.

The whole baked ham.
  • The $10.72 ham will create at least 10 serves, or $1.07 per serve
  • The lentils were $3.99 but the salad made six serves, or 67c per serve
  • The organic Granny Smith apple was $1.52 our  25c per serve
  • Limes were $1.56 or 26c per serve
  • Add another 30c for ginger and oil.

Dinner tonight was excellent: the ham was juicy and flavorsome, the lentil salad surprisingly tasty and not mushy thanks to using French lentils. All for just $2.55 per serve.