The prices on recipes stating the total cost per recipe and serving will vary based on location, what you already have on hand, the season, and many other factors that cannot possibly be determined or anticipated.
Please note that the costs are simply estimates and based on MY location and experiences. All prices are listed in USD.
How do I determine the cost of an item?
For most of the items, I simply use Walmart's grocery ordering online services to look up a specific item for the recipe and then scale it down to the amount needed, if required.
For example, if a box of butter (4 sticks) costs $2.98 and we only need one it would be as simple as $2.98 divided by 4.
Each stick of butter has 8 tablespoons, so I can then scale down the numbers to be the price per tablespoon if a full ½ cup stick isn't needed.
The same math equations are applied to all products.
Note: I do not calculate or include prices for the suggested or optional ingredients. I only those that are actually required to complete the recipe.
Rounding my estimates
For numbers that end with 3 or more decimal points, I simply round up or down to get a 2 decimal point number. This is based on whether or not the last number ends in 5 or more or 4 or less, as taught in elementary level math.
.0735 becomes .74 so that it can be $0.74
.0753 becomes .73 so that it can be $0.73
Pricing errors
As I am only human and not a machine, I do reserve the right to make errors when calculating the prices.
Tips to save money on the recipes
I have an entire Resources page dedicated to helping you to save money on grocery costs, expenses, and budgeting by teaching you how to coupon, make a meal plan, and more. This can give you further in-depth details about cutting food costs.
First, start by shopping around with what is in your pantry. If you have a pack of chicken thighs on hand, look for recipes that can feature them as the main component so that you don't have to go out and buy another package.
My Sheet Pan Chicken, Brussel Sprouts and Potatoes Costs $10.94 Recipe / $1.82 Serving but if you already had the chicken thighs you would save about $5.64 because you wouldn't need to buy a new pack. The costs can then be further reduced if you already had potatoes or brussel sprouts on hand as well.
Continue that mindset while meal planning for recipes. Search for ingredients that you already have and make affordable meals using them so that you can spend less in the grocery store.
Yes, you will need to buy more items eventually, but if you do so in a mindful manner, like in my post about How to Stockpile Food On a Budget, you can find that there are very affordable ways to rebuild the food you keep on hand.
Budgeting and being aware of finances is a great tool and asset for helping to see where your money is going and to tell it where to go.
It's a lifestyle change as well so don't be upset or give up too early in the game because it takes time to make new habits and this is one that continues to give benefits back to you for the rest of your life.