To make cooking from scratch a thing of the past?

[Mumhangingon]

So I'm sat here 1 hour in to cooking a steak pie from scratch. I've totted up how much its cost me in ingredients along with the cost of the oven running for 3 hours and I'm thinking why am I bothering? I know it will be much nicer but is it worth paying 2 or 3 times the cost of a premade pie from the supermarket? Or even a butchers? Same for lasagne, cottage pie etc? I want to do my best for my family but the cost of living is making it too costly.
Is there a secret I'm missing? Or is it just cheaper to buy premade.
I'm grateful to be able to put food on the table of course, I'm just sat here thinking about ways to cut costs where we can.

Most things are much nicer if made from scratch and often cheaper (compared to equivalent quality - an Asda smart price lasagna will be cheaper but inferior)

Steak pie is not something that is cheaper or nicer from scratch so I would just buy a good quality one from the supermarket.

Also you can be savvy about it. For example, if you're making shepherd's pie make spagetti bolognese at the same time - it's basically the same just with tinned tomatoes added and no peas. Two pans going at once saves you time. If you're making mash for shepherd's pie, make double and use half with sausages later in the week. Make double white sauce for your lasagna and save some for next time, or make something else with it like macaroni cheese.

I would do double the stew and have it as stew then make a pie for the next day.

Cake crumbs, that what I do. Especially with a big packet of mince, I even do it in one frying pan!
whack in a third of the mince, fry it up with onions, lentils, seasoning and put it in a dish. Cover with mash and oven cook, divide into 2 dinners.
then whack the second third of mince in the pan, fry up with onions etc, add whatever lasagne sauce and cook up a bit. Layer with lasagne and com. Divide into 2 meals.
finally fry the last third to make bolognese. Again divide into 2 meals
When I had 3 boys at home and very little money I could make a lb of mince stretch a long way, I used to call each mince meal “ surprise mince of the day”!

To make cooking from scratch a thing of the past? Why? Not a chance lol! 😂 I’ve always cooked from scratch. It’s a lot cheaper and nutritious than pre cooked freezer, heat in the microwave meals.

OP if you want to eat 💩 then you do you. Let everyone else cook what they want. Make cooking from scratch a thing of the past, my arse! 😂

@Knittingnanny2 so you get 6 meals out of one pack of mince? To feed how many at each meal?

Is this the equivalent of the MN one chicken can feed my family of 12 for a week thing?

Biggest packet of mince with added lentils etc makes 6 meals yes, but there is only 2 of us!

Ah so a kilo for basically 12 plates? That makes sense!

Yes, I couldn’t make the mumsnet chicken go that far!

I think it depends on what you cook. I cook from scratch and never use oven for more than an hour, but pies, lasagnes etc. aren't really my thing. I agree though that running oven for 3 hours to cook meal for one evening isn't worth it. I would expect this much effort and money to feed me for two days 😅

Try here OP - www.sainsburys.co.uk/gol-ui/recipes/scrapbooks/feed-your-family-for-a-fiver

More here- www.devonlive.com/news/cost-of-living/can-you-feed-five-people-7001123

I've tried to make steak pie so many times from scratch and I fuck it up everytime and it costs as much as buying one from the butchers. I'll refuse to do it again. Lasagne on the other hand, is always better from scratch.