The 18-Cent Breakfast

For the past month or so my usual breakfast has been a couple of scrambled eggs. I’ve been able to get eggs on sale for $1 a dozen. That comes out to 8.33 cents per egg. Missouri charges sales tax on food so I figure my two egg costs about 18 cents. It might be another penny or two when you add in the cost of cooking spray, but it is still going to be less than two bits for breakfast.

A two egg breakfast is only about 160 calories which isn’t much for a meal so the calories need to be made up later. I’ve found that two eggs is a satisfying breakfast for me and three eggs seems to be too much. I could add a banana or orange for around a dime more to add some calories to the meal and make it a little more nutritious. I often take a piece of fruit to work and have it as a snack later in the morning. It works for me.

Back when I kept my food budget under $100, before I started indulging my penchant for junk food/fast food too often, people would wonder how I did it. Some would even say it wasn’t possible. There are a lot of cheap breakfasts and other cheap meals that are possible if you do a little research. The meals don’t have to be unhealthy just because they are cheap. How healthy having two eggs for breakfast is, is debatable, but that breakfast is still better than the fast food/junk food I normally eat.

Since I’ve started working my full-time job in addition to my part-time job I have been indulging in fast food way too often. I’m tired after work and it seems so much easier just to have some fast food, plus I tell myself I deserve it for all the hours I’m working. For the month of February I’m going to cut way back on my fast food/junk food purchases. My goal is to cut the amount I spend on junk food/fast food in half. I’m not going to worry about the cost of my healthier food, but I expect I will lower my overall food bill.

11 thoughts on “The 18-Cent Breakfast”

  1. This is a great goal. It’s difficult to not fall into the fast food habit, especially when you’re working so hard. My suggestion is to make yourself some homemade breakfast sandwiches or burritos and freeze them. They re-heat in the microwave in about a minute, so it would be perfect for your busy lifestyle. Oh, and it’s cheap!

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    • I had it checked last year and my overall total was good, but my good/bad cholesterol ratio was off a little. If I cut way back on eating fast food that should improve my cholesterol levels.

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  2. 2 pieces of toast with butter & jelly for me everyday. I freeze my bread, so it lasts around 2 weeks. Lets see for 30 days bread $2, margarine 70 cents, jelly $2 total $4.70. Around 16 cents a day not too shabby. Somtimes I switch it up with homemade cinnamon sugar lol.

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  3. Homemade porridge, using the oatmeal you need to cook for 3-5 minutes is the best. If you make too much, stick in the fridge for another day. Just add a bit of water/ milk to thin it down, as it likes to thicken up.
    So many ways to serve this. While I cook it I add some chopped apple,raisins,apricots etc. If I have canned fruit, I add it at the end.
    Add some cinnamon for flavor.
    Any frozen fruit is great too. Yumm
    Homemade pancakes and waffles are cheap to make too. If you use fruit juice instead of milk, they are really fluffy.

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  4. You said that you do Mystery Shopping, right? Then take the “junk food” shops, get a full reimbursement and get the “junk” out of your system. Eating healthy is important, but junk food is way too costly for the actual nutritious benefits of the food.

    Prepare a large quantity of food when you do cook, freeze, and then you will have food for those days when you are too tired to cook, or shop.

    But, MS is the way to go for the fast food junkie. I did MS for six months, I saved more money than I made just by not eating at the over priced value menu fast food places, and Panda Express too. You can schedule your meals around your work schedule..also try Market Force Information… via their website. They pay monthly and are legit.

    Love your blog, not sure why…….but it is very good.

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    • I have done a lot of junk food mystery shops. I haven’t done many lately because I’ve been busy with my jobs. The idea of only having junk food when I get paid to eat it is pretty smart. I’ve thought of doing that before but always cheat. I might try that again next month.

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