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Re-Thinking an Old Standby

7K views 75 replies 37 participants last post by  Spirit Deer 
#1 ·
Every Friday night I make homemade pizza.

I stop at the local market on the way home and pick up the crust, shredded cheese, and pizza sauce.

I usually still have a pound of ground beef in the fridge and I brown that up and make two large pies...one with beef, one plain.

We eat it for dinner on Friday night and then have whatever is leftover for lunch on Saturday and Sunday.

I've always thought of it as a frugal, fun, homemade meal.

However, I went and picked up the stuff today without any kids with me, which meant I was actually able to pay attention to what I was doing.

The ground beef cost $8.01. The shells, cheese, and sauce cost $21.95.

$30, my friends, is not a frugal meal.

I could take the family to a fast food place for that amount of money, or even order two pies, a soda, and 2 orders of cheesy breadsticks from Dominoes without having to life a finger!

So, I'm rethinking.

I am definitely going to see if my local ShopRite sells shells, and if so, if they are cheaper than at the market, although I am a big fan of supporting small business. I'm also thinking that I could buy a block of mozzarella on sale and shred it myself for cheaper. Pizza sauce, I'm sure they sell at ShopRite.

The question is...

If it turns out to be no cheaper or even just a little cheaper, do I delete it from our weekly line-up?

It is a fan favorite, but let's be honest, $30 is expensive for dinner, particularly when we are trying to not eat out more than once a week, and in that once a week, we are already spending $30, so it's kind of like going out to eat twice a week, but with me doing the cooking.

Follow?

I'm going to have to think about this one.
 
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#2 ·
But you are getting more than one meal from it usually, yes? I would keep it and find a way to save on the ingredients before crossing it off the list.

I have shredded my own blocks of cheese before and it make a big difference in flavor though I have a mess to clean up. Can you get shells premade at a local pizza shop? I have gotten balls of dough for 2.25 each from our Local Pappa Johns. They might be willing to provide you with two shells on the cheap.
 
#3 ·
If it's a family favorite tradition and I could get it cheaper from dominos with breadsticks and soda I would order the pizza and not cook. The extra time you spend with the family NOT cooking is priceless .
 
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#4 ·
We buy Greek style pitas at Costco. 15 for 5 dollars, I think. We buy pizza pepperoni, a bag for 6 dollars...usually makes 3 pizzas. Mushrooms and tomatoes we buy anyways. And now I use a can of tomatoe paste with some roast garlic mixed.one small can does 3 pizzas. We buy 2 pack Kraft shredded cheese at Costco for 15. We make 2 pita pizzas each time. That feeds me, dh and dd.

I still think its cheaper. It's definately not as greasy!
 
#5 ·
That's how I feel about lasagna (cost-wise but family loves it). It stays in my dinner rotation. :) As for pizza, I'd love to make it, but I'd make my own dough or buy frozen dough at GFS and buy cheese when it was on sale. I don't make it as often as I'd like to. I should make it when I'm making lasagna. LOL I have to admit, we buy pizza at the local pizza shop. It's really cheap and I don't have to do a thing. They even give plates and napkins, too.
 
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#6 ·
If you have a bread maker, you can make the dough for much cheaper than buying it. Also, you can make pizza sauce with a can of tomato sauce, which is really cheap. I have a recipe that uses basil, oregano, pepper and garlic powder....super easy and cheap.

When I had kids at home I made a cookie sheet pizza every Friday night for only a few dollars. Even putting pepperoni on it still only added a few dollars. Today, I make a vegetarian pizza with cheese, red onion, olives and marinaded artichoke hearts. Yum.
 
#7 ·
I think part of what I'm paying for is the ease of not having to make the shells out of a lump of dough and not having to shred the cheese myself (although I could pop that in the Cuisinart, no problem), so if the kids wouldn't care, I feel like maybe I'd rather just go ahead and order it. Although, then that would count as our one out per week in my 20 Wishes for 2013 challenge list, so I need to consider it carefully.

Sara, if my place gave me plates and napkins with the pizza, I wouldn't even think twice. No dishes! :)
 
#8 ·
Like Sara lasagna is expensive but is a ice meal for my family that they like..so I really wouldn't change that..we eat frozen pizza every now and then..Then I think I would rather put fresh pizza in the rotation.. would your family eat a pizza with less beef, and veggies..to reduce the cost.....

It is a tough call but somethings are worth the money..Uhm.
 
#9 ·
I would cut back on the ingredients.

I can't believe how much you're paying for your ingredients. $8/lb for hamburger? I buy it on sale here when they have it bundled in ten-pound packages for about $2.50/lb on their close outs, and that's always extra lean. I routinely buy shredded mozzarella on sale, $2/8 oz., enough for two fourteen inch pizzas. An 8 oz. can of tomato sauce is under a dollar, even at regular price. I don't have a recipe for pizza sauce. I just mix garlic powder, oregano, and basil into the sauce to taste. I also chop up an onion and mix into the sauce. Crust, made from homemade Bisquick mix, costs pennies for a fourteen inch pizza. You can easily mix it up and put it on the pans while the hamburger is browning. Better yet, have the kids pat it onto the pans. I've never understood this idea that making a meal is NOT family time. Cooking is a life skill and it's important for kids to learn. As a teacher, you know it takes time for people to become proficient at something, so IMO they can't get started too young. As far as not wanting to make the crust, I understand that, but I quit buying the store crusts about thirty years ago when I realized how well-paid I was for those few minutes of time making my own. :)

That said, I have a hard time justifying making my own sometimes. Pizza Hut has some great deals for around $10 at times, and they do provide the paper plates, napkins, and packets of red pepper and Parmesan to go with it. Some of the frozen pizzas from the store are really good now too. We picked up four-meat Red Baron pizzas last night for just $4 each. Hard to beat that.

Lasagna is expensive but it's a great go-to meal for my husband's lunches, so there's usually some packaged up in single servings in our freezer.
 
#11 ·
You also could make a veggie pizza and not use the hamburger. Save it for another time. I use my bread maker to make the dough, shred the cheese and freeze it when I find it on sale. There are times when things you make aren't cheaper, however you know what goes into it. I've ordered pizza a time or two and always wondered when looking at it just what was in it, kwim?
 
#16 ·
Makes me wonder how long they've been getting away with their mark up pricing.

-------------------------

Amy - the way I see it, $30 for more then one meal for 6 people IS a bargain. And you know what's in it.

To save money:
* buy dough balls that you press out into form or the shells from the grocery store
* buy blocks of cheese on sale, freeze in meal portions
* buy ground beef on sale, freeze in meal portions
* use tomato paste thinned out a bit for pizza sauce, add your own herbs

Do this once and buy enough for a month or two's worth of pizza's and you're laughing.

Don't get me wrong - take out pizza is mighty tasty - even tastier when you don't have to make it yourself. We love Pizza Hut and thas the only place we buy take out pizza from and though we watch them make it, I noticed they spray the pizza's with an aerosol 'garlic spray' once it comes out of the oven. Mmm....tasty chemicals. I have since asked them to not spray our order and it tastes the same.

What I'd like to now - maybe I missed it? - is making the pizza the family tradition as in your lil ones participate OR is getting to eat pizza on Friday night's the tradition? If its the making of - then $30 is totally worth it, IMO.
 
#14 ·
Great input, everyone! Thank you! Definitely a lot to consider and think about!
 
#15 ·
Our Aldi has pre-baked pizza crusts, 2 per package for around $3.50. We buy our shredded cheese there or at WM and use this pizza sauce, which we order from Amazon because it's our oldest son's favorite.
Pastorelli Pizza Sauce Italian Chef, Original, 8-Ounce (Pack of 12): Amazon.com: Grocery & Gourmet Food

The pepperoni we also buy at either Aldi or WM. I think the price per pound for the cheese is around $5, the pepperoni is also less than $5 a package and we don't use all of it. I think our price for 2 pizzas would come out less than $15. Often we'll buy the take and bake from WM or the $5.55 pizzas from Little Caesar's. They are comparable in price and taste good (although I personally don't care for the take and bake, the rest of the family likes them just fine).

I think Little Caesar's can price their cheese and pepperoni pizzas so low because they sell a huge volume of them. On Friday evenings they have quite a long line of customers.
 
#17 ·
We all make it together, so that is definitely part of the tradition.

I will say, I'm going to continue to buy the pre-rolled out crusts, because I don't enjoy that kind of work and by Friday night, I'm shot.

HOWEVER, I switched back to ShopRite, this week, for my grocery shopping and cut the price of the ground beef in half. So, I stocked up, but I think this is where I'll stay, because right off the bat, I've dropped the cost of the meal (and any other meal with ground beef) by $4.00. I didn't get a chance to look for the pizza sauce, but I will do that on my next visit, and I know I can get the cheese cheaper there.

So, it stays in the line-up because the kids love making it with me, we all love eating it, and, as some of you said, we are getting more than one meal out of it.

Thanks for all of the input! Always good to have more than just me thinking out an issue!
 
#42 ·
Because I know you have a similar family situation, we've been doing a BIG salad night here lately. I cook a whole chicken in the crockpot, then remove all of the chicken from the bone and put it into a big bowl for other meals. Then I just make a giant salad with various ingredients. My kids love it. I have cheese, various raw veggies, croutons, bacon bits, chopped or shredded meat or poultry, hard boiled eggs, etc. etc. They pick and choose what they want and love that they all pick the ingredients that they want. Salad seems a little lacking initially because let's face it: it's a salad, but we have so much that goes into it, it's really a nice healthy choice that is quick and easy and everyone is happy. And there's enough left over for the following day to eat with a regular meal as a side salad.
 
#19 ·
I buy Red Baron cheese pizzas on sale for $2.99 ea and add my own toppings. The toppings are ALWAYS purchased on sale. We have this every two weeks.

My salvage store has Red Baron pizzas for $1.99 each when you buy 5. I will be sad when they run out.

I would focus on buying your ingredients in bulk, prepping, dividing, and freezing. Your family enjoys it!
 
#20 ·
If you want to keep the tradition, you can get the cost way down. I make homemade pizza often using these crust and sauce recipes: Sage & Simple: homemade pizza

The sauce is made mostly from a can of tomato paste, which is very inexpensive, but very tasty. I buy the toppings on sale.

An individual vegetarian pizza is up to $10 here and it isn't very good, so the only way I'm having pizza is by taking a long weekend in Italy or making it myself!
 
#21 ·
Try using 1/2 or 1/3 as much hamburger. I bet no one will even notice. Also, pick up chubs of pork sausage when it's on sale, cook it, and freeze it in packages the right size for one pizza. It'll be easy to thaw in the microwave and then you won't have to bother frying it each time. You can pre-brown the hamburger in bulk, too. IMO, that's the single most convenient food to have pre-cooked, if you use a lot of hamburger. It saves a TON of work and mess and can be used in so many ways.
 
#22 ·
I've always used the Martha White(I think) dry pizza crust mixes and they work get from dry mix to pan in 5 minutes.

I buy my cheese at Sam's -a great value there.

I throw together my own sauce. Tomato sauce, oregano, garlic, dried onion, and some rosemary and maybe a little salt and pepper. this can be made a frozen ahead of time and thawed in fridge.

I need to find a crust clone to save me money.

You have given me a quest for today!
 
#24 ·
We do pizza 1x a week too....a lot of times when my nieces are here. They love to make their own personal pizzas or pizza pockets. I do the dough in the bread machine. I make a simple sauce but do a big batch at once and put the rest in canning jars and freeze. I buy cheese at costco already shredded and break it down into smaller bags and freeze. Around here the cheese is way cheeper that way. It does sometimes still seem like a lot of work so I alternate about every 3rd time and buy take and bake at papa murphys. They always have coupons out and this way with the ones we buy I can get 2 family size for $19. It leaves lots of leftovers for a couple lunches.
 
#26 ·
Last week we did english muffin pizzas for the first time in ages. They are fast, cheap and fun for kids to make. I think for next months menu plan I will have english muffin pizza 1x, take and bake 1x and homemade the other 2 times. I like a little variety......
 
#27 ·
I know the shoprite I use sells the dough for around $1.00. Also, you do not have to use mozzarella cheese on your pizza try different cheeses, a white sauce or even no cheese and have more of focaccia bread with toppings. Sure you can order out but when you make the pizza you actually know what you have in your pizza. Many fast food places make you think about the possible ingredients. Healthier ingredients mean a healthier you. Try stocking up on supplies when on sale.
 
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