The Cost of the Family Cookout

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By JLP | May 26, 2008

MSN Money had an interesting (and sad) article today about family cookout inflation. What I found interesting was this table:

The Cost of the Family Cookout (from MSN)

I found this table interesting, not so much for the information, but for the source of the information. Home Depot and 7 Eleven? I can’t remember the last time I purchased any cookout items from Home Depot. And who the heck shops at 7 Eleven?

Regardless, the bottom line is that we are paying more for the family cookout.

Topics: Budgeting |

Comments to “The Cost of the Family Cookout”

David Says:
May 26th, 2008 at 2:00 pm

They should have included transportation costs as well.

Andy Says:
May 26th, 2008 at 2:04 pm

Prices from my Safeway:
Ground beef patties - $2.33/lb
package of 8 hot dogs - $1.33
8 hamburger buns - $2.19
8 hot dog buns - $1.00
1 lb american cheese - $2.00
1 lb tomatoes - $2.50
1 lb lettuce - $1.79
1 lb bag of chips - $3.66
six pack of beer - $6.99 (cheaper to buy a 12 pack, but whatever)

Total: $23.79

Their total is $28.58
So either you should buy things at Safeway and not 7/11, or where I live is much cheaper than the rest of the country (unlikely).
Still, this is enough food for ~8 people (not enough beer, though), so that’s ~$3/person. Not bad.

Jeremy Says:
May 26th, 2008 at 3:03 pm

OH NOES!@!!1!

My family cookout is going to cost $1.65 more this year than last year. Holy crap, I’m headed to Costco right now to stock up on about 500 pounds of rice.

Or, I’ll just buy an item or two from the list that happens to be on sale, and offset the difference.

I love the media coverage of this. Sure, food prices are increasing, yet in terms of actual dollars, you can usually offset it by buying one less item, shaving off a half a pound of meat, or simply buying something on sale.

Never mind that, I’m going to put my tinfoil hat back on and check on my food supply in my underground bunker.

Tina Says:
May 26th, 2008 at 3:14 pm

Come on now. Where’s the ketchup, mustard and relish? Where’s the macaroni or potato salad? Where’s the watermelon and brownies? Where’s the soft drinks? What kind of cookout are these people having?

AndyS Says:
May 26th, 2008 at 4:58 pm

The editors of the stories probably had numbers in mind to fit the story theme and given 7 Eleven are the most expensive place to get groceries it would be the best source of data for their story! Quality reporting that. Not.

AndyS Says:
May 26th, 2008 at 4:58 pm

The editors probably had numbers in mind to fit the story theme and given 7 Eleven are the most expensive place to get groceries it would be the best source of data for their story! Quality reporting that. Not.

Nick Says:
May 26th, 2008 at 6:51 pm

well, after years of incredibly cheap food, the price rises? who woulda thought that could happen.

The dollar has fallen to about half value vs the other big currency, the euro, so why AREN’T we paying much more in dollars just to pay the same real amount?

JLP Says:
May 26th, 2008 at 7:03 pm

Nick said:

“The dollar has fallen to about half value vs the other big currency, the euro, so why AREN’T we paying much more in dollars just to pay the same real amount?”

Because we don’t import our food.

Zara Says:
May 27th, 2008 at 3:53 am

Yes looks to be rather interesting and useful, however I also think that the transportation costs should also be included in the list.

make art every day Says:
May 27th, 2008 at 9:36 am

i saw this reprinted in a newspaper and even though i think food prices are going up, i thought this list seemed crazy inflated. first, i don’t buy my lettuce at home depot. i actually started using thegrocerygame.com and have gotten hot dog rolls for free and bagged lettuce for $.50. i’ve gotten name brand sliced cheese for about a dollar, and my hot dogs are $2 or less. and i sure as hell am not paying $3+ for ground beef!

yes, food prices are rising. but there are strategies you can use to keep your own bill low.

scott Says:
May 27th, 2008 at 9:43 am

so good

scott Says:
May 27th, 2008 at 9:45 am

oh.. good

KC Says:
May 27th, 2008 at 1:50 pm

One POUND of potato chips and only 6 beers?? C’mon now. A whole pound of chips could last for 5 cookouts. The 6 beers wouldn’t last a half a cookout. Besides the beer I drink used to be $6.99/6 pack and now it’s $8.99/6 pack. They must be drinking that slop that comes from Bud/Miller/Coors.

JLP Says:
May 27th, 2008 at 1:54 pm

KC,

Yeah, I wondered about their sizes also. I think they were talking more about the items than an actual cookout.

Jon Says:
May 29th, 2008 at 8:06 am

“Because we don’t import our food.”

And THIS is why people who rail against farm subsidies need their heads examined. It’s very good that we don’t import our food.

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The Cost of the Family Cookout