€7.50 for three chicken fillets

Stheno · 30-09-2013 10:24PM #1

The Irish Times have been doing their usual pre Budget articles, but I was shocked by todays article.

A single mother of four claims she cannot feed her kids healthy food as it is too expensive with 3 chicken fillets costing €7.50 and two baskets of strawberries €5 and it's easier to "It’s cheaper to buy a packet of 10 chocolate bars for a euro than give them some healthy snacks."

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/the-kids-are-going-to-starve-then-they-have-health-problems-1.1544207

I was shocked as I can buy two whole chickens which would feed a family of five for 2-3 days as main meals for that price, and if you shop in Lidl/Aldi (to which this woman has access, there is a large Lidl not far from her, there is plenty of good value, low cost fruit/veg. My local butcher does ten fillets for ten euro and three pounds of mince for 7.50

Is this an indication that investment in basic budgeting, and cooking skills may be worthwhile?

30-09-2013 10:25PM

What's even more amazing is just how cheep it is to produce chicken.

Frosty McSnowballs · 30-09-2013 10:28PM

This just reminded me of Total Recall......carry on.

Super-Rush · 30-09-2013 10:28PM

Bring home the 3 fillets and let the kids fight it out.

darkpagandeath · 30-09-2013 10:29PM

I think there trying to point out high calorie high fat sugary foods are way cheaper to buy than reasonable fat free healthy alternative. Hence childhood obesity problem. don't think it’s cooking skills but this should be taught better in secondary school.

TheBegotten · 30-09-2013 10:29PM

Some fecking fancy chickens...

Fr_Dougal · 30-09-2013 10:30PM

€10 a week on bin tags? Maybe if she didn't buy so much junk food for her kids she'd get away with the €20 per month that the rest of us pay.

Merkin · 30-09-2013 10:30PM

I couldn't believe that article when I read it. If people made themselves aware of basic good nutrition and secondly actually go the effort of cooking a nutritious meal they'd still be quids in regardless. You don't need need huge amounts of money to eat very well.

Plusminus · 30-09-2013 10:31PM

darkpagandeath wrote: »

I think there trying to point out high calorie high fat sugary foods are way cheaper to buy than reasonable fat free healthy alternative. Hence childhood obesity problem. don't think it’s cooking skills but this should be taught better in secondary school.

Yea and they are wrong. You can eat healthily very cheaply.

rawn · 30-09-2013 10:31PM

Where is she shopping that 3 chicken fillets cost €7.50?! Tesco, butchers, Eurospar etc. always get 4/5/6 chicken fillets for a fiver (depending on the deal of the day)

People just do not know how to feed themselves. Of course it's easy to buy a pizza or chicken nuggets, but it's just as easy to roast a chicken if you know how

Nutrition should be taught to kids from a young age. Food is not something that exists in order for you to eat it to feel full, it is to nourish our bodies and give us energy. Our health mirrors our diet and people need to be educated about it from an early age, before bad habits take hold. Just teaching Home Ec in secondary school is too little, too late. Should be right there from maybe age 7-9, along with English and Maths.

tritium · 30-09-2013 10:32PM

Stheno wrote: »

The Irish Times have been doing their usual pre Budget articles, but I was shocked by todays article.

A single mother of four claims she cannot feed her kids healthy food as it is too expensive with 3 chicken fillets costing €7.50 and two baskets of strawberries €5 and it's easier to "It’s cheaper to buy a packet of 10 chocolate bars for a euro than give them some healthy snacks."

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/the-kids-are-going-to-starve-then-they-have-health-problems-1.1544207

I was shocked as I can buy two whole chickens which would feed a family of five for 2-3 days as main meals for that price, and if you shop in Lidl/Aldi (to which this woman has access, there is a large Lidl not far from her, there is plenty of good value, low cost fruit/veg. My local butcher does ten fillets for ten euro and three pounds of mince for 7.50

Is this an indication that investment in basic budgeting, and cooking skills may be worthwhile?

This sh1ite comes out on a regular basis. Truth is a lot of people are too lazy to cook and think a microwave is the height of sophistication. Too expensive my ass, just to damn lazy and to be honest, ignorant. A (good) few years ago I worked in a shop in the inner city and the staple dinner for several local kids was a chip sandwich, with a crisp sandwich for a bit of variety once a week. For the price of those one of the families whose kids were there could have easily bought a pound of mince, some onions and a sauce from the local butcher. Meanwhile the local off licence did a fine trade

MadsL · 30-09-2013 10:32PM

I couldn't possibly feed the children anything other than the finest cuts of meat. I cannot survive, what with Kobe beef Wagyu filet mignon costing €15 each!

crockholm · 30-09-2013 10:33PM

Sometimes people would be more productive if they tried to think more about solutions than problems.The lady mentioned something that seems a little unrealistic about the price of food.(unless she does her shopping at mortons,if it's still open)
There are cheap,simple solutions out there.Last week,I made a ratatouille that lasted us for 3 days,all the ingredients cost under 6 euro.

Cavehill Red · 30-09-2013 10:33PM

http://agirlcalledjack.com/category/recipes-food-etc/

darkpagandeath · 30-09-2013 10:34PM

MadsL wrote: »

I couldn't possibly feed the children anything other than the finest cuts of meat. I cannot survive, what with Kobe beef Wagyu filet mignon costing €15 each!

Make sure you cremate it too it tastes better

--Kaiser-- · 30-09-2013 10:35PM

Christ almighty, you can get 2 whole chickens for that price in some places

dxhound2005 · 30-09-2013 10:36PM

darkpagandeath wrote: »

I think there trying to point out high calorie high fat sugary foods are way cheaper to buy than reasonable fat free healthy alternative. Hence childhood obesity problem. don't think it’s cooking skills but this should be taught better in secondary school.

Fat free doesn't sound very healthy to me.

Miss Behaviour · 30-09-2013 10:36PM

There is this place called Aldi. The food in really good (most of the time) and it doesn't cost much.

Gummy Panda · 30-09-2013 10:36PM

--Kaiser-- wrote: »

Christ almighty, you can get 2 whole chickens for that price in some places

She must be shopping in M&S

Stheno · 30-09-2013 10:37PM

darkpagandeath wrote: »

I think there trying to point out high calorie high fat sugary foods are way cheaper to buy than reasonable fat free healthy alternative. Hence childhood obesity problem. don't think it’s cooking skills but this should be taught better in secondary school.

Merkin wrote: »

I couldn't believe that article when I read it. If people made themselves aware of basic good nutrition and secondly actually go the effort of cooking a nutritious meal they'd still be quids in regardless. You don't need need huge amounts of money to eat very well.

Answering quote two first, I was the same, we eat very well, quite cheaply.

As for the first post, I actually don't agree, it's cheaper to buy highly convenient food rather than put time into cooking a more nutritious meal imo.

I cooked a stew today and it took me half an hour at the most. Each portion will contain a couple of servings of veg for the day along with good protein and fat.

Cost per portion? €1.25

Seaneh · 30-09-2013 10:38PM

As a former chef and someone who works in the social services area it genuinely astounds me how clueless a large percentage of the population about such basic things as the cost and nutritional content of everyday foods.

You can feed 5 people a damned good meal on about €2.25 a portion, easily,using fresh veggies and meats (even cheaper for a veggie meal).
You can get 8 bananas for 1.50 in Tesco, and so on.

There is no way its cheaper to feed a family on ****ty processed foods if you actually plan meals, people are either ignorant of reality or lazy.

I honestly think that for at least one year in secondary school, all teenagers should have a compulsory class that covers basic cooking skills, nutrition and budgeting.

Being able to cook a good, simple, nutritionally complete meal is a basic life skill everyone needs.

IvySlayer · 30-09-2013 10:38PM

I bought 2 chicken breasts for 2 euro earlier in Tesco, where is she shopping

And her child has been diagnosed with ADHD, I was predicting that

hfallada · 30-09-2013 10:39PM

In fairness where the fu ck is she buying those chicken fillets? Im sure not even Marks and Spencers are that expensive. She clearly cant budget. She lists her income as €250 a week and out goings as €97 a week. Where does the other €150 a week go? I know people who feed their family of 5 decently on €70/80 a week from Aldi with no take aways or buying school lunches.

People need to know welfare is for helping people in between jobs. Not how they are supposed to live for their life. If its so difficult living on €200 odd a week, get a job. But why would you when you lose you bundle of benefits.

BattleCorp · 30-09-2013 10:39PM

Yer wan is a lazy yoke.

Feck all to do with money, more likely it's easier to get nuggets and chips rather than actually bother cooking something.

Aldi/Lidl/Tesco. They are all dirt cheap if you shop around for bargains.

The kids are probably ruined now too. They will be too used to bars of chocolate rather than fruit and veg.

darkpagandeath · 30-09-2013 10:40PM

Miss Behaviour wrote: »

There is this place called Aldi. The food in really good (most of the time) and it doesn't cost much.

That German company were do there profits goto again ? if you try to buy Irish in an Irish store the prices are way higher.

BattleCorp · 30-09-2013 10:41PM

darkpagandeath wrote: »

That German company were do there profits goto again ? if you try to buy Irish in an Irish store the prices are way higher.

Aldi and Lidl contribute plenty to society here. They pay damn good wages to lots of Irish staff and they buy lots of their products from Irish suppliers too.

lafiamma09 · 30-09-2013 10:42PM

I get mine from a farm shop in kildare.. 30 fillets fresh from the farm for €27... there are quite a few places that do it. Go down with a €100 and you have meat for a month

dxhound2005 · 30-09-2013 10:42PM

darkpagandeath wrote: »

That German company were do there profits goto again ? if you try to buy Irish in an Irish store the prices are way higher.

Not my experience for fruit and veg which I get in the greengrocer who is Irish.

dee_mc · 30-09-2013 10:43PM

Strawberries aren't that expensive when they're actually in season, and there are many other, cheaper fruits.
Chicken breasts are more expensive than whole chickens, legs and many other meats etc which are just as nutritious.
This idea of 'I can't afford premium organic fruit and veg so I might as well feed them Haribo for breakfast' is such a pile of sh1te copout.

dxhound2005 · 30-09-2013 10:44PM

BattleCorp wrote: »

Aldi and Lidl contribute plenty to society here. They pay damn good wages to lots of Irish staff and they buy lots of their products from Irish suppliers too.

They also provide employment for lots of immigrants, nothing wrong with that. One of their stores I know about has 31 East Europeans and 14 Irish staff.

fussyonion · 30-09-2013 10:44PM

I buy ten chicken fillets for €10 and they last me about two weeks.
I make stir-fries, fajitas, curries, casseroles, breaded chicken etc etc.

I buy 2lb of round mince for €5 and I halve that again, and again. I can make Shepherd's Pie, Bolognese, burgers, meatballs, chillies etc.

I buy veg from Aldi and using veg bulks up meals like you wouldn't believe.

I spend about €50 on groceries for two adults every week and we eat very well AND have leftovers which I freeze.

There really isn't any excuse not to eat well. It's about budgeting, switching supermarkets, learning to cook home-made meals, freezing, cooking in batches.

It's common sense.

€7.50 for three chicken fillets

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