I usually work in the afternoons but this morning was going to be a "go into work early day." I woke up and honestly decided within two minutes that I was going quick get out the door by going through the McDonald's drive thru and getting a coffee (I think I have a free one) and a sausage mcmuffin for $1.06. (We have 6cents sales tax here)
Here's the question: why do I feel like buying a $1 menu sandwich is such a great deal when it costs twice what the "expensive" bagels from the grocery store that I always have to talk myself into getting cost?
Theoretically (because I would never eat a bagel every single day of the year for breakfast or get a mcdonald's sandwich every morning but theoretically) If I ate a bagel every single morning for a year it would cost $182.50 for my yearly bagels (that sounds silly just to type out). If I ate a mcd's sandwich from the dollar menu every morning for a year it would cost $386.90. The mcd's dollar menu sandwiches which always seem like a REALLY GREAT deal would cost me $204.40 MORE for the year than the expensive bagels from the grocery store. For the record the bagels are as filling if not more so than the sausage mcmuffin.
I think convenience and a "great deal" can trick us into thinking really silly things when it comes to money. $204.40 is a lot of money! It makes me wonder how many other things I cheat myself out of $204.40 because they seem like a great deal.
*To be clear, I probably go through the McDonald's drive thru two or three times a month at the most and only ever get a coffee and $1 menu item but the point still stands.
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I think it's completely ironic that you posted this today because just this morning I was thinking along the same lines. I had gotten a package of whole wheat English muffins off the day old rack at the store for 75¢ but I really am not wild about the whole wheat kind- I like the regular kind. But these were cheap and a super deal so I got them. I decided that I was going to make them go down easier by frying an egg and adding a slice of cheese to make an egg sandwich. It was soooo good and I didn't even notice the whole wheat part of it. Anyway, while I was eating it I was thinking about how much it would cost to get an egg sandwich at the fast food place and how much better mine tastes than what I would be buying there. I was also thinking about back in the day when I was single and driving to work at 5am every morning, stopping for coffee and a bagel on the way to work, and I mentally cringed thinking how much I must have spent eating out back then. This sounds weird to say, but I am so glad that we have had times where we were so broke we had to re-evaluate the way we spent every penny. It has made us wiser and happier to live the way we do now. I often think, "If I knew then what I know now.............." :)
ReplyDeleteI sometimes feel crazy for breaking things down like this "$240" saved in a year, but that's really what helps put it into perspective for me. I didn't go to Mcd's this morning by the way. I don't think I even wrote that in the post :)
DeleteI'm SOOOO with you, "If I knew then what I know now...." Aint that the truth! I agree with you too, there are so many things that I make at home that I just have to think, "this is really so much cheaper and I like it more."
I'm glad you found a yummy use for the whole wheat english muffins too :)
I think it is good to put things in perspective like that, otherwise we (at least I) can "justify" anything.
ReplyDeleteOn the bagel note.....I found a recipe for bagels you make in the breadmaker - guess what we are going to try this weekend.
Yay for homemade bagels... is it pathetic that I'm genuinely excited for you :)
DeleteI don't have a bread machine but bagels are on my list of things to try to make.
We all must be going there but I did cave and spent $21 on a mediocre take out pizza, pasta side and cheese bread. Had I just even bought a couple frozen pizzas and a microwave pasta I'd have spent 1/2 as much.
ReplyDeleteIt happens to the best of us. You know, sometimes in life we actually need to get a take out pizza. There are just days when even popping a frozen one in is just too much.
DeleteI do this when I start to get in the habit of buying snacks at work instead of taking the two minutes it takes in the morning to grab something to take with me. If I spend $1 a day on snacks, that's $260 a year on snacks. When I can buy the same foods at the store in larger packs, portion the food myself and only spend a third of the amount of money.
ReplyDeleteYou're all helping me to feel not so crazy. Thank-you! I often have to do these sorts of comparisons to talk some sense back into myself (the $1 menu is not really all that great of a deal) and then I'm like, "wow, I'm a crazy person. Who adds up how much more a $1 sandwich costs than a bagel?"
DeleteI'm the same way! If I plan ahead for a purchase, then I'm fine with the expense, but if it gets thrown at me last minute I freak out. It's the same purchase and the same money, but it's the psychological aspect that is different.
ReplyDeleteI'm a math nerd too, don't feel bad. I add things up all the time. I take a year and divide the cost by 52. I multiply things out by number of weeks. If you plan ahead and make the bagels w/egg and cheese and put them in the freezer, you can take them out and microwave them and have instant "egg mcmuffins"! So yummy and quick!
I'm the same way. I hate unexpected expenses even if it's something I'd normally plan to buy. Yuck!
DeleteThat's a great idea about the bagel sandwich except we don't have a microwave; would you microwave it out of the freezer to heat it up? I imagine it'd take a long time in the oven :(