Haha: Chef Amanda Freitag Tries To Prep Family-Friendly Dinner On "Shoestring" Budget

**ThriftoRama** · 01-13-2009, 05:32 PM

Geesh. I made curried butternut squash soup and complained that it cost me $8 for all the squash, and it's enough for us to eat all week long.

**SnoopyCool** · 01-14-2009, 04:15 AM

...recession-busting budget of $35? Ha!

**disneysteve** · 01-14-2009, 04:34 AM

To play Devil's Advocate here, for a reasonable segment of the population, cutting back to $35 for a meal does constitute cutting back, especially if making that meal at home replaces dining out one night. Feeding a family of 4 in a decent restaurant can easily cost $70 if you figure $15/person plus 20% tip (and I'm sure eating at that chef's restaurant would cost even more). If that family would change to eating at home for $35, that would represent a 50% savings for them. Sure, it might still seem extravagant to others, but savings is all relative. In the current economic climate, even those with higher incomes are looking for ways to cut back even if they aren't ready to go to a rice and beans menu. I'd say give them credit for paying more attention to their spending and making an effort to trim the budget even if it isn't to a bare bones level.

**jeffrey** · 01-14-2009, 05:15 AM

disneysteve,

Always so much more diplomatic that I am

Points well taken.

**simpleyme** · 01-14-2009, 06:11 AM

WOW spaghetti for under 35 dollar ! how does she do it !

of course that is probably super cheap for the budget shopping impaired

on the Oprah show once she talked about a trip to target she was in shock,so I do believe that their are some who would be amazed and dazzled at a pasta dinner for a mere 35 dollars;-) some people do not seem to live in the same world with the rest of us

**disneysteve** · 01-14-2009, 07:22 AM

Originally posted by simpleyme View Post

some people do not seem to live in the same world with the rest of us

I know this site is all about living within your means, being frugal, getting out of debt and such, but I think folks sometimes forget or just don't realize that we are a very diverse group. There are folks here who are retired and living on Social Security, others who get by on some type of disability payments, students, people collecting unemployment and working folks who barely make enough to get by. At the same time, though, there are also folks earning 6-figure incomes with very successful careers. I know I'm not the only physician posting here, and there are several people who have posted that they earn considerably more than I do.

Not all advice posted here will apply to all of us. Depending on your situation, you may need to be more or less frugal than someone else. To some, the thought of spending $35 for dinner for the family is ridiculously expensive. At the same time, though, for others it is quite cheap. It all depends on your point of view. While I certainly don't spend that much for dinner on a regular basis, on occasion I spend far more than that for a meal. If my wife and I go out for a nice dinner, we can easily spend over $100. So for someone who dines like that frequently (not us, mind you), learning how to have an enjoyable meal for a lot less can actually be useful advice, even if it isn't useful for lots of others.

**PrincessPerky** · 01-14-2009, 08:04 AM

In her defense, I couldn't do this menu on less:

Menu
# Beet Salad with Crushed Pistachios & Soft Goat Cheese
# Lamb Ragu with Rigatoni and Fresh Ricotta
# Greek Yogurt with Blood Oranges, Honey & Mint

But then I am just po folk, we don't do courses for meals..too many dishes to wash!

Any old spag in our house is much less fancy.

**simpleyme** · 01-14-2009, 08:12 AM

hmm maybe i did not catch that there were so many different dishes in one meal

I have gone to many business luncheons and conferences over the years where they served tiny little fancy portions we have stopped at McDonald's afterwards to keep from starving ;-)

"I is just not fancy"

**Joan.of.the.Arch** · 01-14-2009, 08:32 AM

I don't think that it so many dishes for one meal. Not at all. What I do think is that it is a protein overkill with the meat plus cheese or yoghurt in all three dishes then the pistachios in the salad--but nutrition is not the issue here.

Those morning shows do have a tendency when doing money-saving programming to address themselves to people who are of higher than average means. We have noted here before how they will have segments on how to duplicate a given outfit that originally cost $10,000 for no more than $800, when to spend $800 on a single outfit would be a jaw-droppingly expensive action to most Americans.

When they have segments featuring money-saving for more average people, they sometimes present it as some sort of freak or marvel---like the supposed "cheapest family in America."

Nonetheless, I watched the video and enjoyed it. I'd like to eat that meal too!

**disneysteve** · 01-14-2009, 08:40 AM

Originally posted by Joan.of.the.Arch View Post

We have noted here before how they will have segments on how to duplicate a given outfit that originally cost $10,000 for no more than $800, when to spend $800 on a single outfit would be a jaw-droppingly expensive action to most Americans.

I read a popular men's magazine that has a fashion section each month featuring insanely priced outfits and accessories: $250 shirt, $300 pants, $150 belt, $200 shoes, $90 tie, $500 watch, etc.

A reader wrote in a few months ago asking why they do this when surely only a handful of their readers could actually afford to spend that kind of money. The response was that they do it to show what is in fashion, knowing full well that people can't actually afford that stuff, but it gives them an idea of the look they should go for when assembling their outfits, even if they are using far cheaper clothes to do so.

I guess the tv shows use the same theory. I know I'd rather see them take the family to Target and put together nice outfits, though.

**scfr** · 01-14-2009, 08:48 AM

Perhaps she has a family of 20?

**rob62521** · 01-17-2009, 06:02 AM

I guess we also need to take into account this was Manhattan where prices are higher...

But, in my house we have two courses at "supper time": take it or leave it! :-)

Haha: Chef Amanda Freitag Tries To Prep Family-Friendly Dinner On "Shoestring" Budget