Do you remember when you were a kid and asked, “what’s for dinner?” You waited in anticipation for fried chicken, meatloaf or perhaps spaghetti. There were any number of meals your mom and/or dad had in the stable of family favorites. All of them would’ve been good, but none of them surpassed one simple response, “we’re having breakfast for dinner.”
Your mind immediately races through a menu of items that may be in store for you that evening. From omelets to pancakes, sausages and bacon or perhaps cinnamon rolls and biscuits, the salty and sweet possibilities seemed endless. My question is, when did this stop being a thing?
Perhaps it’s still a thing in your house and, if that’s the case, I applaud you for keeping the tradition alive. If you’re one of the many who isn’t already eating breakfast for dinner, your stomach and your wallet will thank you for working it into your weekly meal plan.
Going out for breakfast appears to be a universally exciting event. The smell of coffee, syrup and breakfast meats is comforting and perhaps even nostalgic for some. I’m reminded of trips with my Dad on Saturday mornings, a happy childhood memory that has always brought a smile to my face. These are all good things, what it does to your wallet, is not so good.
Eggs are an incredibly cheap protein. Aside from the chicken issue experienced in mid 2023 that drove up the price of eggs for several months, they’re usually less than $2 a dozen. Often they’re closer to a $1 depending on where you look. We can debate the nutrition effects of cholesterol another time, let’s focus on the price for now.
Bacon is of course a bit more pricey but even that can be purchased for less than $10 most times. If you’re not picky, you can usually find a pack or two on sale that would drive the cost down even further. If bacon isn’t your thing, head over to the sausage and/or kielbasa section. The turkey kielbasa in particular is around $3-4 at Wal-Mart (it’s even less at Aldi).
Shredded cheese is a must for any good omelet or simply to have on hand. An egg biscuit without cheese would sound an alarm in my house. Sliced cheese will do. An entire pack will run you around $3-4 depending on the brand.
Venturing into the sweet categories, a pack of biscuits and/or cinnamon rolls will run you around $3 as well while a packet of pancake mix is about the same. Add in the syrup and you can buy everything you need to add sweetness to your breakfast dinner for $5-10.
I break all of this down to show you just how inexpensive breakfast items can be. With the price of most “standard” dinner items going up seemingly by the day, it helps to be creative in how you’re feeding your family. Bringing back a childhood favorite provides a healthy alternative (go easy on the cinnamon rolls) while reducing your overall spend for the week. You’re also able to use what you have left over for breakfast the next day and throughout the week.
Compare what I’ve outlined above to a similar experience dining out at any sit down breakfast place you can think of. Take the fast food options out of the equation, consider only those places where you’re waited on by someone. A standard omelet and coffee breakfast will run you at least $12 if not more. Throw in a tip and we’re nearing the $15-16 mark. Do this with your family of 4 and you’ll be spending roughly $60-70. That’s real money and it impacts your bottom line budget.
Break out the Kitchen Aid mixer and spend some time with your kids or grand kids bringing back a childhood favorite.
Breakfast, it’s what’s for dinner.
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