The look on my colleague's face when I said that my family didn't eat at McDonald's because it's too expensive for our budget (never mind our health)...
And then she argued that 15-20$/meal was REASONABLE. You guys. That's a grocery bill of over 500$ per month, ONLY for dinners! Add in lunches and breakfasts, and the occasional snack and bottle of wine, and you're looking at over 800$ WTF??!
Justification for saying McDonald's is too expenive: we're looking at 5$/person, plus a happy meal for the toddler... say, 12$CAD for dinner for 3? I haven't eaten there in years, but said colleague said she usually counts 7-8$/person when she goes there, and Google gives me numbers between 4$US per person and 9$CAD per person, so assuming 5 seems safely on the frugal end of things. Let's be fair, huh.
Last night, we had tofu stir-fry: block of tofu at 1.50, 1/4 of a large bag of frozen vegetables 2.20, 1.5 cup of rice out of a 10kg bag... maybe 20 cents? Sauce = soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger and garlic, and either peanut butter if we want a peanut sauce or maple syrup if we want something sweeter, plus a bit of cornstarch... 50 cents on the high end? So, 4.50$CAD for dinner for 3 plus lunches for the adults.
Tonight, we're splurging: merguez sausages, roasted asparagus, and fresh bread. Yum! I made the bread in the stand mixer last night: flour (10kg bag for 7$, so... maybe 20 cents worth, on the high end), yeast (1lb brick for 3$, lasts a year), and water. Asparagus are in season: 1lb for 1.50$. Merguez, well, those are the good ones, so they're a bit pricy: 5$, assuming 3 sausages for each of the adults and 1 for the toddler. Under 7$ for that meal.
I maintain: McDonald's is actually too expensive for our budget.
(And I'm feeling REALLY smug about my pantry right now, it is SUCH a lifesaver, budget-wise)