• Some convenience foods save work and time and are low cost.
• Other convenience foods do not save much time in the kitchen and cost more than making the food yourself.
• Some higher-cost convenience foods are canned frosting, frozen dinners, instant hot cereal, and single-serving foods.
• Compare the cost of buying a convenience food with making it yourself to find which is the better buy.
• Some low-cost convenience foods are cake and pancake mixes, dry macaroni and cheese, taco seasoning mixes, and spaghetti sauce.
• You can make coating mixes and meat "helpers" at home for less money than buying packaged mixes.

Prepared by Ellen Burton, Extension Educator, Consumer & Family Economics

Fact Sheet 5
1997

Consumer and Family Economics
Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics
University of Illinois Extension
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign