It seems that grocery stores are increasingly pushing convenience items – instant soup, microwaveable dinners, pre-cut meat, 100 calorie cookie snack packs.
We often don’t realize that these convenience items may not be that much more convenient than their alternatives. Worse yet, the price of such “convenience” can be extremely high.
In our High Cost of Convenience series we take a look at the cost of some convenience items and ask how “convenient” are they really. Today we take a look at instant oatmeal as an example of the high price we pay for often insignificant convenience.
Oatmeal is a cheaper alternative to sugar-packed, processed kids cereals. Instant oatmeal offers a way to cook oatmeal quickly. But how much more convenient is “instant” oatmeal than regular oatmeal. We compare the more expensive instant original flavor Quaker oatmeal (on the left) to the regular tub of original flavor Quaker oatmeal (on the right).
The instant original flavor oatmeal comes 12 packets to a box. Instructions are pretty simple. Just pour one packet in a bowl, add 2/3 cups of water or milk, and microwave on high for 1 to 2 minutes. At a suburban Chicago chain grocery store this instant oatmeal costs $4.39 for 12 packets or 37.2 cents per ounce of cereal.
The less expensive regular original flavor Quaker oatmeal is packaged in the original shaped tub. You measure 1/2 cup of oatmeal from the tub, add a cup of milk or water, and microwave on high for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. The cost $3.29 or 18.3 cents per ounce of cereal.
According to the directions on the box of instant oatmeal and tub of regular oatmeal there is not much difference in microwave time – 1 to 2 minutes for the more expensive instant oatmeal compared to 1 1/2 to 2 minutes for the less expensive oatmeal. The less expensive oatmeal even advertises its “quick 1 minute” cook time right on the front of the tub.
Since the more “convenient” instant oatmeal takes just as long to cook as the regular oatmeal, it seems we are paying not for quicker cooking time. Instead it seems we are paying for the convenience of being able to tear open a packet of oatmeal and pour it into a bowl, instead of having to measure a half cup of oatmeal from the tub of regular oatmeal.
How much extra is this convenience – well its quite expensive as the box of instant oatmeal costs 37.2 cents per ounce compared to 18.3 cents per ounce for regular oatmeal. That’s twice the cost!
Lesson – Convenience items may offer little extra convenience, and worse yet, the cost of this extra “convenience” can be quite high. Before you pick up that instant product, check how much you’re paying per ounce of food, as well as how much extra effort you’ll really need to cook the non-instant item compared to the instant variety.
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Love oatmeal with chocolate chips and nuts for breakfast….tastes like a cookie wihtout all the calories, and can b e made quickly and cheaply