6 Grocery Store “Family Packs” That Don’t Feed a Family
Finding the best deal for your hard-earned money in the bright aisles of a modern grocery shop can often feel like a game of strategy. We’ve all been there, standing in front of the fridge and seeing a big “Family Pack” sign that offers a huge price. It seems like a good deal for your budget and your meal prep plans, but when you bring that big tray home, the truth typically hits you. These packs can be very misleading. For example, they might have a few extra bones concealed under the meat or portions that are smaller than you expected. We’re going to examine bulk packaging to find out which grocery store items may be leaving your family with empty plates and your pocketbook lighter than expected.
1. The Bone-In Chicken Thigh Tray
When we see a big tray of chicken thighs with the words “family value pack” on it, the weight of the package often makes the price seem fair. But a lot of shoppers don’t pay attention to the ratio of bone and skin to actual protein. Thighs with bones and skin are much heavier than thighs without bones, so you’re paying for weight that will someday end up in the trash. Taking into account the shrinkage that happens when roasting, those eight or ten pieces might only have enough meat for two or three hungry persons. If you have active kids and are trying to feed a family of four or five, you will probably discover that one tray doesn’t have enough robust protein for a fulfilling meal.
2. Pre-Formed Ground Beef Patties
It’s hard to argue that it’s easy to get a family pack of pre-formed burger patties for a weekend cookout, but these are known for being a bad deal. First, these patties are generally made with more fat so they stay moist. This makes them shrink a lot as soon as they reach the heat of the grill. Once the fat melts, a patty that looks big and substantial under the plastic wrap might soon shrink to a considerably smaller size. Also, these packs normally have an even number of patties, like six or eight, which doesn’t always match up exactly with a normal family’s appetite or a normal pack of buns. To provide everyone a second helping, you need two packets, doubling your anticipated cost.
3. Thinly Sliced Breakfast Bacon
Most families eat bacon for breakfast rapidly, so the bigger “family sized” cardboard sleeves seem like a good buy. The difficulty is that the “value” cut is typically employed for these bigger amounts. The slices are generally very thin and have a lot more fat than premium center-cut options. This kind of bacon shrinks and curls up a lot when you cook it, so you don’t have much to serve. A family of four may easily finish up a whole large pack in one sitting because each individual requires four or five slices to feel like they have eaten enough. You often end up buying extra water and fat weight that disappears in the pan instead of saving money. frequently purchase water and fat that melts in the pan.
4. Assorted Pork Chop Bundles
Pork chops are sometimes marketed in big packs that look like they could feed a family for a week, but the many types of pork chops within are what make them look like that. Most of the time, these packets have a mix of center-cut chops and end pieces that are primarily bone and gristle. The top layer of the packaging shows the most appealing, meaty chunks, but the concealed layers often have smaller, thinner pieces that cook at quite different speeds. After you cut off the parts that aren’t edible and make sure the sizes are even, you have a bunch of meat that is hard to turn into a meal for the whole family. If you buy in bulk, you may have to cook the whole bag for one meal.
5. Frozen Breaded Chicken Nuggets
Parents who want to stock up often see big bags of chicken nuggets or “tenders” as they walk down the frozen food aisle. The bag feels hefty, but a lot of that weight is actually the thick, manufactured breading and not the chicken itself. When these nuggets are baked or air-fried, the breading makes up a large part of the volume, thus they don’t have much protein density. Adults and kids both tend to consume twice as many of these because they don’t fill them up. Because of this, the bag was eaten far faster than a bag of fresh chicken breast of the same weight would have been. Wheat and spices cost extra, and your family isn’t getting enough nutrition.
6. Individual Yogurt Multipacks
People often say that buying yogurt in bulk is a good way to stock the fridge for the whole family, but the individual cups in these packs are usually smaller than the conventional single-serve containers sold individually. One frequent trick is to make each cup smaller, from six ounces to four ounces, while still making the outside box look big. A four-ounce serving is not enough to fill either a growing toddler or an adult who wants a quick breakfast. Because of this, family members take two containers at a time, which means your “week-long” supply is gone in just two or three days. Buying a huge tub and serving yourself is usually cheaper and gives everyone a bigger serving.
