I have never been a fan of it but I have a grandson who loves the stuff. His mom buys it, I cook it. There is a stroganoff concoction simmering right now that looks somewhat unsavory but I took a bite and it was pretty tasty! Do you remember when a box of HH used to be $3? Now they're a buck! We are actually getting a bargain from Betty Crocker! Do you buy this product and are you amazed by the price? This seems to be the universal price for this product. I have seen it in Walmart and in Sentry, all for a dollar!
My mom made it with regularity when we were growing up and I remember liking it. Now, I can't stand the stuff. I'm not actually sure if there is anything natural left in it! I have no facts to base this on, but I actually wonder if the boxes are smaller and the ingredients cheaper. With coupons, Hamburger Helper is frequently a freebie at my grocery store, and I refuse to buy it, even to donate to the food pantry. Right now, I can make a pot of rice and beans for about $1 also, and feed my family of 5. It would take 2 boxes of Hamburger Helper, PLUS the hamburger. When I'm craving salt, it would do the trick, but overall, I don't consider it a good value, even when it's free.
I have never ate hamburger helper, but whenever I'm in the States, and I see it being sold at Walmart, it's sold quite inexpensively. I also don't think it's a great a value either because you still have to buy the hamburger to eat with it and, also, much of the ingredients in it are very artificial.
The prices of the actual meat needed to make Hamburger Helper have gone up. I think that's probably part of the reason that the price of Hamburger Helper has gone down. Someone who's already going through sticker shock over the price of the meat, isn't going to want to pay $3 extra for noodles.
I've never known Hamburger Helper to be considered expensive, but perhaps with all of the even quicker ways to make food, it's dropped down in price to appeal to those who are willing to wait a little longer to prepare the food in exchange for the cost.
My family always made Hamburger Helper growing up. It was a cheap meal that could be made quickly and easily. I used to like the beef stroganoff. When I was first married, I continued to purchase a few of the flavors. We were on a tight budget, and I knew they were easy to make. However, I noticed I did not like many of the flavors. I started to notice they tasted fake with a ton of salts and preservatives. So even though they were inexpensive, I stopped buying them because of the low nutritional value.
Claire, I think you are right!The box is much smaller than I remember! It fed three of us, though. I didn't eat much, did not dig it but my husband loved it. I am not a clever or thrifty cook; don't actually like cooking. So for me, this was an accomplishment! In a pinch, in a hurry, I would make it again. I would definitely donate a box to the pantry and I think it would be appreciated. I would love to have it for free!
I guess I don't really consider whether it's a bargain or not since I'm on foodstamps and I don't buy a lot of food so we only go over the limit sometimes. I guess I'm the only one that likes Hamburger Helper. I love the salisbury but it's such a rare find. It kinda makes me mad. I also like the three cheese pizza. The cheese burger macaroni is ok which I used to love so I guess I'm not a fan of Hamburger Helper like I used to be. I don't like any of the other flavors. The rice oriental was amazing. Luckily we got the recipe. I have noticed though that the cost of hamburger has gone up. It's a good deal at Walmart but Wegman's is ridiculous. I think I just like it to a degree because I'm a hamburger gal because I don't like tuna helper or chicken helper much. I can't always eat just plain hamburgers. It's nice to have a little variety.
Perhaps the price went down because when you realize you are getting a few noodles and some spices it may not be a bargain for even a buck. For that same dollar you can buy a lot more pasta (noodles, shells, stars) and make a simple sauce with milk and butter or margarine. You can toss in the burger with some veggies and get a more nutritious meal with a lot more left over. If you have a big family and want leftovers you can do the same thing, boil noodles add some prepared sauce or tomato sauce(if you like) with again veggies and get a quick "pasta primavera" with the hamburger. I think the availability of quick recipes online has taught many people they don't need the "helper" at all.
I'm not a fan of the stuff but one of the kids I babysit for sometimes wants to eat it and little else right now, so I've picked up some for his mom before. It is exceptionally cheap but you have to figure that's probably for a reason...don't know if it's the kind of thing our grandparents would recognize as "food" in the natural sense.
They probably use it as a loss leader of sorts, thinking they can make their money back by encouraging you to buy their meats to go along with it. In other words, you might be more inclined to buy a few more packs of ground beef if you see Hamburger Helpers so cheap. If stores had been selling them for $3 in the past, it was probably only costing the store itself less than a $1 for the product itself.
I was a single father who raised two kids alone from the time they were two and three. Thank heavens for Hamburger Helper! I used to jazz it up, adding my own extra ingredients. My (now) adult children still like forme to make one of my HH concoctions from time to time. Our favorites were Cheesy Hashbrowns (which I just made as is - they are perfect) and Cheesy Enchilada. On the latter, I added salsa, black beans, and gobs of sour creme. I still love it - and it is about the only consumer food product that I have seen go down in price over the last 20 years.
We are a mostly clean eating family, but I have to admit that I do buy hamburger helper when it is dirt cheap! I have had it on sale for $0.79 and then I have a $0.75/3 coupon so I end up getting 3 boxes for $1.60. Seriously, you can best that... and in a pinch... hey, it's food. We usually only get the enchildada or the three cheese one
In my town the hamburger helper is still between 2 and 3 bucks a piece sometimes they go on sale for 1.50 but not many times. my family loves hamburger helper not all of them just certain ones. Like the cheesy enchilada is one of my favorites.
For as long as I can remember Hamburger Helper has been inexpensive. I mean you really are getting your money's worth when you purchase Hamburger Helper, in my opinion. I always though Hamburger Helper could have been better.
Hamburger Helper is a crock. The meal could be made cheaper by simply buying your own noodles and creating your own sauces. It is cheap because what is contained in the box is cheap and for the most part unhealthy. They have also considerably reduced the amount of product in a single box.
My son absolutely loves the Beef Stroganoff Hamburger Helper, but I only make it on occasion! However, it is definitely an inexpensive dinner night!
