2 small pizzas, lasagna, cheese bread - $53

[The Straight Story]

How are prices where you are (although the one small had 5 items)?

Sticker shock when I called tonight.

Guess we are ordering elsewhere tonight.

Even the McDonalds here is more expensive than the one back east (kid's meal I used to pay $1.99 for, here about $4, and no 5/6 piece nuggets for a $1 either, more like $2).

(I am in Bakersfield, CA).

[villager]

1. as with house prices, I don't know how pizza vendors plan to stay in business

when they feel compelled to charge more than any of their customers can afford...

It seems there's another Collapse a-comin'...

[MercutioATC]

2. If you want pizza, support the local or regional shops.

Most of them have reasonable prices and provide great service.

...and it's a way to stick it to Donatos/Domino's/Papa John's/Piza Hut....

[The Straight Story]

3. This one was

:)

[MercutioATC]

8. Hmmm..I can get 2 medium pizzas with 2 toppings here for about $14.

...from a regional shop. (and the pizza is good)

Granted, I'm in Ohio, but I wouldn't have expected THAT much of a difference.

[The Straight Story]

16. I used to get a small and 2 subs for under 17 in Ohio

Ah, those were the days :)

And no one here has Italian subs...damned weirdos.

[MercutioATC]

18. Yeah, I used to get a pastrami sub, a HUGE tub of chips, a drink and a pack of smokes for $8.

...central Ohio...mid '80's

[The Straight Story]

20. good old Columbus

Padova's Pizza always had good deals.

We used to go to Tommy's a lot. But not anymore...they sold out and suck now.

[melody]

4. Where did you order from?

I'm in the Antelope Valley (not too far from there) and you can do 2 medium veggie pizzas, pasta and cheese breadsticks for under $30 at one of the bigger pizza chains.

But everything is higher here because wages tend to be higher.

[girl gone mad]

45. Here in North Dallas..

the wages are about the same, but the prices of everything, including housing, is much lower. I think you guys in CA are headed for some rough times. Hopefully it will work out for the best.

Edited to add:

As per suggestions below, here's the price of the same items from the menu of a local Italian place:

small pizza w/ 2 toppings: 6.99
small pizza w/ 6 toppings: 11.79
lasagna: 6.99
mozzarella sticks: 4.99

total: $30.76

no delivery charge.

and that's the expensive place.

[melody]

48. My sister lives in Dallas

She makes about 2/3rds of what my niece does in the same position.

We make more so we pay more. It's the way of things.

[girl gone mad]

61. Where are you at?

Median household income in my north Texas town is $102K. Our cost of living adjusted family purchasing power is over $100K. I think that compares pretty favorably to just about anywhere in CA, outside of the elite enclaves (we have one of those, too, with median income $373K).

Peruse the list of top earning cities and you'll find several Dallas suburbs, right up there with the highest earning CA cities:

http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bplive/2006/top25s/highincomes.html

We're definitely not earning 1/3rd less. At the same time, our cost of living is much lower and purchasing power higher. I think that's why I meet so many ex-Californians here in North Dallas and also every time I go down to Austin.

[melody]

65. I'm in Southern California -- all my California family is

Even those employed in civil service positions make more than comparable Dallas/Ft Worth relatives.

[girl gone mad]

67. I don't think the difference is enough..

at this point to justify the excessive costs of living in CA. Our household income being 100k here in Dallas, we'd have to make 156k in San Diego just to be able to afford the same lifestyle. Even then, I think we would have to rent. I don't know of any job positions that pay 56% more in SD vs. Dallas.

http://cgi.money.cnn.com/tools/costofliving/costofliving.html

It isn't just people that are moving here to get away from the high costs. A lot of businesses have also left CA due to the disparity. I think you guys have along road ahead, but it could work out for the best. It would be nice to see Austin go back to the way it was before the wave of ex-Californians swept in. If the exodus of people from expensive states doesn't end soon, I'm afraid the Dallas metroplex is going to extend right into Oklahoma.

[melody]

68. I'll put it this way, I've been to Dallas, I've lived in LA

I'll take California.

You don't have to live in San Diego to be near enough to it to commute but there's no way to escape
the summers in Dallas. The wages aren't the same and you couldn't pay me to live that close to some of my
fundie relatives. lol

But YMMV.

[Brigid]

5. Sheesh!

Did they think you were offering to buy the place? :wow:

[Warpy]

6. I don't do fast food

and the only restaurants I eat in are Asian restaurants and then maybe every two months or so.

However, I've noticed my canvas bags are getting emptier and emptier as I walk through the food co op and the supermarket and realize a lot of things are beyond my willingness to pay.

I'll be going to Costco for my monthly stock up trip on Monday. They might need to revive me at the checkstand.

I will also be eating a lot more potato soup.

[ColbertWatcher]

7. Holy Crap!

2 small pizza (with everything)
+ individual portion of Chicken parmigiana (with pasta)
+ cheese bread
= $40

Los Angeles

Good idea to compare prices around the country! This will be interesting...

[The Straight Story]

14. Here is where I was ordering from:

Small 2 item pizza: $14.49
Small 3 item: $17.49 + $1.50/per item (we had 6) so about $22
Lasagna: $7.50
Moz Sticks: $5.50

$49.49 + delivery

http://www.cataldospizza.com/

[ColbertWatcher]

21. Pizza Delivery people pay their own gas...

...so make sure that if you do order pizza tip good.

The pizza place might not compensate them enough.

Also, the pizza place I order from has now added a $2.25 "delivery fee" which they never used to have...

I think this would be interesting to do on a weekly basis on different things.

Hopefully, enough people will post.

Thank you for starting this...

[eShirl]

38. our local pizza place now adds gratuity to your bill automatically, for deliveries

we are happy to pay it, once in a blue moon when we can afford to order out

*DELIVERY ORDERS:
Our delivery areas are Augusta, Hallowell, Farmingdale.
$2.50 Delivery Charge & 10% gratuity on orders over $20.00
15% gratuity under $20.00.
http://www.als-pizza.com/

[ColbertWatcher]

40. Tipping...

...I only order pizza when I can afford to pay and tip.

[EOTE]

50. The smaller the pizza, the worse the deal.

Check out the prices for the 14" pizzas compared to the 20" or even 30" pizzas.

14" 12.99
20" 18.99
30" 28.99

The 20" pizza is more than twice as large as the 14" pizza, yet is less than 50% more expensive. The 30" pizza is more than 4 times as large as the 14" and only costs a bit more than twice the price. If you're able to do a pizza half and half by putting certain toppings on each side, you can save quite a bit of money by just getting a single larger pizza and divvying up the toppings.

[KatyaR]

53. $22 for a SMALL pizza?

That's freakin' highway robbery. :wtf:

[hlthe2b]

9. I don't eat fast food (or out at all ) much, but wow.... ! Arby's!

I scarcely saw any sandwich less than $5. When did this happen?

Also sticker shock in the grocery stores. I'm used to Whole Foods (aka "Whole Paycheck") but produce and milk is just as expensive or more so at the neighborhood Safeway. Well, I have to say, I do lose weight when I am consciously trying to stay within a food budget, but it sure isn't pleasant... Ya gotta make up for the ever increasing energy prices somehow, though and the tv cable went long ago. There's not much room to cut anymore.

[kevinbgoode]

25. I hope you got yourself on that list for a digital box coupon

otherwise that antenna won't deliver any signals in February.

[EFerrari]

10. I used to order in two or three nights a week.

And haven't in months. (But now I will tomorrow, you made me hungry for my local Italian joint, damn you!).

It just adds up too fast. If I can cook for 5 or 6 bucks, spending 20 doesn't make sense and now, I have to pay attention.

[kevinbgoode]

26. I try to go to a buffet every week or so. . .

mainly so I can get the things I can't afford to make at home everyday...good entrees, more vegetables, the occasional dessert. I do very well at home during the week but eventually I discovered it was less expensive for me to pay $7.99 for a lunch buffet and get crab salad, spinach, all the veggie trims, one piece of meat (or fish) and salad items. Gosh, even the price of a dozen eggs here is up to $1.79 now. . .and one tomato is $1.08. It would cost me $15 to make a couple of decent salads now, maybe more if I wanted to put some chicken in it.

I never buy this stuff, but I purchased Oscar Meyer bologna for the first time in years - mostly because one pound was on sale for $.99. Otherwise, I have this simple trick of buying a box of microwaveable rice, broccoli w/lowfat cheese (on sale $1.00...otherwise $1.55), add a can of tuna, crunch up some bottom of the bag chips and have a fast casserole...cheap.

[EFerrari]

33. My challenge here is getting produce. I have to drive or spend $

to go find it because there is none here in our local city markets. Argh.

I do fine on tofu and veggies but the real work is being able to access them without spendng too much on fuel to get there.

[cynatnite]

11. Little Ceasar's Pizza... $5 each....

breadsticks...a few bucks.

We only do lasagna when I've got the energy to fix it. Homemade is the only way to have it.

[lpbk2713]

12. I noticed $4.29 for a bag of Folger's coffee at the store tonight.

Not a special blend, not even a pound, 13 ounces IIRC.

Last time I remembered noticing it was around two bucks or so.

[kevinbgoode]

28. I was shocked to see those prices, too!

I used to order freshly-roasted coffee online...it would be roasted the morning it was sent and I'd have it within about four days. Reasonable prices, wonderful flavor. . .but that has gone by the wayside now too. The more stale storebought coffee is depressing. . .but I had to search the shelves to find a 11 oz. can for under $4.

[Nitrogenica]

13. All you can eat Pizza for about 5 bucks at Cici's pizza.

Yumo, cheap not very tasty pizza. That's all we can afford thanks to the free market solving all our problems.

[kevinbgoode]

30. OMG....I ate there once...in southeast Missouri

It wasn't so bad. . .and a bargain. I've also gone to Pizza Inn but if you don't hit it during a meal hour, the buffet food is cold. . .

I just can't bring myself to paying $15-20 for pizza by ordering any longer. . .Godfather's has a good lunch buffet, but it's now up to about $8-9 with a drink. I've tried salads at McDonald's, but they SMELL like the grill, and that isn't appetizing at all.

[Swamp Rat]

15. Wow!

In New Orleans you can get 2 small gourmet pizzas (shrimp, olives, feta, and more toppings on both) for 22 bucks, and add lasagna and freshly baked bread with garlic, focaccia crostini and roasted red peppers for 13 more dollars. During specials you can cut the price down anywhere from 20 to 40%.

I guess I'd be on a permanent diet if I lived in CA... or go fishing every weekend. :D

[The Straight Story]

17. Well, I have lost a lot of weight here :)

Between no job (have one now) and the heat, food just ain't my thing.

Lost 40 lbs since last May, and I wasn't even on a diet :)

[Swamp Rat]

22. Come to New Orleans

We'll put da weight back on ya in a few days... hours. :D

[The Straight Story]

23. Heck no, the wife likes the new look

maybe I should write a book called "The poor man's diet" - it would be one page (eat Top Ramen and drink a lot of rum :rofl: )

[tkmorris]

29. Oh my GAWD

I have got to get me to New Orleans again soon. That looks so good.

[Solly Mack]

19. I'd pay... euro 23 for that

roughly 36 dollars

[TheFarseer]

24. pizza prices are exactly the same here

fast food is pretty much the same across the board, although the Jr Bacon Cheeseburger at Wendy's is a pale, tiny version of the gloriousness that it used to be. I refuse to eat at Wendy's anymore as a result. If you need to charge more, charge more - but don't make the Jr Bacon Cheeseburger little and sucky to save a few pennies per unit.

[Thepricebreaker]

27. Must be a CA thing... Here on the east coast I can get that for under $35.00...

... and its authentic... not domino's or pizza hut.

[Thepricebreaker]

31. You forgot to add the 4th item you orderd in your title...

Small 3 item: $17.49 + $1.50/per item (we had 6) so about $22

[Beregond2]

32. WA

I'm in WA state. For what you ordered, it would be less than thirty here. If I picked up a you-bake myself, under twenty. It's always cheaper to order a large divided into two flavors, BTW, rather than two smalls.

[1]

34. ugh... sorry bud...

you put a little flour in a bowl. a little water, a little oil. it doesn't have to rise, we are talking pizza dough and breadsticks...

a little semolina in another bowl, an egg, a little salt, push them through a pasta press. lasagna noodles.

buy a bunch of them exceptional red italian tomatoes (very cheap). dice the tomatoes fine, a little for the pizza, a little for the lasagna.

meat. lasagna needs meat. ok, a small expense. buy some meat.

cheese. your biggest expense, but buy it whole in big blocks. shred it yourself. even a knife will do. chop, chop, chop, chop... while you are discussing the events of the day with your guests...

maybe a half hour / an hour of prep, and it will be the greatest "2 small pizza, lasagna, and cheese bread" meal you will ever have.

it will cost you $25 at most, not $53. trust me.


and your guests will gush over what a great cook your are! omg! tss should be on the next "top chef"! tss would win!

[cali]

46. you must be the world's speediest chef

I'm with you on the homemade pizza. I make a ton of it in the summer with garden tomatoes and basil, but it sure the hell takes me longer than an hour. And I'm not ambitious enough to make my own lasagna noodles.

[dysfunctional press]

51. i get the impression that the op is travelling, not at home with access to a kitchen.

just a guess.

[The Straight Story]

55. I actually prefer to make my own

(and I was at home) - but it was Friday night, the wife had cooked dinner all week, I was tired and had had a few and wasn't going to drive, and we two other kids here for the evening.

That place does have some ass kicking good pizza (which is rare here....)

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

35. Can usually snag two large w/ good toppings.....

....and some chicken wings for about 25 bucks at Papa John's with a coupon in SE Mass/RI.

[Nicole]

36. Prices here: $21

Sm. pizza with 6 toppings $9.79
Lasagna $6.99
Cheese bread $4.29

That's at a local pizza place, not a national chain. They don't deliver.

Papa John's prices with delivery service are about the same. The pizza is not as good though.

[question everything]

37. Stopped at the market yesterday in late afternoon, when they brought out

the roasted chickens. Smelled so good that I picked one. $6.99 - four servings. I thought that this was quite reasonable, healthier, and cheaper than other fast food four meals.

We ate it with salad.

[VotesForWomen]

39. i deliver pizzas, and it's getting embarrassing to tell customers the prices. the company keeps rai

raising prices, but they never raise our pay; in fact my store actually cut driver commission in the last couple years from 6% to 5%, and that's in the face of $3.00 gas.

[BreweryYardRat]

41. Get Freschetta. Storebought, and as good as fast food pizza.

They run about $5-$7 here in Florida.

Just grab a few next time you're at the store and stick them in your freezer. The 20 minutes it takes to cook is as long as it would take to get a fast food pizza.

[Rosemary2205]

42. I have discovered Pillsbury pizza crust in the tube.

I used to make my own, you know, flour, yeast blah blah. The tube crust is not much more expensive and is actually quite good. You can make it as thick and doughy or thin and crispy as you like. Squish it out on the cookie sheet, toss on the toppings. It take very little effort and no more time than order in.

Lasagna is time consuming, and if you are ordering in then it means you don't have time or energy. I have broken down and bought the Stouffer's kind in the freezer section. the "feeds 5" size (actually feeds 3 or 4) takes about 30 min in the microwave. That big one "feeds 12" takes about an hour in the oven. It's pricey on my budget, but I can tell you a small fraction of that $53.

Unfortunately it would require a plan ahead. :)

[madmom]

43. I work in a deli, and spent the better part of last week raising prices in the computers

[Aviation Pro]

44. Two pounds of salmon....

....turkey bacon, one-half pound of turkey breast, one-half-pound of roast beef, package of baby carrots, a dozen Granny Smith apples, three bartlett pears, eight bananas, one loaf of honey wheat bread, three cans of frozen concentrate juices, a dozen eggs, one package of cookies, one 2 lb box of spaghetti, one large can of tuna fish, one small bag of potato chips, two tomatoes, two cucumbers, one package each of frozen brussel sprouts, broccoli and vegetable mix.

Total: $63.00. Feeds my small family for two weeks. Did I mention we don't eat out?

[uppityperson]

56. Where the heck do you live that that is all you paid for that list?

You must be good at shopping sales and/or store brands. Good job. I have a stocked pantry since I do the same, but prices are getting outrageous for fresh stuff.

[Aviation Pro]

58. Believe or not, Publix in Central Florida....

...you have to be absolutely disciplined to keep costs down. Also, we only eat small portions and use every ounce of food we buy (we aren't supersized Americans). We vary our diet with different kinds of fish, vegetable and fruits, but our grocery bill is consistent.

[sir pball]

47. Central ME

1 large 2-topping
1 small 2-topping
$19.

Not too bad, either. Crust's a little thick but still crispy.

The corner store down by my grandma's, just outside of NYC (Irvington), makes some absolutely kickass pizza, they have a deal on 2 1-topping larges + 2-liter soda, $20.

[gollygee]

49. I had a pizza delivered the other day

well a medium pizza and some breadsticks, and it came to almost $30. They'd stuck a delivery fee in there. They didn't used to have that.

[Prefer]

52. Spent $80 on pizza for 5 two days ago

Verrazano on Johns Creek. Large White pizza, Small cheese, a calzone, and eggplant parm and caprese salad. $68 plus $12 tip.

[emmadoggy]

54. Here in rural NE Iowa....

Local pizza/steakhouse joint

small (10") 2 topping pizza - 5.60
small 5 topping pizza -7.40 (6.20 for 3 toppings, plus .60 per additional topping)
Lasagna dinner - 5.75 (comes with garlic bread and choice of salad - lettuce, coleslaw, jello or cottage cheese)
Cheese bread - 1.95

So all total about $21.00.


One dislcaimer - I'm basing this off a menu that is a couple years old, so prices may have risen slightly. We still order from there now and then, though, and the prices are still reasonable. Our family of four can eat there for under $25.00 most of the time.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

57. From Via Mia, a local place, in the flyer that came with yesterday's mail:

A "local mini-chain" with 5 locations in Silicon Valley (http://www.viamia.com/)

2 medium 1-topping pizzas plus 10 hot wings, $19.99 + tax

2 large pizzas (one 1-topping, one combo), $19.99 + tax

3-topping medium pizza and one side order (cheesy bread, dinner salad, garlic bread, 2 liter soda), $15.99 + tax

3-topping large pizza and one side order (cheesy bread, dinner salad, garlic bread, 2 liter soda), $18.99 + tax

1-topping medium pizza & 10 hot wings, $15.99 + tax

1-topping large pizza & 10 hot wings, $18.99 + tax

[Greyhound]

59. If you get into LA try Vito's on Vermont, across from LACC, great food and

reasonable prices.

Why are you hanging in the armpit of SoCal, BTW?

[Bozita]

60. Big Boy TV ad: Big Boy double-deck burger, onion rings, shake for $8.99

Michigan

[Contrary1]

62. Papa Murphy's Indianapolis:

1 Large Meat delite: $8.99
1 Large garlic chicken delite $7.99 (on special $2.off)
Cheesy Bread $2.99

No tax. Take home and bake. Better than most restaurants.

[Liberal_in_LA]

63. Ouch!

[aikoaiko]

64. I get the 7.89 14 inch w/ 1 topping pickup special on my way home from work.

And I thought I was paying a lot.

[AlCzervik]

66. the pizza in this state sucks the fat one, i almost never order out and when i do

it is never, ever pizza.