"Scope Creep," as Shawn explains it to me, is when your project grows (during production) to the point that it is no longer profitable. The added components are often wonderful and helpful! But the resulting cost of your overall project is much higher than you had projected. In the business world, if you've given the client a fixed price for the product, too much scope creep means your company has to absorb the extra expense. And lose its profit.
How does scope creep relate to our freezer group? Well, after making our first month's dinners, I know I'm going to have to remind myself to stick to an entree (unless we decide entire dinners are the way to go). I could buy five or six pounds of chicken for $16. Add some spices, and stuff... $20. This time I fixed five pounds of chicken, 150 oz white beans, 3 onions, spices, broth, etc.
Something to think about as we evaluate the success of our first month's effort.
I'm glad I decided to make chili the first month, because I had estimated 1/4 lb of meat per entree. And now that I'm reading Kimberly's post, I'm wondering if the general rule of thumb is more like 1/2 lb per entree. Does anyone know? (I'm talking about boneless - hamburger, chicken breast, pork, etc.)
ReplyDeleteI'm not worried about this month's dinner because it has so much in the chili, but if I'd made pork, I might have been short!
I agree. I double checked our policies in the sidebar, because I was also making a whole meal for a new mom.
ReplyDeleteI don't think we need to set a standard "this much meat required for each entree", but I think the general rule of thumb for a meat entree is a quarter of a pound per person. (http://www.recipetips.com/kitchen-tips/t--1084/how-much-to-buy.asp#meat)
We only ate half of the Mariachi Rolls last night (and both girls loved it), so the 1/4 lb rule sounds about right, even though the recipe is for 1/2 lb each.
I think we should all just make what we want according to the recipes and not worry about it, though! Veggie and beans main dishes are good too!