The article has: Of course, it still is cheaper to make food at home. A chicken patty, a bun, and some lettuce and mayonnaise cost maybe a dollar or so overal

The article has: Of course, it still is cheaper to make food at home. A chicken patty, a bun, and some lettuce and mayonnaise cost maybe a dollar or so overall. A small handful of frozen fries, far less than a buck. You just have to take the time to put it all together, which we usually do. Making food at home is the ultimate price point for stingy folks, and our default mode of operation (and one reason you can retire on a lot less than you think - my next blog entry). There's nothing in there about needing to buy food one meal at a time, and if you're trying to live cheaply to retire sooner you're likely buying relatively large packages and freezing/refrigerating across multiple meals.