My boyfriend (20) and I (18) have been living together for 2 years in an urban apartment. For us, it usually goes like this:
- Delivery
- Eating out
- Cooking at home
We visit our parents (and they visit us) often, and they give us lots of home-cooked food. We mostly cook at home just for fun.
I’m curious what it’s like for other people, especially in different age groups or family setups!
Always cook at home, eating out as a treat once in a while and never use delivery.
Same here. Except pizza. I’ll get that delivered, because it doesn’t involve a third party.
Id like to go out more often, but nowadays, I can’t take my family out to eat for under $100.
I have a different point of view. Pizza is one of those things that’s easy and cheap to make myself, so I make that myself.
On the rare occasion I do order or go out to eat, I prefer food I can’t cook myself very well, like persian or asian food.
On the rare occasion I do order or go out to eat, I prefer food I can’t cook myself very well, like persian or asian food.
This is the way. I don’t have the means or qualifications to handle a rotating shawarma spit. Some things are best left to the experts.
For me, that’s sushi. I do not have the fine dexterity and patience required to put that together myself.
You do t have a shawarma spot in your kitchen?
It’s just for show
Just like my sex dungeon.
True, and we do this as well, but pizza is the answer to not wanting to cook or put on pants.
because it doesn’t involve a third party.
Man, the rationales some people have for why they let some people rip them off but not others is mind-boggling.
Really reinforces my opinion of the average person.
I can’t take my family out to eat for under $100.
Are you in fucking Belize? Do you have a family of at least 8? Are you horrible with money?
Or maybe this is just hyperbole.
It’s about $75, plus tip for two people to eat anywhere that’s not “fast casual” where I am- California Bay Area. A “nice” restaurant it would be considerably more.
So it’s hyperbole.
You’re literally ignoring the restaurants that don’t help you support your argument.
Shit is insanely overpriced, especially in the entitled and privileged area that you live. You don’t need to lie about costs.
I live in iowa and its the same here. Sit down mexican restaurant is at least 75 bucks after tipping (for two peope). I’m actually shocked that the price is so close in cali, i would expect it to be higher than here.
There are cheaper restaurants than the one you mention.
If you choose not to acknowledge them, that’s on you. But claiming that you can’t eat out for significantly lower than the prices you people mention is objectively wrong.
Exactly, eating out is crazy expensive compared to making your own food. I like to have a few bigger dishes with easy meals to fill in the gaps, and rarely eat out so I can save that money.
I almost exclusively cook at home because it is much cheaper for a warm meal. Same when i am with my girlfriend.
I envy your financial situation that you can afford to do that.
My weekly grocery budget (single person household) is £25 (~US$34), which is about the price of a decent meal for one person in a low-end restaurant here. Seven days food and other household supplies for the price of one meal. Stop and think on that for a bit, maybe.
Family do help me out from time to time, but they’re not exactly rolling in money either, so what they provide would otherwise be covered by that budget. They just help me stretch things a bit further.
Could I afford to spend a bit more? Possibly. But I like to keep a little extra put by for that inevitable disaster where I have to hire someone to fix what neither I nor my family can handle.
Perhaps importantly here, I like to know that I could get by without family help, and I’m pretty sure I could. Can you say the same?
Would you be willing to discuss your grocery list on that budget? I recently allotted myself $175 per 2 week pay period for groceries for me, a single man living alone. I find myself going over. I think my biggest weakness is snacks, which are extremely difficult for me to not have on hand.
Some thoughts:
- Buy in bulk - if you compare unit prices, you’ll see the bulk version is usually cheaper
- Make your own snacks - e.g., granola is pretty quick and easy to make at home
- Try Aldi or Lidl
- Give generic versions of things a try - a lot of the time they’re pretty close to the ‘real’ thing
- Things that are convenient are usually more expensive. Just looking online quickly, I see the big tub of old-fashioned oats is $6.39 for 30 servings (=21¢/serving), vs a box of instant oatmeal at $3 for 8 servings (=38¢/serving). So to save money, choose the less convenient version.
- Plan your meals before you shop, and pick up only what you need - this helps avoid impulse purchases
👑
Snacks are an incredible waste of money and they have some of the largest profit margins of all grocery items. $5 for a bag of chips that isn’t even a pound is disgusting, but they charge it because people pay it. It only makes sense to buy snacks if you’re wealthy from screwing other people over, or you’re on welfare.
If you want to eat cheap, you need to swallow your pride. Probably one of the best meals that just about anyone can make is a microwave meatball sub with raw broccoli and carrots on the side. Extremely easy, very cheap, filling, and it’s always going to be delicious if you’re actually hungry.
Get used to eating the same things over and over again, and stop treating food like entertainment.
£25 (~US$34), which is about the price of a decent meal for one person in a low-end restaurant here.
Bullshit.
Checks out actually if you have a main and pudding or a drink. Not many places will be cheaper than that.
Where are you talking about that this is the case?
We can do internet searches to see if you’re correct.
They gave prices in GBP (almost certainly, almost no one else uses £), I also l live in the UK and can confirm it’s a pretty reasonable statement to make.
A few fast food options might be a bit less but can you seriously count that as a restaurant?
but can you seriously count that as a restaurant?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_true_Scotsman
I think we’ve figured out the issue. You people don’t know what a restaurant is.
A lot of people don’t understand is that food out is a luxury.
The entire premise of the OP assumes that people have this choice lol
Cook at home is the default; even the lunches our kids eat at school are packed from home.
We never get delivery; we get takeout sometimes when it’s getting late and we’re tired, but usually that’s just the mains and one of us still makes the starch and the veg sides at home while the other goes to get the takeout.
Eating out is pretty much only special occasions and when company is visiting town.
Couple with kids, very small SFH in Chicago but it was the same when we lived in an apartment. If anything we are at home more, because taking young kids to a restaurant is risky at best.
Delivery: never, too expensive when we can just take the car and get what we want.
Eating out: mostly me on her, oh you mean food, nah, only ever on date nights, which with two kids is maybe once a month if we’re lucky.
Cooking at home: probably 345 days of the year. Cheaper, tastes better, more healthy, setting a good example for the kids.
Eating at a restaurant easily costs 4x+ what I can make at home, even fast food.
I’ve done the math many times. My average plate at home costs no more than $2 (and I eat pretty much whatever I want).
Let that sink in. Calculate the difference over a week, a month, a year.
A lot of the younger generation has been convinced to live above their means, or at least in such a way that they are not preparing at all financially for their future.
Since most of them can’t cook and are afraid to try new things, they just eat fast food for most of their meals because it’s embarrassing for them to prepare their own meals.
Pride has much do with it, although it’s undeserved.
Exclusively homecooking. I’m not that good at it and a lot of it is deepfrozen pizza, fish sticks, baked fries etc., but even convenience food like that is just so much cheaper than restaurants. If you live with a partner, cooking is even more time-efficient than for one person alone! Meal preparation in advance goes a long way, too, though for me that kinda falls flat because my fridge doesn’t have enough space.
Back when I was in university, I often went to the uni cafeteria, which was a lot cheaper than a restaurant. If your city has one, look into whether it’s open for outsiders - ours had higher prices for non-students, but it was still cheaper than restaurants.
Living alone, I have cooked at home since I was 18. Delivery only on very rare special occasions, same as eating out.
The two big reasons are all the money I save (I spend around 200€ on food each month), and I like cooking food my own way.
Sure, many times I don’t have the energy to cook, but I usually make food for 2-4 days, so I only have to microwave it. Maybe I’ll make some veggies with an onion and garlic sauté, save it on the fridge, and cook some chicken breast on the day, so I don’t have to do all the cooking at once, and it’s still fresh and good.
I couldn’t afford ordering delivery or eating out every day, but I work part-time so I have more time than money.
85% cook at home, 15% eat out or take out (around once a week), 0% delivery. What we save from eating out and delivery goes into buying more stuff at the grocery store to make various dishes at home.
I have almost always exclusively cooked at home, both for myself and family. There is a very small selection of restaurants and cuisines where I live and I can make most things cheaper, healthier, and just as good or better than what I get from eating out. The only real benefit I get from it is not having to cook or clean up afterwards when I need a break.
51 and 46 here. We eat at home by default. I go out for lunch once a week, and we might eat out or order in for dinner or brunch once or twice a week.
I usualluly cook a bunch of protein for the week and pair that with frozen veggies and pasta, oats, or rice. I’ll eat that and/or dinner leftovers.
Cooking at home was the default for us even when we lived downtown with eating out / delivery accounting for at most 2-3 meals per month, even when we’ve first met in our early 20s. 20 years later we live outside of the delivery area of everything and we grow most of what we eat.
We’re 47 and 43, living in an exurb of Philly, and we cook at home 95% of the time (=20/21 meals weekly) and eat out once a week. Since it’s summer, we grill a bunch of protein and veggies - chicken, turkey burgers, and salmon, plus squash from our garden - every 5 days or so, and use that as a base for our lunches and dinners. That way each individual meal is quick to throw together and we’re not spending a bunch of time cooking every night.
When we were young we did a lot of eating out and delivery, and I wish we hadn’t. Not to harsh your mellow, but restaurant food is mostly terrible for you. Loads of fat, sodium, and sugar, and often doesn’t meet your micronutrient needs (depending on what kind of food you’re getting). Cooking at home can be way healthier. And also better for your wallet!
Delivery: Never. I live far away from any options for such.
Eating out: Sometimes.
Cooking at home: The norm
I(mid30 male) mostly cook at home, sometime eating out but never did delivery as none of those thing looks appetising.
My stuff can ranging from struggle meal(hotdog on sliced bread, instant noodle), to grilled chicken or stir fry if i have the time. It’s really just depend on whether i have the time and effort or not.
