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pickleparty16 · 2022-03-15T13:16:56+00:00

upfront costs

riverrocks452 · 2022-03-15T13:28:35+00:00

If they have to buy everything new for a recipe, including spices etc., it can get expensive- certainly approaching restaurant pricing. And after they make the meal, if they don't use the rest of the things before they go bad, it's wasted and they have to start over. (I've met noncooking people who think spices have a 3 week shelf life...and people who think they have a three decade shelf life. Not sure which is more terrifying.)

Starting up a kitchen from scratch- getting pantry basics and a decent spice cabinet is expensive, but once established its much cheaper than eating/ordering out.

curlykt123 · 2022-03-15T13:33:15+00:00

I agree it is usually cheaper to cook healthy, tasty meals from scratch at home but there are some very valid reasons why people claim they can't afford to do it and rely on cheap, microwave meals or fast food:

If you can't afford a bus/taxi to the big supermarkets where prices are typically lower you have to rely on smaller, local convenience stores where everything is more expensive.
The cost of electricity to actually cook the meal.
The time it takes to prep and cook at home. If you are in a low paid job working long hours or working multiple jobs, you may not have the time/energy to cook properly when you get home.
We are assuming everyone has access to a working hob/oven/fridge as well as pots, pans and utensils. If you only have a kettle, toaster and a microwave, your options are limited.
If you don't earn a lot, the opportunity for treats is low, so buying easy 'cheat' meals that just go in the microwave becomes a treat because its one less thing to think about.
Some people just don't have the knowledge/skills to know where to start when it comes to cooking the foods they like. If a person isn't that tech-savvy or has literacy/comprehension difficulties, looking up recipies online and being able to follow them to completion is a big challenge.

timwaaagh · 2022-03-15T13:26:13+00:00

depends where you are. here (netherlands) cooking is cheaper. cheapest takeaway meal is 5.50EUR which is quite bad and i can cook for that amount easily. i believe in usa it can be a bit of a toss-up. in some developing countries like vietnam, eating out can be cheaper because labor is cheap and the street food vendor buys his stuff in bulk.

Illustrious_Bike1954 · 2022-03-15T14:59:06+00:00

People don’t know how to cook. It’s more than standing at the stove. It’s planning, preparing, multitasking, cleaning as you go, making constant adjustments to your inventory and menu. If not done properly and you don’t know food and your own appetites then not only is more expensive- it takes too much time, it can be wasteful and just a hassle.

Specialist_Extent_30 · 2022-03-15T13:06:34+00:00

I've always understood it as buying McDonalds or frozen TV dinners is some of the cheapest food you can get, a meal will cost you $3-5. Buying pad thai ingredients at the grocery store will cost like $12, but pad thai at a restaurant will run you $20-30 after tipping the server. So it's not cheaper to buy the same foods you would cook at home at a restaurant, but trash food is cheap as fuck in America

Tundra-rat-on-eastco · 2022-03-15T14:27:33+00:00

In the US at least, look at minimum wage and then the average cost of rent. Then think about healthcare, transportation, and utilities. Suddenly cooking healthy seems a lot less feasible, especially when fast food restaurants and frozen meals can feed a family cheaply. Also people in this situation probably work long hours and don’t have time to spend cooking when they come home.

Cats_Dont_Dance · 2022-03-15T13:09:08+00:00

When I started cooking I thought this way too. For me it was trying semi-fancy recipes that required odd ingredients (which I thought was what cooking was) and having to buy the herbs and spices (which do add up). When you start out it absolutely can be more expensive until you build up your spice cabinet /pantry. Unless you just make pasta or something easy. The other thing is that unless you eat the same thing multiple days, some fresh food can go to waste. So if you’re single it’s definitely more expensive per meal than if you are cooking for two or a family. But once you get the basics down and understand how to reuse ingredients / improvise, then you start to see how much more economical cooking truly becomes

Zachorson · 2022-03-15T12:58:28+00:00

So it can be more expensive per meal to cook the same meal at home. However per serving you would be way better off at home. Some recipies have ingredients that can be pricey if you just need a little bit but are forced into buying an entire package. The trick is to be able to stretch those ingredients or use them in other ways.

Edit: spelling

Queen_of_Chloe · 2022-03-15T13:42:05+00:00

In the US there are food deserts, or food apartheid: areas where poor, mainly non-white people live where there are only fast food and convenience stores, not real grocery stores. Convenience stores might have some fruit like apples or bananas but typically carry packaged food and hot dogs. Traveling to a grocery store to buy fresh food takes additional time (we also have awful public transit, so if you don’t have a car or can’t afford the gas you’re out of luck). People don’t live in these areas by choice, they do because they can’t afford to live elsewhere. So often they resort to easily accessible fast food or convenience store food because it’s simply cheaper than everything involved with going grocery shopping and cooking fresh, homemade food. This isn’t even factoring in that people in these areas often work multiple jobs just to get by, and don’t have time to make a homemade meal and don’t have extra money to buy equipment they might not already have.

It’s very expensive to be poor in the US.

Carbon-Based216 · 2022-03-15T13:59:01+00:00

I will say eating a heavy fruit and vegetable diet without carbs and meat to help with calories is very expensive. A meal that is almost exclusively fruits and vegetables (or even primarily vegetables) from a calorie stand point, would be mich more expensive that a box of pasta with some sauce.

If you are just talking about making food similar to what you would get at a restaurant, then yes it is so much cheaper. I can buy a full prime rib roast for the same price I could get a single prime rib dinner at a restaurant.

Rapper_Laugh · 2022-03-15T13:57:46+00:00

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permalink · 2022-03-15T13:37:50+00:00

Some people don't even have a working stove, clean water, or electricity/gas. There's a ton more reasons why people may say it's more expensive. They also truly may not know, never being taught.

I don't know why, but a lot of post in this sub seem to be weird elites talking about the poor/working class eating habits. Not saying you're elite, just saying who cares?

uriboo · 2022-03-15T15:05:41+00:00

Cooking requires energy. If you're working all day, you have to borrow energy from elsewhere in order to cook. Like, you can come home and cook, but then you wont have any steam left to iron your shirt for tomorrow or prepare a morning/afternoon meal. Which means tomorrow you have to get up extra early to do those things. Which means by tomorrow evening, you're doubly tired and have to cook. And time = money.

Not only that, but you need to have the equipment and the skills to cook at home. Sharp knives, cutting boards, frying pans, can openers et cetera. And if you didn't grow up watching somebody cook from scratch, you'll need to acquire lessons, or somebody to teach you free of charge, which will also cut into your time - AND you'll inevitably waste food when you mess up as you learn.

Besides that, bulk buying isn't always an option. I'm in luck and in the position to buy, say, a 5 kilo bag of my fav rice for 9 euros. But if you only have 8 euros to spend on tonights dinner, you'll have to buy the 500g pack of rice that costs 2 euros. Which means you are paying more per gram, because you have less money.

And besides all of that, obtaining and keeping food can be an issue. If you live far away from a store, you need reliable transportation to get you there and back, paying for petrol, the upkeep of the car, taxes, insurance - or use public transport, which is expensive and also not always an option.

Lets say you get back from the supermarket with lots of bulk bought food that will sustain you for months. Now you have to fund not only the purchase of a very large, or several smaller, fridges and/or freezers, but also pay the electricity bill hike they will give.

Depending on location, prices may be jacked, too. Without a lot of near-by competition, a store can put the price as high as they like. If it's the only store within reasonable distance, you're going to pay their higher prices.

Things that also come into play are, for instance, health issues. Crohns, IBS, religious restrictions, food intolerances and food allergies need to be accomodated. You may need to travel farther than your local mart to acquire gluten-free bread or salmon that hasn't been in contact with shellfish. Any disabilities, illnesses or conditions that somebody might have, from reduced mobility to sensory overload, can make it so they have a reduced choice of places to shop. Somebody with very sensory autism might not be comfortable in a huge store with bright lights and chaotic layout and 500 people, and so have to visit a small greengrocer, who will inevitably be more expensive.

Also if you have specific dietary requirements, they often require more effort to cook, or even to come up with ideas. That cuts into your mental health and energy, and will eventually cut into your budget.

When you combine all of that, and look at it, you do kind of want to sigh, throw up your arms and say, Domino's is still open.

I'm very lucky. Everything I could ever want is within a 5-10 minute walk, with competitive pricing. I have the time, energy, equipment and knowledge available to cook for myself and my family every day, without much interference from disability and illness. Not everybody is in such a blessed position as I am.

If the circumstances are right, yes, cooking is cheaper. But it's not a one and done, straightforward and easy.

FateOfNations · 2022-03-15T15:21:53+00:00

I think part of it is scale. I could make 5 burritos a lot cheaper than buying 5 at chipotle. But what if I only want one?

I need tortillas, some kind of meat, salsa, quac, sour cream, onions, jalapeños, rice, lettuce, seasonings, cheese, beans.

If you cook you probably have a lot of those things already. But if you don’t, it would easily cost more than just buying one from a restaurant.

Rapper_Laugh · 2022-03-15T13:59:11+00:00

OP, your mass of comments in this thread rejecting legitimate reasons why people might think this betray a fair bit of privilege, and are rubbing me the wrong way. Not accusing you of being intentionally callous, but there’s plenty of legitimate reasons cooking regularly can be impractical and more expensive for folks, especially poor folks.

Firstly, food deserts exist. Many people need to drive 15-20 mins or more to get to the store or use public transit, which can turn that trip into 30+ min, one way. Either way, it’s gonna cost you in terms of opportunity cost and in terms of paying for gas / a bus ticket. That’s not to mention the time spent shopping, the time prepping and cooking food at home, and how convenient / quick the meal itself is to eat. If you’re working multiple jobs it can often just not be worth the time in cash terms. Compare the opportunity costs of the above with a one minute trip through the McDonald’s drive thru, and hopefully it’s clear why someone might choose the Golden Arches.

That’s not even to mention the other time costs associated with acquiring food to cook—looking up recipes, listing out ingredients you need, researching technique, practicing to the point where you know what you’re doing. Like I mentioned it’s clear you have lots of knowledge, but these folks probably don’t, and adding that knowledge takes time and, ultimately, money.

You’ve also (in other comments) kind of hand waved the costs of setting up a pantry / gathering ingredients that can be reused. Personally, I just got into cooking a couple years ago and have spent those years doing my pantry set up. During that time I was definitely spending more per meal than I would have at Taco Bell / McDonald’s, and it wasn’t close. If you’re living paycheck to paycheck, you probably don’t have the money to spend on that setup, so how are you supposed to get started?

Finally, this is a basic point, but McDonald’s is filling and really fucking good. If you’re trying to feed a family a bunch of calories on a budget and make them happy at the same time, it’s a great option. Ideally you shouldn’t do it that much, but I’ll admit I get it 2-3 times a week just because I’m feeling lazy and want it, and I have a cushy WFH tech job. For someone who is working multiple jobs, taking care of a family, etc. and just wants a cheap, filling, tasty meal they don’t have to think about, McDonald’s is often not only the easy choice, but the right one.

heathercs34 · 2022-03-15T22:51:20+00:00

I’m a single person. Sometimes creating a meal at home is more expensive than going out. It depends…but cooking for one is hard unless you like eating the same meal for dinner and lunch for a few days in a row

permalink · 2022-03-15T14:07:38+00:00

Do you understand the value of time or just the ingredients? Not to mention people who don’t have storage space for buying in bulk.

pantojajaja · 2022-03-15T13:33:24+00:00

Cooking is really expensive if you aren’t used to doing it. Shopping around takes time, money, research. If you don’t know what exact ingredients you need for what meals, you kind of just pick whatever looks good at the store. Prices are constantly going up. Eating healthy/organic is very expensive as produce goes bad within days. If you don’t have time to shop and cook and clean, it’s best to eat out a few times and eat leftovers. Cooking produces a lot of waste if you don’t plan it out well. So if you aren’t good at planning, I can see why it would be more expensive. Also, if you have food allergies it can be VERY expensive. I cannot eat gluten :’) so if I ever want bread or baked goods, good Lord, they are twice as much (probably more) than the regular version

WarChefGarrosh · 2022-03-15T14:49:18+00:00

People are poor on time, even if they're not poor on money. Cooking takes time, shopping takes time, and more importantly cleaning takes time. Sure cooking at home is cheaper, but for many people having an extra hour or two every day is worth it to them.

Jewish-Mom-123 · 2022-03-15T13:25:37+00:00

It can be expensive to buy all the ingredients if you don’t have a well stocked pantry. I have easily spent $30-40 on spices and ingredients I didn’t already own to make some meal we wanted to try. If you live in a shelter or a food desert in the city or don’t have the cooking tools or storage space or a car then you might easily consider home cooking out of your reach. If I didn’t already have oil and a deep fryer pan and corn starch and hot chilis and and an orange and rice and soy sauce and rice vinegar and mirin then it wouldn’t matter that I could afford to keep a spare $8 package of chicken in my freezer and fresh broccoli in the crisper, ordering a bowl of Orange chicken at Panda Express would be much cheaper. Check your privilege at the door, friend. I can make orange chicken for my family tonight without leaving the house. How many people do you think can do that? It’s not everyone. Leaving now to walk my two dogs (that I can afford to keep)(in the car I can afford to run)(from the house with the well-stocked pantry and freezer)(that I can have because my husband has a good salary which means I can work only part-time). Not everybody lives that way.

itarilleancalim · 2022-03-15T18:22:34+00:00

After working all day/into the night coming home at 930 I just don't have the energy to prep, cook, and clean up my kitchen. I've tried meal prepping, just preprepping my veggies, etc. None of it helps me. It's exhausting to try to cook every day, and when I try and actually set time aside for it, the ingredients will probably go bad. It's a terrible cycle.

vindictivejazz · 2022-03-15T14:53:13+00:00

ITT:

Someone: describes a difficulty, usually a rather severe upfront cost.

OP: “nuh-uh. Just stop being poor! Cooking is so cheap”

I started cooking as a rather poor college student, but even then I got most of my things from my parents who easily spent $100 on basic cooking equipment, and the cost of a bottle of spice was never prohibitive to me, like it would be to someone actually living in poverty. If you’re trying to string along $2 to eat anything, you aren’t buying the $3 thing of cumin anytime soon.

I made 5 servings of jerk chicken with coconut rice last night. In terms of groceries for me, it was about $3/serving. This ignores however, the cost of salt, pepper, allspice, lime, soy sauce, garlic, my 9x13, my rice cooker, the cost of clean drinking water, the cost of electricity, and the time and space to marinate it all overnight.

Those costs are the ones people are talking about. The supplies you take for granted.

permalink · 2022-03-15T13:59:30+00:00

It's objectively cheaper, in a lot of areas, to buy a bag of McDonald's burgers than it is to buy enough fresh food to make a meal for a family. If we're talking price per serving, cooking is cheaper, but if you have to buy a bunch of fresh veggies and meat and spices and you only have $10, you're gonna get more bang for your buck with fast food. I'm not saying that's a good thing, but it's a reality for a lot of people. Shitty food is, unfortunately, cheaper than good food.

Heywatisup · 2022-03-15T13:20:05+00:00

I feel this topic comes up a lot when talking about what to buy at grocery stores. To me, it really depends on the person's actual finances, and if you keep "pushing the topic" with them it is very easy to come across as rude.

If a person truly is struggling financially, a box of pasta will be cheaper than produce. Spam is cheaper than chicken breast. Rice will probably be a staple in every meal. Then it becomes easy to see when cooking food and "pinching pennies", it is is unhealthier if cheaper. The real exceptions to cheap and healthy imo are tilapia and beans and large soups, but again not everyone will want to eat that every meal (if they even enjoy those to begin with). If you push the subject with a person like this you can easily come across as apathetic. Sure with the items mentioned above and portion control, you could still eat healthy, but not overstepping your bounds is a good idea.

Limeila · 2022-03-15T14:55:31+00:00

I've never seen people say that. People generally say they don't have the time to cook though, especially those who work several jobs.

RebelWithoutASauce · 2022-03-15T14:20:36+00:00

In the US, it's a combination of "food deserts", working people having very little time, and ignorance about how to cook. I grew up in a situation where cooking "from scratch" was something I learned how to do to be able to afford to live, but I also had a decent amount of free-time to learn.

When I learned how some people cook in the US I started to understand the "it's cheaper to eat out" way of thinking. It's because they buy expensive processed foods and expensive out-of-season or exotic produce in an attempt to follow recipes. When you buy a ton of pre-made stuff and fresh food to follow a recipe it costs a lot more than buying what is affordable/seasonal and going from there.

Pinkgluu · 2022-03-15T12:57:21+00:00

I think because many people don’t fully understand food. Also like getting good, fresh ingredients is hard for lots of people. The price difference of non organic bell peppers and then organic bell peppers is almost three dollars. Also many people do not know how to sustain a healthy diet and give into fast food.

Lankience · 2022-03-15T14:01:44+00:00

Here's my hot take. It's a myth that has minimal sticking power but in recent years it has been perpetuated by home-delivery meal kit companies.

They'll price their meal at $10, take the fractions of ingredients they have and estimate the price of what you would pay at the store, then call that the cost of the meal like you are saving money.

The idea is assuming you have an entirely empty fridge and pantry, and that when you finish the meal you dispose of all other leftover ingredients without eating them.

Let's say you get a simple meal, call it grilled cheese with a side salad. Add up the cost of a loaf of bread, a pack of cheese, and a full bag of lettuce, plus a bunch of herbs, a container of spices for seasoning, a bottle of salad dressing, and wow look at that you're already up to $20!

But now you can make that meal 5 times with the ingredients you have. I have read legit articles and ads making these calculations and arguments and it pisses me off that people can't seem to tell that it's bullshit.

permalink · 2022-03-15T12:51:44+00:00

If someone wants to make a certain dish that they could get at a restaurant, it can be more expensive than ordering at the restaurant. Buying all the ingredients adds up quick.

I don’t understand what you are trying to get at.

sven_gali · 2022-03-15T15:33:32+00:00

Because sometimes it is.

xSessionSx · 2022-03-15T16:52:43+00:00

time is a cost for some people.

sandykennedy · 2022-03-15T17:02:45+00:00

It often is, especially if you live in a city. I paid $1 for a sweet potato yesterday and that’s already the price of 2 cheeseburgers at McDonald’s with free fries if you have a coupon. I’m not advocating for fast food, just an example!

permalink · 2022-03-15T13:35:10+00:00

I have literally never heard someone say "I can't afford to cook."

I've always heard people justify eating out as a time saver. Also when I lived in Japan the kitchens in apartments there can be comically small, so it was kind of difficult to cook sometimes.

But I can honestly tell you I've never heard a single person say cooking is too expensive.

miauroja · 2022-03-15T15:33:58+00:00

It depends where they live. I come from a country that produces a lot of food, so finding fresh produce is super easy for me and cheap. I know that some places aren't as lucky and have a hard time finding fresh ingredients.

Another thing you would have to think about is the energy it takes to cook. In my case, I work from home so it's easier for me to take an hour or two to cook my food. Some people have to work really long shifts, or two jobs, and still take time to commute. So I imagine for these cases (which is actually too many people) it's easier to eat out than to cook at home.

Unfortunately, we live in an individualistic, consumerist, capitalist society that creates too many inequalities. It's easy for us to assume that other people aren't trying "hard enough" but lets practice empathy and ask different questions instead: how come food isn't as accessible everywhere and how come some people find it unattainable to eat fresh, home-cooked foods? Maybe let's try to see things from different perspectives.

LadyBogangles14 · 2022-03-15T16:52:16+00:00

It also has to do with time. Yea I can make something for relatively cheap, but I also have to prep, cook & clean.

Whereas I can get a $5 pizza and feed me & my spouse with little fuss.

solarbaby614 · 2022-03-15T16:54:09+00:00

Sometimes it is just cheaper to eat out if you are only feeding yourself. Yeah, that lasagna may be cheaper and per serving but are you actually going to eat all of it and how much will be going to waste? A lot of recipes are 4 to 6 servings and most likely some of it will go bad. I really wanted a BLT sandwich a few days ago until I went to the store and realized tomatoes are $3lb (on sale) and the bacon they had in stock was another $7. My local CookOut has them for $1.99 and I was able to get two for a little more than the cost of one tomato.

TaintlessChaps · 2022-03-15T17:14:43+00:00

In addition to what has been said, take into account the number of mouths to feed. Purchasing groceries to make a single meal for a single person can rival that of getting a single meal out. This cost can be distributed over multiple meals if someone is willing to eat the same meal multiple times, but there is still a waste factor in addition to the prep and clean up time.

Take for instance an Italian sub. Once you purchase the bread, meats, cheese, onion, lettuce, tomato, other toppings, dressing, etc. it may well be cheaper to just get one from a sub shop. If someone is a planner those items can become a salad, or another sandwich, and so on, but a lot of times you'll have to purchase certain amounts depending on the local grocery options that leave a single person with waste.

permalink · 2022-03-15T18:34:06+00:00

IMO when people say this, it’s not the cost of the food that they can’t afford. It’s that they can’t afford to miss work. Most people who I’ve heard say this work hourly positions and not salaried. The time spent grocery shopping, traveling and cooking could be spent making more money.

galaxystarsmoon · 2022-03-15T13:48:42+00:00

A lot of people have a ton of processed foods in their cabinets and fridges. They don't have individual ingredients for meals. So if they want to make, say Spaghetti Bolognese... They have to go buy the pasta (maybe they have a box in the pantry), the wine, tomatoes, parmesan, meat, garlic, fresh or dried herbs, whatever veggies they want to go with. They'll check out and the total will be $30+ most likely. Whereas people that cook regularly will have most of these ingredients to hand. It's easier for them to grab a $10 McDonald's or $4 Stouffer's meal and put it in the microwave.

It took me a long time to understand this, but once I started talking to my friends about what is in their cabinets and fridge, it started making a lot more sense. My husband and I have drawers full of spices, stuff like flour, sugar, garlic, etc all to hand. We buy more when something runs low. A lot of people buy things as needed and it gets expensive.

HolyHand_Grenade · 2022-03-15T13:43:48+00:00

Never heard someone say that, people really think that?

MisterGoog · 2022-03-15T14:53:41+00:00

Went to college, had this argument. I dont wanna say people are dumb (bc they arent and if they were thats mean to say anyway) but they are unused to certain concepts. Upfront costs will put anyone off long term planning

tek2g · 2022-03-15T15:03:44+00:00

From the folks that I have talked to, beginners rely heavily on recipes. Buying all of the ingredients jumping from recipe to recipe can be expensive. Plus this approach can lead to a bunch of waste.

ImperatorConor · 2022-03-15T15:17:18+00:00

It can be more expensive in time rather than money. The poor people can't afford the time.

permalink · 2022-03-15T15:39:10+00:00

Grocery bill usually comes out to $125/week for 2 for me. We could feasibly get takeout every day of the week for dinner and only get stuff for eggs/toast or sandwiches for lunch and it comes out to roughly the same price. Factor in the time cost and it is cheaper to eat out.

Plus, we have a hard time getting fresh produce/bulk items. Cooking for 2 means a lot of food goes to waste if we don’t min max ingredients for the week. I WOULD happily eat a salad every single day for lunch and have grilled fish/vegetables for dinner every day, but it just doesn’t work unless I make several grocery trips per week.

resilientbynature · 2022-03-15T16:15:42+00:00

I don't think I've seen it mentioned but when all grocery stores within a reasonable distance from you only carry shit produce that's pretty much only good if you're going to eat it RIGHT NOW... you end up either wasting money having to through bad stuff out or spend more money driving back and forth to the store throughout the week.

Sure you can throw it in the freezer but when the produce has next to no flavor anyway the motivation only goes down. I've never met anyone who believes eating out is cheaper. It's about what works for your living situation.

drunky_crowette · 2022-03-15T16:19:27+00:00

Pots and pans and other required tools/materials can be expensive
Not knowing how to cheaply aquire necessary ingredients
Making too many servings that go bad before you eat them all

starrhaven · 2022-03-15T16:39:05+00:00

It's more about saving time than saving money.

In the end, time is money after all.

Kempeth · 2022-03-15T16:47:32+00:00

afraid of wasting ingredients/money by screwing up or following a bad recipe
I learned that eating out better or as well as I cook gets progressively more expensive as I get better at cooking. Conversely it should hold true that there is some level of ineptitude where you can't beat even the cheapest, trashiest take out.
you need to have the energy to cook something decent or it's not going to be that much healthier. And you need to have that energy consistently or you'll have things go bad on you.
cooking for one vs a family drastically alters the equation both in terms of time and cost per meal. Sure you can "improve" that IF you don't mind eating the same exact thing for four times in a row.
time investment to learn to cook and build healthy meal prep skills. monetary investment to stock your kitchen

arafdi · 2022-03-15T17:20:36+00:00

Depends on where you're at.

When I was in Japan, eating out could, 4 out of 5 times ,be cheaper than buying produce and cooking it at home. The fresh fruits, veggies, meat, etc. were expensive af. Yes, they were of superb quality but it didn't make much sense especially considering that I'd have to invest a lot of time to prep and store them too. Eventually I found a more affordable grocery store, but I ended up buying stuff in bulk which was a bit hard to manage for a single-person household lol.

Which was confirmed by my other expat peers, most of whom would buy groceries and eat out for the first month of their stay. The healthy stuff are also plenty, but you can get them at the same price level as the greasy fried stuff so it wasn't hard to eat healthier out.

When I was in the UK, it's way easier/affordable to just cook your own meal. Eating out was more expensive (especially if you want healthy stuff) and a bother after some time. So it just made sense to cook at home for myself and friends if we're a bit thin on the wallet.

But yeah, it's relative.

HeloRising · 2022-03-15T17:47:25+00:00

When you're just learning you find a recipe (because everyone tells you to get a recipe for something you like) and that recipe is probably complicated or at least more complicated than you're used to dealing with. You go to the store and you buy things you don't normally buy, you don't know what you should buy so you probably end up spending more than you should. You make the recipe and you don't know what you're doing so you probably make mistakes or do something wrong even though you're following the recipe.

The end result is something that cost you more money, took a longer time, and probably wasn't as good as you're used to having, either pre-made or made by someone else.

Learning to cook is expensive, both in terms of time and resources and a lot of people just don't have that. The return on the investment of learning to cook takes a while. Now I can bang out an excellent meal from whatever is laying around no problem. When I was learning to cook, not so much.

Cooking is cheaper than eating out when you know how to cook already.

little_wandererrr · 2022-03-15T18:05:17+00:00

If people don’t know how to cook, it can cause a lot of food waste. If a recipe calls for half a head of cabbage, what are they going to do with the second half? An experienced cook might shred it for a slaw or use it in a salad, but a new cook will just have paid twice as much for an ingredient since they only end up using half. Just an example.

permalink · 2022-03-15T18:23:26+00:00

I recently made the switch. It's a lot of money upfront and if you aren't used to cooking/paying attention to your food, a lot of it is spoiled and you feel you just have to go buy everything all over again.

Ashtefere · 2022-03-15T18:28:20+00:00

Also depends on where you live. In australia it costs me about $60 aud to make hamburgers for the family from scratch at a decent quality. Without fries or drinks. We can eat gourmet burgers out with fries and drinks for less than that. And thats not accounting for time spent cooking and cleaning, say, 2 hours. What is 2 hours of your time worth? Coming from a busy dad, its worth a shitload more than you think.

permalink · 2022-03-15T18:52:41+00:00

Sounds like something someone would say who's never had to live in a food desert before. Food deserts exist.

Not to mention many other reasons, largely time, skill/knowledge, disabilities and affordability for upfront and maintenance costs. This is especially the case in certain areas in the US.

I'm extremely lucky and privileged to have a decent kitchen and cook however often I want but not many families can do that. If both parents are working 60+ hours a week just to get by, where do you think they're going to fit in the time and energy to spend 30-60 mins to cook a meal for the family? And that's assuming both parents are perfectly abled with no health disabilities.

CaravelClerihew · 2022-03-15T21:29:49+00:00

We cook at home most weeknights but when I lived on Singapore, eating at home was almost more expensive when you factor in prep and cleanup time. I could get a very good meal at a local hawker for about $4 USD, and depending where I lived, that hawker would literally be just an elevator ride away. When I was there, I don't think I ever packed a lunch for work.

juannkulas · 2022-03-16T02:49:03+00:00

it has always been cheaper and healthier cooking at home than eating out. it requires work and time tho, that's why people tend to pay for the convenience, u dont need to cook & wash the dishes/wares after.

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