Written by: Devyn T.
Eating Out vs Home Cooked Meals.
Many people buy fast food because it's cheaper or it saves time, but is that really true? Today I'll be going over if you save more money eating out or cooking meals, the costs of fast food vs home meals and which is a better option for your wallet.
Home cooked meals vs restaurants
The average american family usually spends $3000 a year on eating in restaurants, the average meal cost in a restaurant is $20. Comparing that to a home cooked meal which has an average cost of $4.50. So a home cooked meal is almost 4.5 times cheaper than eating in a restaurant. So cooking a meal at home could save you over $2000 a year!
Home cooked meals vs fast food
In January 2015 a study showed that the average american spends about $1200 a year on fast food, the average american eats fast food 2-3 times a week, that's around $12.50 per meal. Overall americans spend in total $384 billion dollars on fast food a year. Comparing this to a home cooked meal, which is usually 4.50 a meal. That's almost 3 times less than fast food!
Another more recent option is meal kits, meal kits are basically home cooked meals that are delivered to your house if you don't have the time to go out and buy groceries. Meal kits usually cost around $10 a meal so they are cheaper than eating out but not by much. A meal kit usually costs almost double what a normal meal would cost.
In Conclusion
A home cooked meal is far cheaper than almost any other fast food or restaurant option available. Spending less on eating out at fast food or restaurants and saving you hundreds or even thousands of dollars a year. Thats a lot of money you could be spending on something else.
Work Cited
Emily. “Fast Food Vs Home Cooked Meals: Statistics & Cost.” ProMoneySavings, 15 Feb. 2021, promoneysavings.com/fast-food-vs-home-cooked-meals/#:~:text=Yes%2C%20despite%20a%20wide%20misconception,are%20cheaper%20than%20dining%20out.
“Fast Food Statistics: Updated March 2020.” The Barbecue Lab, 11 Mar. 2021, www.thebarbecuelab.com/fast-food/.
“How Much Money Do Americans Spend on Fast Food?” Reference, IAC Publishing, www.reference.com/world-view/much-money-americans-spend-fast-food-597cd336a3c818fb#:~:text=As%20of%20January%202015%2C%20the,it%20on%20a%20daily%20basis. www.thebarbecuelab.com/fast-food/.
Devyn, I really liked reading your post, since it made me stop and actually consider my spending habits when it comes to food. I know that I spent way too much on food in general, so these numbers and the chart break-down were very helpful. I was surprised to see the price of a fast food meal compared to a restaurant meal- they're pretty close. Do you think these prices will continue to increase?
ReplyDeleteGreat topic choice! It's important that it is brought to everyones attention as to how much we can save when eat at home. Fresh produce can go bad, so for fruits you really do need to get through those quick. But pasta, and rice have a longer shelf life. So for your meals you can stock up with different ingredients and work with what you got. I personally prefer eating in than out.
ReplyDeleteI had no idea that home cooked meals were 4.5 times cheaper than eating at restaurants. However, I think it is also important to consider the time factor. Some people live very busy lifestyles and don’t have time to cook meals. If you don’t have enough time to cook and can afford to eat at restaurants consistently then that might be the better option. As you mentioned, meal kits could also fix that problem if you are too busy because they are cheaper and usually a lot healthier than some of the food that restaurants serve.
ReplyDeleteMy family eats out quite a bit. Home cooked meals are definitely cheaper however and honestly for many it can be a much healthier and sometimes even a tastier option. I don't think there's anything better than some good home cooked steak and potatoes, but I think there are also certain times where eating out is nice. In my family, both of my parents work and my sister and I both have school sports and work going on a lot of the time. This makes eating at home difficult sometimes, so for us eating out is sometimes the only practical option if we want to eat something other than a super quick PBJ sandwhich. Super interesting to see the comparisson though!
ReplyDeleteI didn't realize how much money I could save by making home cooked foods instead of eating takeout or dining at a restaurant. This is a great topic to cover because I think that it is over looked.
ReplyDeleteAs teens and young adults I feel like we have always complained about eating at home and somehow always crave fast food. As I got older and started earning my own money, I have started to realize that in the end fast food or simply going out to eat ends up adding up. $5 here, $10 there, and by the end of the week you’ve spent $50 just on food. Seeing these stats that you gave helps me see, and many of us I’m sure, that we should try to eat at home and save up that money for more important things like gas.
ReplyDeleteI think what you said at the start of the piece is right on as sometimes I think eating out is saving me some money but I then realize that it really doesn't and I have wasted money going out to get fast food, this shows me I need to stay on myself about going out to eat and just stay home and make myself dinner
ReplyDeleteI would agree if you cook meals with cheaper ingredients and are in bulk. If you are buying ingredients with high quality and are generally in mid-size packaging. I depends if you want quantity of quality, when you are living on you own, you want to start our the quantity than gradually move to quality over time since you are making more money.
ReplyDeleteFast food has always been a go to for me and my family when we are hungry just out of pure laziness and I never realized that it costs so much out of pocket compared to home cooked meals. At the moment I don’t really see myself changing my eating habits because the cost isn’t coming directly out of my pockets, but when that becomes the case I will forsure focus more on home cooking and meal kits.
ReplyDeleteHome cooking definitely seems to save a lot of money in the long run, even if it doesn't save much up front.
ReplyDeleteThis is a really interesting topic! I wonder how much time it takes an average person to make homemade meals vs how much time they spend eating out and seeing the differences between those as well. Very impressive and a question I'm sure a lot of us have thought about.
ReplyDeleteDeciding what to eat is a huge struggle for me. Convenience suggests going out to eat, but eating healthy, balanced meals often makes making meals the option to go. While convenience and health is important, the consequences of spending a lot of money make it increasingly vital to plan out and make wise decisions. I've recently begun paying for meal subscriptions, and they aren't cheap but they keep me motivated to eat better. I'm glad I read this post because it adds more to think about and further encourages me to start making home meals.
ReplyDeleteI think its also important to consider the opportunity and fixed costs of cooking your own food. If I am Lebanon James I'm not going to spend 3 hours of my day cooking food when I could be doing other things and be making money with that time. Additionally there are many fixed costs that come with cooking food. You need an oven and other things like air fryers and stuff depending on what you're making but regardless it costs a lot of space in your house to be a cook and it costs a lot of time which could be used for a more economic function. SO depending on who you are and how you use your time it could be much more economically efficient to eat out. Theoretically.
ReplyDeleteEating and cooking at home has been my family and my mantra for years at this point! We truly believe that the meals are cheaper and have higher nutritional value and as we go into college very soon I think all of us should learn how to cook a few basic food items so that we don't have to rely on fast food every time we need a meal.
ReplyDeleteIve always wanted to rather eat out than eat at home because it is faster and easier than making a mess at home and if you dont make it right you have to waste all of the food. so I would rather eat out
ReplyDeleteWhile it is cheaper to cook meals at home, not everyone has the time to do it. That's unfortunately why some people eat fast food because they do not have the time to make home cook meals. There may be people working double shifts and have little to no extra time to cook meals. Personally, my family tries to make more meals at home as to minimize the money spent eating out. When I'm with my friends, we tend to eat out a lot, which we should definitely look into an alternative especially when we are paying for it with our own money that is being taken away from more important things like college and gas.
ReplyDeleteThe money Americans use per year on fast food or eating out at restaurants is really shocking when you step back and look at how much it adds up. In the moment, stopping at a fast food restuarant and spending 10 dollars on lunch doesn't seem too bad. In fact, it even seems cheap. Seeing how much the money spent per year though, in comparison to the amount spent on just cooking at home meals, completely changes the meaning of spending 10 dollars on a fast food meal.
ReplyDeleteI believe that eating a home cooked meal can also be more beneficial not just in terms of cost. When you're making your own meals, you can practice your cooking skills and knowing what's going in the food means overall it can be a healthier option overall.
ReplyDeleteI agree home cooked meals are better, also I would like to add that not everything in fast food meals is healthy and most of the time you have no idea what you are even eating. I find that you can cook a healthy meal for much less and you will actually know whats going into your food. You can also have bigger quantities of said meal for the fraction of the price.
ReplyDeleteI like the way you start your analysis but I feel that it is a bit flawed. While you have proven that cooking for yourself is cheaper in terms of money, you did not really address the time that getting fast food saves. This time is important because cooking for yourself can take a long time and also requires some additional equipment that probably needs to be washed after. Eating out at a sit-down type restaurant in terms of both time and money definitely doesn't save either of these resources. When making the decision on what to eat the decision may come down to either time or money and maybe not both because the amount of money doesn't become alarmingly large until you build up the costs over a large period of time. It is important to consider the monetary cost but the opportunity cost as well.
ReplyDeleteThe topic is a very great choice considering we are still teenagers and learning about how much life cost. I was very interested by the graph of how much fast food younger people on consuming today. It would be a neat idea if someone goes deeper into this topic to talk about the the health benefits as well. Me personally with my family we do not go out to eat 3 times a week, more like 2 times a month. It will also help you with your argument to see if the cost is worth making a home cook meal and how much time will be wasted if home cook meals are healthy as well. To also consider is it a good trade off to make a home cook meal but, having to clean the dishes. But, is it better to go to fast food so you don't waste time on washing dishes. -Alexa A.
ReplyDeleteIf you are cooking at home not only could it be healthier but it can also help you personally with being able to learn how to cook properly. Food that it healthier and cheaper is better than 10$ of noodles and some chicken with a 80%20%. Fast food may be good but it is also not as healthy as you think, I work at panda and watch how they cook the food. Trust me, Panda is good but not the healthiest.
ReplyDeleteI like to eat out a lot and most of the time it's because it's much easier to drive to a place and pay a some extra money knowing I'm going to get good food fast. I still think the price is worth because you don't always have food you like at home or the materials to make what you want.
ReplyDeleteThough money can be a big factor, yet so is convenience. Cooking at home may be cheaper but it takes time, skill, and labor. With eating at home, you must cook food properly, wash dishes,and have the time to set up, when eating out, everything is done for you.
ReplyDeleteEven though you can save some money by making home meals rather than buying from restaurants, you also have to think about the time that can be saved from just going through a drive through rather than spending time making meals everyday. For example, when I get home from school I have to leave for work again almost immediately. I have time to have a quick snack and to get ready for work but that's it. I don't have time to make another meal to eat on my break. In situations like that it's better to spend a few extra bucks and getting a quick meal rather than taking the time to make a meal at home.
ReplyDeleteI think this is a very interesting topic to think about especially at out age. Teens tend to go out to eat a lot, either just for fun with their friends or because they don't have food at home. One thing that needs to be put into consideration is time. Our lives our super busy, and going home and making a meal may cost less, but it takes a lot more time. So, meals have an opportunity cost where you have either have to choose between time or money. Most of the time it is a lot easier just to spend the 5 extra dollars.
ReplyDeleteI chose to read this because I have also asked myself the same question. I try my best to not spend money on food, more specifically fast food, and was very surprised that the average American eats fast food 2-3 times a week. Although eating out is more expensive, it is more convenient because someone else is making the food and it is ready nearly right away. Considering the time and labor that goes into eating out, the price is fair however, a home cooked meal is more nutritious and cheaper.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I agree on the importance of being able to save money by eating at home, time is also money. So in some ways cooking a meal at home can take more time and energy than the money you're saving. Time you're wasting buying the ingredients and actually cooking the meal is worth more money that the meal itself. So in some respect, yes I think eating at home meals is important and worth the money you're saving, but I also believe in some circumstances eating out is a better option.
ReplyDeleteThere are good point in each, such as fast food you spend money but don't waste as much time. Where homemade meal you spend more time then money. So there upside and downside, like more for this but less for that. Also a persons life style, like whether of not they have time or money. So maybe meal kits are a better interest to them because they don't have to spend as much time on prepartion but have to spend a little bit more. Or another thought is health reasoning. Fast food isn't healthy as if a homemade meal. There are many different topics and choices on whats better for spending money in the food department.
ReplyDeleteWhile eating food at home is cheaper, it also takes longer to make and prepare. Not to mention cleaning up and doing dishes also takes a chunk out of your time as well. Sometimes the money is worth saving your time. Either way you are going to have to spend something, you just got to figure out what is more worth it too you.
ReplyDeleteWhile I agree overall with you, I think there are some other factors that also should be considered. First of all, time. Going to a fast food restaurant on your way home from work will most likely be much faster than preparing a similar meal at home. Also,many people don't have cooking skills or equipment to make good home cooked meals. As well, the cost of eating out really depends on what restaurant a person goes to. Many restaurants won't cost 20$ to eat at. Many fast food places can cost less than 10$ if you order smartly. However, that is still more than double the cost of a home cooked meal and less healthy
ReplyDeleteI completely understand your point that eating at home is cheaper because when you buy things at the grocery store they aren't a "one time use" and you can use those items for many meals. Although, a point you have to consider is the time that people have. Not everyone has the skill set or the time to actually cook and prepare a whole meal and sit down and eat it. This is where eating fast food would be a better option because everything is done for you and it only takes you a wait time of 10-20 minutes versus a meal that could take 1 hour to make (also not including having to wash dishes afterwards). Have you ever thought about what would be the cost saving of the right amount / balance of eating fast food and cooking meals at home? How much money and time would this save americans?
ReplyDeleteAs a person that eats out a lot, I know that my money would be better spent on something more ideal. After reading that eating at home is 4.5x cheaper than eating out I am re-thinking if there is food in the fridge. How much money can I save? And how could I make that take out money work for me?
ReplyDelete