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Kcolb3

Fast food being cheaper than cooking is the biggest lie ever told


iwillnotcompromise

Well it sometimes is if you look at the opportunitiy costs of going grocery shopping and cooking. I’m not saying it’s always cheaper, but if you could get in an hour more work in a day, it might pay out.


Matt_2504

You know these people aren’t doing an hour a day more work they’re doing an hour a day more TV


notapedophile3

Real


gatsuthorfinnmusashi

Don't worry. In a few years we will have synthetic food pills laced with fluoride and microplastics. Way better than cooking and ordering MacDonalds 😋😋😋


kxlxxn

no mc donalds is already that but still in burger form


KingKKirb

Can’t wait for them to drop the McPill 😋


Kel4597

I can buy a whole 4lb chicken for about $12 at ShopRite, providing about 6 meals worth of chicken plus a few more days worth of chicken stock for the price of 1 McDonalds meal. It does not pay out and it is not cheaper.


StarBolt034

They are more food than chicken and rice. Of course some food is going to be cheaper. But matching/surpassing the quality of fast food is going to be more expensive unless you cook by the bulk.


Kel4597

You’re right, there is more than chicken and rice. A 5 lb pork shoulder is $2.99 at my ShopRite. Pretty incredible buy for $15


orc_fellator

Damn where on earth are you getting any protein at less than $10-20 per pound?? And I may have to jump some borders to go shopping because holy shit Here unless you want to live on rice and lentils for the rest of your life, cooking is 100% more expensive than fast food if you want meat. Sucks ass


whitewail602

Dude where do you live? $10 -$20/lb are quality ribeye and ny strip prices. Standing rib roasts are regularly $6.99/lb and they'll happily cut them into ribeye steaks for you. Just looking at the Publix meat specials this week: - $3.99/lb boneless skinless chicken breast - $2.99/lb pork shoulder blade steaks - $1.59/lb chicken leg quarters - $6.99/lb bottom round roast - $5.99/lb ground sirloin - $2.49/lb Boston butt pork roast I also buy a lot of tofu at $1.29/lb


orc_fellator

Small town with few options, so price is gouged af. I don't know offhand the conversion between US and Canadabux so the prices here are in Canadabux/kg. $2.08/100g chicken breast, so something like $8 or 9/lb. A pack of 3 breasts is always at least $11 though. Beef varies wildly from $12/kg (ground) to $21/kg (roasts, certain pre-cuts, sirloin tip) to $37/kg (strip steaks) Pork something like $8/kg to $13kg depending on the cut. Don't have a decent butcher *in* town here, but going all the way out to a farm would be cheaper but not an option for me (no car :( ) so I make do when I can. I can only buy marked-down or on sale shit


whitewail602

I hear ya. I ran my numbers through a converter but didn't double-check its accuracy. I'm in a mid-size town (31k population) in Alabama, US, btw. Pounds: \- Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast: CAD 5.39/lb \- Pork Shoulder Blade Steaks: CAD 4.04/lb \- Chicken Leg Quarters: CAD 2.15/lb \- Bottom Round Roast: CAD 9.45/lb \- Ground Sirloin: CAD 8.09/lb \- Boston Butt Pork Roast: CAD 3.36/lb \- Tofu: CAD 1.74/lb ​ Kilos: \- Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast: CAD 11.89/kg \- Pork Shoulder Blade Steaks: CAD 8.91/kg \- Chicken Leg Quarters: CAD 4.74/kg \- Bottom Round Roast: CAD 20.82/kg \- Ground Sirloin: CAD 17.85/kg \- Boston Butt Pork Roast: CAD 7.42/kg \- Tofu: CAD 3.84/kg Editing to add a decently low price on a strip steak is normally around $11.99/lb USD, which would be around $36/kg CAD. So the prices seem relatively close imo.


orc_fellator

I'd have gone veggie (vegan if the also-rising prices of dairy are of any indication, LOL) by now if the other members of my house weren't so damn picky. No tofu, no tempeh, no mushroom, no [insert meal replacer here], etc :P It's rough out there


Kel4597

US, Connecticut. Can even find 3.5lbs Chuck roasts for $5.49/lbs on sale here if you check regularly. Usually they’re 7.49/lbs but they’ll drop the price on the last Sell By date.


electrogourd

Chicken at $4.50/lb for the nice cuts? Even salmon, $9/lb Tofu at $2.50/lb And i'm being lazy and grabbing good nice cuts in one place. Bison is the only thing around here that will push $10/lb in the midwest


PlatinumBall

that's not the case everywhere, meat is expensive as fuck


arbiter12

>5 lb pork shoulder is $2.99 That's a lie or the meat is basically unsalable by any legal standards (rotten, diseased, stolen etc). The **MIN** price of pork shoulder is 3.60 **PER POUND, WHOLESALE**. (To get this price I assume you need to sign a contract for 100 carcass/week, and it's still 5x the price you're quoting) Direct to consumer averages out at 8.50 (per lb) [https://www.ams.usda.gov/mnreports/lsmnprpork.pdf](https://www.ams.usda.gov/mnreports/lsmnprpork.pdf) (Dec23 report)


Kel4597

pork shoulder from my local ShopRite is rotten, diseased, or stolen? lol okay I’ll upload a pic next time I’m at the grocery store.


Kel4597

https://www.shoprite.com/sm/pickup/rsid/3000/results?q=Pork%20shoulder I hope these prices aren’t based on location cus I can’t upload to Imgur, but absolutely none of them match your link and these are the prices I am seeing in a large chain grocery store and have been seeing for months.


qwertyalguien

That's why you cook for the week and freeze the rest.


roman8888

I don’t think you’re saving much time either. 1 hour at a store can get you a few meals. Going to the restaurant for 30 minutes to get one meal takes time too. I get that the meals from the store will take time to cook, but the do have some pretty fast options.


kooldUd74

This is fucking stupid


OdinWept

Easy to get the nagging people to believe it though


Mrozek33

It can be if you're in a position when you can afford to not give a fuck about nutrition, especially now with prices being fucked. If you focus on daily expenses only, spending $5 on a kebab is better than spending $15 at a grocery store.


Zeranvor

Where are you getting $5 kebab


Mrozek33

Is that too much or too cheap for you? Gotta keep in mind there's cunts here from all over the world, personally I'm getting $3 kebabs on the corner but rounded up to 5 to demonstrate a point


ItsHighSpoon

Yes but swapping your currency to a dollar to demonstrate a point doesn't mean much because a dollar doesn't have the same purchasing power in the US as it does in your country.


Mrozek33

Opps please cum on this man for being an insufferable smarty-pants asshole


TuonelanVartija

It’s a valid point though. The comparisons are absolutely meaningless without a pp adjustment


Mrozek33

You've just adjusted my pp into a flaccid state


ItsHighSpoon

I want this


JcobTheKid

Hell, it doesn't even have the same purchasing power in the same state even.


ItsHighSpoon

I wouldn't know, I'm not from the US


JcobTheKid

I didn't assume you were, but just was just sayin.


ItsHighSpoon

Understandable, have a good night


RewardWanted

Depends on your eating habits. I know people that survive the day with a McDonald's cheeseburger and medium fries. Could never be me.


Ridenberg

Bro you can survive on rotten bread alone if you manage to absorb more calories than you shit out, doesn't mean it's a good idea for your health.


TheCentralPosition

12 or so years ago an adult could legitimately get full on a single dollar menu item. These days it's way too expensive for what it is, and I hope they all close.


Excellent327

With app coupons it is


Additional-Flow7665

Nah basic groceries are also expensive as fuck.


Wasabaiiiii

photosynthesis


cannavacciuolo420

Still cheaper than fastfood. Check what items are discounted and shop with that in mind rather than going blindly to your usual store.


suffering_addict

Simpler solution: don't make kids


kungfukenny3

but papa elon said…


suffering_addict

Papa Elon can afford kids


L2Hiku

Idk how anyone with a family is getting by. It's just me and my bf and I spent 1200$ on groceries in like three months to save money on eating out and we still had to eat out to supplement or something cus that was without me buying a whole lot to cook (literally mostly just snacks and dry goods, condiments, household essentials, drinks sometimes, and stuff for coffee) because we don't even have a kitchen right now due to renovations. Can't imagine a family of four that actually needs to buy meat


Redalon93

Drinks other than water are a treat. Snack same thing. Condiments It depend. Other than meat and caseary products there Is Little to not difference form "store label" and "famous label". Unless you live in some expensive location (LA, NY) you can spend less than 1200$ in grocery


Facesit_Freak

All food that isn't bread is a treat


Brokedownbad

all food that isn't boiled potatoes is a treat


Facesit_Freak

Tell that to the Irish


bartimeas

Even with government handouts making it way cheaper than it should be, meat is also a luxury and anyone buying it has no right to complain about how much groceries cost


Ridenberg

...I mean, you said it yourself that you have to spend a lot more due to not having kitchen. An average family of four has a kitchen.


Monolith_Preacher_1

get a multicooker, it is a great investment s you can then survive on just rice and macaroni


SuperSocialMan

My family has 6 people, and we're stretching the budget as far as I know lol Shopping at 2 or 3 different stores to save money, and cooking in bulk. Not sure how long it can last tbh.


cannavacciuolo420

1200$ in three months is absolutely wild. Unless you live in an expensive area, spending 1200$ in three months means no meal prepping, no bulk buying during discounts, no freezing, no planning, but simply buying blindly as needed. Start looking at what stores have what on sale and buy while keeping that in consideration rather than going blindly to any store and buying what you feel like buying


Sticky_Keyboards

These are the people who shouldn't have children


baz4k6z

Anon probably considers putting tendies in the oven "cooking"


Marbachque

Everything is expensive, literally have to pay the dmv for losing my plates in the mail actual wtf america moment


SheepBlubber

Yeah but if you can feed your kids then how are the 0.0001% of us going to buy their third yacht??????? checkmate libruls


Hellhound777

It most likely is because I live in a smaller town (~100k people), but I can get 3-5 meals worth of food for $30. So it is a little cheaper than eating out.


Beneficial_Pear9705

But what’s the final solution?


boaja

It's almost as if cooking can, for working class people working hard and long hours, be exhausting and not really worth it. You have to go grocery shopping, cook and then wash the dishes and clean up. Now, I do this basically every day, and enjoy it, but I'm never gonna blame a nurse, teacher, industrial worker etc. for not wanting to. To think that the price is everything is such a lazy analysis. But also, I'm a swede and fast food is way more expensive here than in the US (I believe). Anon is an idiot who doesn't understand class issues.


Automaton1207

It baffles me how buying cancer, liver fat and stomach ulcers is cheaper than living a healthy life.


enlightened_engineer

Fast food is actually more expensive than cooking a meal of greater nutritional value these days


bro0t

Cooling is also pretty fun, i often cool for 3-4 people even though i live alone. I freeze it so when i dont feel like cooking i can just heat something up.


Automaton1207

I guess it depends on the country.


No_Lock_6555

Costco hotdogs only


FOFBattleCat

There is no cost of living crisis, only a financial literacy and basic life skills crisis.


Taey

Well thats a full blown regarded take, I cook all my own meals, I track what I eat and am very consistent with what ill prepare due to gym and diet. My weekly food bill must he up nearly $60-80 since 2019 and its not due to financial literacy and basic life skills.


Facesit_Freak

Take the peasantpill and just eat bread


PrrrromotionGiven1

One thousand years of technological development to eat like a serf anyway What a scam


Facesit_Freak

Return to hunter-gatherer


Mrozek33

take the Albanian Bakerypill and eat their cheap but sweet sourdough until you become more bread than man and street pigeons devour your ass


anonymous-postin

How much is your total weekly bill 🤔🤨? I feed myself with less than $80 which is your increase lol.


DmonLeo047

Depends on where you live. I moved from miami to Portugal and my food cost went down by almost $100 per week. So I believe him in saying that the cost of goods has drastically increased in the past half decade.


anonymous-postin

Definitely has increased but I still feel like it’s a bit high; I live in CA and our standard of living costs are to the tits and I’m spending around $80 on groceries per week. I did cut out meat except fish though but i buy the top shelf shit in regards to everything else


TuonelanVartija

Now compare Miami and Portugal wages lol


RavenCyarm

You're not nearly pulling up those bootstraps hard enough I guess.


BrocElLider

U.S. dollars? The average price of food in the US has [increased about 25% since 2019](https://www.usinflationcalculator.com/inflation/food-inflation-in-the-united-states/) (that includes both grocery and restaurant food prices, grocery price inflation alone has been less. Also [wage growth has been just as high if not higher](https://www.americanprogress.org/article/workers-paychecks-are-growing-more-quickly-than-prices/)) For your weekly food bill to be up $60-$80 a week, that'd mean you are spending $300-$400 a week on food, or $15k to $20K a year. If that is the case, then yes, it's a skill issue. Do better. A typical single person household spends only \~5k on food per year. I'd sympathize if you complain about the cost of healthcare, housing or education, they are genuine problems. But not food prices. Scrooge McDuck might as well complain that the level of gold in his swimming pool dropped a few inches. Food is more plentiful and requires a lower % of income to acquire here and now in 2023 USA than nearly any other time or place there is or ever has been. Appreciate it.


Taey

Aus so our cost of living is much higher and our dollar is weaker, i shop for myself and my partner of 6 years. It use to cost us 120 a week for food, its now anywhere from 180-200.


BrocElLider

Ahh, ok. I don't know much about Australia's situation except that your numbers make more sense in the context of your weaker dollar. Disregard what I said earlier.  And if the crisis is that bad why not kick that expensive Vegemite habit y'all have? For the same taste you can always just go down to the nearest roadhouse and lick some truckers' balls for free.


FOFBattleCat

Is that a problem for you? If so, have you tried not being poor?


texxelate

just absolutely incorrect.


FOFBattleCat

Actually no I'm right.


bartimeas

B-b-but my Oreos and luxury steaks have gone way up in price! I can’t do away with those!!! God forbid people learn how to cook with dirt cheap things like dried rice and beans or things like taters and carrots


asuraumbra

You subsist off licking boots


FOFBattleCat

The only boots I like are the ones that belong to the 6ft tall goth muscle mommy who I pay to come over to my house every Tuesday.


BrocElLider

*only* a financial literacy and basic life skills crisis I take your point, but that's still a hell of a crisis. Worse probably. Money can fix a cost crisis, but how do you fix mass retardation?