View Full Version : It maybe cheaper to dine out...
Who would have thought that at some point in my life time it might be more affordable to dine out than to furnish your own food and cook at home. Amazing! Talk about death by a thousand cuts and rats in a cage!
When it becomes frugal to eat out
One of the most basic tenets in economics is the law of demand; consumers will buy more of a good when its price decreases and less when its price increases. This is becoming increasingly evident in the food industry. It is becoming cheaper, on a relative basis, for consumers to dine out than to buy their own groceries and cook at home. Consumers have responded accordingly; spending on food away from home has picked up while spending on food at home has slowed.
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/commodity-inflation-and-spare-capacity-food-thought
Doesn't apply to me. All I eat is fish from the pond across the road, deer ambushed at the feeder in my backyard, nutmunks from the woods further up the hill behind my house, catfish from the White River down the road, chicken and eggs from the coop, vegetables from the truck patch, water from the well and peaches, apples and nuts from the trees in the front yard. Heeeeeeeeeeeeeee Haw. :D
Doesn't apply to me. All I eat is fish from the pond across the road, deer ambushed at the feeder in my backyard, nutmunks from the woods further up the hill behind my house, catfish from the White River down the road, chicken and eggs from the coop, vegetables from the truck patch, water from the well and peaches, apples and nuts from the trees in the front yard. Heeeeeeeeeeeeeee Haw. :D
That's what I was aiming at, most folks these days depend on the Grocer or the local eating establishment and have little clue how to forage or grow their own stuff. And someday, if this trend continues grocers might be kicked to the side and a lot more folks will be bellying up at Mc'Ds or some other food factory for their 3 squares.
Secondly, I have read where BiG Governemt subsidizes Agriculture to keep the prices down. If that is true, we are going to be in a world of hurt if the subsidies end and the pricing scheme fails.
mark46th
11-30-2011, 12:24
I don't have room for a garden but the freezer does have wild pig, antelope and fish from the ocean that I harvested. We have already eaten the dove and quail. There is also some elk and venison, given to me from a friend's hunt. That being said, I don't have any Pastrami so I go out for that...
Badger52
11-30-2011, 12:25
Secondly, I have read where BiG Governemt subsidizes Agriculture to keep the prices down. If that is true, we are going to be in a world of hurt if the subsidies end and the pricing scheme fails.Because the US Postal Service is workin' so good, and there really is a cost-benefit payback to ethanol production...:D
It depends on what you buy at the store.
5 good size steaks (OK - small), spuds, some rolls, a bag salad - and fixen's if you're out will set you back under $30. Throw in a six pack of beer - $40. Charcoal - one third of a $10 bag.
Texas Road House would run about $75 minus the Beer - Oh, plus tip.
I think it is just that people have forgotten how to cook from scratch - are used to packaged food - and want to get out for a "real home cooked meal".
Who would have thought that at some point in my life time it might be more affordable to dine out than to furnish your own food and cook at home. Amazing! Talk about death by a thousand cuts and rats in a cage!
I was going to say ..... Finally got your AARP card I see. :D
Those 50% off deals are GREAT.
:lifter
cat in the hat
11-30-2011, 12:55
I have been learning to cook from scratch. I eat lots of food that most people would send back as inedible in a restaurant but am getting better. and i have a few recipes that turn out pretty good. plus i meet single moms at the store and they usually appreciate an offer to have dinner cooked for them.
i found out that if i cook for 4 people, the money goes farther and i have leftovers. not a glamorous life but i am well fed and eat healthy for about $8 a day. now times that by 4 and at $36 a day a family would not starve. this is cutting out the cost of luxuries like an occasional desert or snack and meals out.
i assume that as i get better at cooking, i will likely spend more money for quality ingredients but should still be lower than eating out all the time.
greenberetTFS
11-30-2011, 13:32
Doesn't apply to me. All I eat is fish from the pond across the road, deer ambushed at the feeder in my backyard, nutmunks from the woods further up the hill behind my house, catfish from the White River down the road, chicken and eggs from the coop, vegetables from the truck patch, water from the well and peaches, apples and nuts from the trees in the front yard. Heeeeeeeeeeeeeee Haw. :D
I still make my pizzas with the venison my cajun SIL brings me after one of his hunting trips,yum,yum...........:cool: He has a fruit and vegetable stand at the farmers market and I get them fresh right from his garden.......;)
Big Teddy :munchin
Who would have thought that at some point in my life time it might be more affordable to dine out than to furnish your own food and cook at home.
"When it becomes frugal to eat out
One of the most basic tenets in economics is the law of demand; consumers will buy more of a good when its price decreases and less when its price increases. This is becoming increasingly evident in the food industry. It is becoming cheaper, on a relative basis, for consumers to dine out than to buy their own groceries and cook at home. Consumers have responded accordingly; spending on food away from home has picked up while spending on food at home has slowed."
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/commodity-inflation-and-spare-capacity-food-thought
Indeed, consumers for the most part think they are being frugal by dining out...However, if consumers knew of the actual food cost, food cost %, and mark-up that most establishments charge, they might re-think this clever anecdote.;)
In the old days, as refferenced so wisely in this thread already, growing and sustaing one's own produce and game were the smart thing to do in a soceity, weather the township was incorporated or not. Today however, soceity has lost that nugget of wisdom somewhere between the glamourous neon lights and candle darkened banquets of dimly lit highways.
JMHO...:munchin
Holly
Badger52
11-30-2011, 14:14
In the old days, as refferenced so wisely in this thread already, growing and sustaing one's own produce and game were the smart thing to do in a soceity, weather the township was incorporated or not. Today however, soceity has lost that nugget of wisdom somewhere between the glamourous neon lights and candle darkened banquets of dimly lit highways.
JMHO...:munchin
HollyHolly, that was very elegantly said.
Today however, society has lost that nugget of wisdom
Should we ever find ourselves in need of something other than the 'You Fly I'll Buy' and the JIT business model, under the right circumstances that lost nugget of wisdom would to lead to a world of hurt for many.
Due to ongoing debachery in the financial sector the possibility is a bit to close to home.
I think it is just that people have forgotten how to cook from scratch - are used to packaged food - and want to get out for a "real home cooked meal".
Agree wholeheartedly. Cooking from scratch also allows you to be in control of the spicing, sodium levels etc. You can make simple but delicious food fairly inexpensively, and treat yourself now and then to some really fabulous ingredients.
Buffalobob
11-30-2011, 18:31
A pound of elk or antelope costs me about $30 to $50. :D
The deer I killed on Monday cost me about $8 a pound.
I tend to agree with Pete except to add the laziness factor of people being unwilling to spend the time to cook or fix ones lunch before leaving for work.
What we had for dinner last night was venison steak, mashed potatoes from real potatoes and green beans. Tonight I cooked biscuits made from scratch and sausage gravy.
The Reaper
11-30-2011, 18:56
I do not think that the author understands cause and effect.
The fact that more people are eating out may be due to a number of causes, but saving money is probably not even in the top ten because it is a false savings, since in a restaurant, you are paying for the food, preparation cost, serving expense, and overhead.
TR
I do not think that the author understands cause and effect.
The fact that more people are eating out may be due to a number of causes, but saving money is probably not even in the top ten because it is a false savings, since in a restaurant, you are paying for the food, preparation cost, serving expense, and overhead.
TR
TR,
Again, you hit the nail on the head with your post. A whole host of factors, to add to the already mentioned items, go in to the final $$$ on that glossy menu.
Not to say it does not do soceity good, after all, some of the best moments that are turned in to memories are found around food.;)
Holly
For quality and nutrition, the .99 cent menu doesn't cut it. Then there is the issue of left overs that reduce, or could reduce weekly food costs even more. Learning how to budget, plan menus and actually expend a few calories while cooking our own food is way undervalued in todays society.
Team Sergeant
11-30-2011, 22:13
Who would have thought that at some point in my life time it might be more affordable to dine out than to furnish your own food and cook at home. Amazing! Talk about death by a thousand cuts and rats in a cage!
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/commodity-inflation-and-spare-capacity-food-thought
Might I add my .02 to this thread, I call bullshite. It is always cheaper to eat at home than to dine out.
At most "good" restaurants the food cost is between 25 and 30 percent. Labor, taxes, rent, insurance, etc etc etc make up the other costs. You can make bread that lasts for a month for pennies, IQF veggies hold a lot of natural flavor, starches are also cheap. What is not cheap is the labor involved to bring the flavors together.
It will always be cheaper to dine in than to eat out.
Paslode I'm not sure who you're working for or what you're reading but you need some professional help.
TS
Might I add my .02 to this thread, I call bullshite. It is always cheaper to eat at home than to dine out.
At most "good" restaurants the food cost is between 25 and 30 percent. Labor, taxes, rent, insurance, etc etc etc make up the other costs. You can make bread that lasts for a month for pennies, IQF veggies hold a lot of natural flavor, starches are also cheap. What is not cheap is the labor involved to bring the flavors together.
It will always be cheaper to dine in than to eat out.
Paslode I'm not sure who you're working for or what you're reading but you need some professional help.
TS
Well I don't work in the culinary field, food services or Bank of America Merrill Lynch, but I do hear more and more people saying that they can eat out, or pick up for less than cooking a meal.
I don't cook much, so whether that is true or not, I don't know.
The last meal I made was 12 qts deer chilli, out of pocket expense (less the tag) was about $35 out of pocket which is likely what You or Penn would charge me for one 'Quality' 8oz bowl with 4 saltines and garish.
When I have made pizza from scratch, I have found I need to make 3-4 pizzas to warrant not picking 2 up down the street.
I like you find that is more cost effective and the work is better quality when I do it myself.
However not everyone has the capabilities as you or I, not everyone can afford our skills, not as many care about the quality they get as long as it gets done and there are more McDonalds, Sonics, Home Depots & Lowes to fill that need and move the graphs in their direction.
Team Sergeant
12-01-2011, 09:06
What I have been told by many in the food industry is that people, even in hard times still like to eat out about once a week.
And I would agree for many "white collar professionals" who don't have a clue in the kitchen it might be cheaper to eat out....;)
Badger52
12-01-2011, 09:33
I do not think that the author understands cause and effect.
The fact that more people are eating out may be due to a number of causes, but saving money is probably not even in the top ten because it is a false savings, since in a restaurant, you are paying for the food, preparation cost, serving expense, and overhead.
TRRoger. One factor may be that many households are those where all the "breadwinners" arrive home pretty tired during the week and often simply don't want to think about what to cook, let alone actually cooking it. A close friend, upon retiring from his PD after spending a couple of decades making many decisions/hour for his 12-hr shifts over that many years, confessed to me the most dreaded words he could hear upon walking in the front door were, "Honey, what would you like for supper?" Like he wanted to make another decision...
:rolleyes:
False economy - if I make a big batch of sausage gravy (I don't even know how to make a small amount of this) I'm gonna be eatin' on it for awhile, and I don't mind taking leftovers when my wife cooks because my wife doesn't know how to cook for 2 either and my stuff at work coming out of the microwave smells better than the colleague's Dinty Moore. I'd rather fence the $$ and go out for a nice x-country cruise and we can find something really exotic over the weekend.
........ confessed to me the most dreaded words he could hear upon walking in the front door were, "Honey, what would you like for supper?" Like he wanted to make another decision...........
And that's the problem - trying to decide what to cook for supper at 5:30PM - and then looking to see if you have everything.
I ask my wife in the morning "What would you like for supper?" "I can't think about that now I just ate breakfast."
Fed a family of 4 last night and had left overs for lunch today. 1/2lb Pinto beans, 2 cups (uncooked wieght) of jasmine rice, 1 ham hock. All for less than $4.
greenberetTFS
12-01-2011, 11:51
Due to my wife's illness I'm now the chief cook in our house............I make simple meals....1) soup or salad(not both) 2) entree(meat etc. fresh veggies and potatoes ) 3) dessert(pie or cake) and ALL are homemade from scratch........We rarely eat out only when we go to out of town doctors..... Can't afford to eat out,only when we have to.....:D
Big Teddy :munchin
Roger. One factor may be that many households are those where all the "breadwinners" arrive home pretty tired during the week and often simply don't want to think about what to cook, let alone actually cooking it.
Well I live with me, myself and I so I'm the breadwinner. :D
To address that situation what I like to do is cook up a storm on Sundays, so I'll buy chicken, pork chops etc then create a few different types of dishes with those ingredients. When I get home from work on weekdays I make up a fresh veg (roasted preferably) or a salad, heat up the protein and that's it. However I cannot do that with fish, that is cooked fresh and so is steak.
The Italian part of me "cooks big" so that means I have enough for lunches as well. A coworker and I have this little thing going where we bring each other some food and we switch it up.
You can make up batches of chili, gravy etc and freeze into smaller usable portions. My cousin makes pesto in ice cube trays!
No one would ever be able to convince me it's cheaper to eat out.
I'm still trying to figure out what a nutmunk is, my initial guess was those folks we have out here in the state legislature.
I know single guys with limited cooking skills who practically live on the Subway $5 footlong sandwich. ( What was that line from Crocodile Dundee, "you can live off it, but it tastes like sh*t")
I believe a nutmonk is an arkansas squirrel
cant hardly
12-02-2011, 20:32
.
Ambush Master
12-02-2011, 22:26
Um, what is a nutmunk?
Google is your friend:
http://share.ovi.com/media/abellenz.public/abellenz.10149
Team Sergeant
12-03-2011, 10:49
And that's the problem - trying to decide what to cook for supper at 5:30PM - and then looking to see if you have everything.
I always try to have fresh veggies, a couple of protiens some starches etc. for those 1730 days and no plans.
Also as was pointed out google is your friend, just place what you have on hand into a google search and the last word: recipe.... it works great.
ZonieDiver
12-03-2011, 16:07
I've taken to a "European approach" since I pass a Sprouts on the way home every day. I keep some staples in the freezer, but buy as the mood strkikes me, and the sales offer bargains. (I got asparagus the other day for 99 cents a pound.)
I've found, from a 'running start,' that if you are not a total idiot, you can whip up a good, healthy meal with fresh ingredients, in about 30 minutes... with ease. That is quicker than it take to get through the drive-thru at McD's!