The Quote

[K. A. Pital]

$135 per month per person is actually a little less than our own food budget (in cash; we also get like $100 per month for a family of two in "food stamps" of sorts issued by a private company for me employer). We eat healthy, but we do waste shitloads of time. There were much worse times, however, especially for me wife. Potatoes all the time, without end, and no other food in sight, for years. But that was quite a while ago.

In any case I wouldn't say making complex meals (not like "boil rice = food ready" or "cook potatoes = food ready") is cheaper than fast-food. Did a rough calc once, if you try to eat a varied diet with seafood, various vegetables, meat, cheese, et cetera you end up with your meals being slightly below* fast-food by cost. That slight difference is enough for a poor person who has a family w/ kids to screw it and go eat somewhere.

Children also alter the picture a lot - now, if I had them, and wasted precious after-work time on making food instead of spending time with them, I'd be quite unhappy.

* - only applies to the First World; in Russia food at home is much cheaper than any public dining place.

[Losonti Tokash]

Good thing I never said that!

You think spending $30 a week to feed two people is "eat[ing] too much." Your posts consist of "well I do this and it's fine," as if you're a good example of how people actually behave. You apparently don't see an issue with a 2 hour round trip to the grocery store.

[K. A. Pital]

Oh, you can, if you're a citizen. In case we're talking about immigrants, remittances may come into play and further press the available "food budget" down.

[Losonti Tokash]

That's great you understand that it can be a lot of effort and time to cook food. But you apparently refuse to believe that in a lot of cases it is literally impossible to buy food in a way that allows you to save money. Your "buy a bunch of food all at once to save trips and money" only helps if the grocery store is within a reasonable distance, people have enough money to buy large packages of food, a way to transport the food home, and a place to store it. A lot of people just don't have enough money to be able to save money on anything.

PS doubling my food budget from $30 to $60 doesn't help if the total amount of cash available to me is $30 and I also need to be able to buy gas for my car for my 1 hour commute to a job that pays $7.50 an hour.

[K. A. Pital]

With regards to having free time when something is already done and being cooked - that's true, however, usually that time is consumed by some minor cooking-related tasks (wash the equipment used to prepare the dish; take out new plates, prepare to serve the dish, prepare the table etc.), and in the end there's hardly any "free" time left. All the minor cooking-related waste of time is still there when you cook at home, it can't be handwaved away.

[Pendleton]

It's not good to say there are inherently healthy foods or ways of going about eating them. You can't say all fast food is bad, and all self-prepared food is good. One can quite happily be unhealthy making all their own stuff, and likewise, be healthy still eating fast food occasionally. The actual lifestyle is important, so the false dichotomy of processed vs. homemade isn't helpful. It reminds me of the ludicrous war on fat or whatever food quality of the day is in vogue. Just as we had diets that looked to eating less food rather than address your overall diet and lifestyle (or even your predisposition to being larger, regardless of diet or activity levels).

In the end, I do agree that it is time that is the more important issue. Even if you can afford to eat out often, it's the cost saving of time in a world where we are increasingly squeezed for free time in the lower and middle classes.

[Ziggy Stardust]

That's great you understand that it can be a lot of effort and time to cook food. But you apparently refuse to believe that in a lot of cases it is literally impossible to buy food in a way that allows you to save money. Your "buy a bunch of food all at once to save trips and money" only helps if the grocery store is within a reasonable distance, people have enough money to buy large packages of food, a way to transport the food home, and a place to store it. A lot of people just don't have enough money to be able to save money on anything.

PS doubling my food budget from $30 to $60 doesn't help if the total amount of cash available to me is $30 and I also need to be able to buy gas for my car for my 1 hour commute to a job that pays $7.50 an hour.

What DS also seems to be ignoring (in addition to everything you point out, here) is the fact that buying larger amounts up front also leads to the problem of food going bad/spoiling/what have you. And guess what? Foods least likely to go bad are the ones jack full of preservatives which are *shock and awe* less healthy for you!

[PainRack]

What DS also seems to be ignoring (in addition to everything you point out, here) is the fact that buying larger amounts up front also leads to the problem of food going bad/spoiling/what have you. And guess what? Foods least likely to go bad are the ones jack full of preservatives which are *shock and awe* less healthy for you!

That's not just a problem at the family level but on a wider economic level.

Vegetables and fruits require more labour to pick as it is, but they're also harder to keep fresh and in a condition that would be sellable to modern day consumers. Pack meat full of salt and water to plump it up and you can get a modern day shopper to buy it, but vegetables with holes in it, limping or even "off-colour" would not do.

[amigocabal]

What DS also seems to be ignoring (in addition to everything you point out, here) is the fact that buying larger amounts up front also leads to the problem of food going bad/spoiling/what have you. And guess what? Foods least likely to go bad are the ones jack full of preservatives which are *shock and awe* less healthy for you!

That's not just a problem at the family level but on a wider economic level.

Vegetables and fruits require more labour to pick as it is, but they're also harder to keep fresh and in a condition that would be sellable to modern day consumers. Pack meat full of salt and water to plump it up and you can get a modern day shopper to buy it, but vegetables with holes in it, limping or even "off-colour" would not do.

We do have canned and driedfruits and vegetables. The flavor packets of noodles, for example, contain dehydrated carrots and green beans. Before refrigerators were invented, it was how people preserved fruits and vegetables. And while not as healthy or as delicious as the fresh stuff (just compare the taste of fresh pineapples versus canned pineapples if you doubt me), it is not as fattening as canned pastrami.