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If you compare the same meal and don't account for the time you spend cooking it, it will be cheaper to do it yourself every time. If you go to fancy restaurant

by redial 10y ago

If you compare the same meal and don't account for the time you spend cooking it, it will be cheaper to do it yourself every time. If you go to fancy restaurants it's not even close. You just have to compare the price of a soda, ~$3 and up (usually $5), to its price at the supermarket and you'll have your answer. Wine is also an easy one, with at least 300% markup even on cheap bottles. Everything is marked up like that (maybe calling it 'markup' is not really fair as they provide other things and not just a meal, but you get what I mean.) I've been cooking for years and not even trying to save money meals are less expensive.

taeric 10y ago
You can't skip on the time. It is one of the main reasons to do fast food, after all. And it has been a long time since I bought soda. Still, I feel it is impossible to list ingredients and recipes without building a straw man. Research on average amount spent eating out and eating in would be nice to see. My point is it is easy to save money doing either. It is equally easy to spend more than makes sense doing either. My gut would be that eating in is cheaper. My gut is also that it is easier to waste food at home. Is amazing how many times we let something ruin in the fridge. And again, neither of those gut checks are data.
- redial 10y ago
  Wine bottle prices and beer prices are available everywhere. It's not that hard to compare them.
  - taeric 10y ago
    And when I'm eating out, I'm not ordering those... When I'm having a night out, beer. Maybe. That is, since most eating out is at fast food locations, wine and beer are irrelevant.
    - redial 10y ago
      They are not irrelevant as 'hard data', which is what you requested. If you want to have only anecdotes and personal experiences then by all means stay with what you order when you go out.
      - taeric 10y ago
        Sorta. That is hard data on price of some things. My question is data on what people actually spend. Consider, many people buy dollar beers at the bar. What I buy at the grocery isn't even that cheap. So, again, straw man. I'm not asking what people could spend. But what they do spend.

by redial 10y ago

taeric 10y ago

You can't skip on the time. It is one of the main reasons to do fast food, after all. And it has been a long time since I bought soda. Still, I feel it is impossible to list ingredients and recipes without building a straw man. Research on average amount spent eating out and eating in would be nice to see. My point is it is easy to save money doing either. It is equally easy to spend more than makes sense doing either. My gut would be that eating in is cheaper. My gut is also that it is easier to waste food at home. Is amazing how many times we let something ruin in the fridge. And again, neither of those gut checks are data.

redial 10y ago
Wine bottle prices and beer prices are available everywhere. It's not that hard to compare them.
- taeric 10y ago
  And when I'm eating out, I'm not ordering those... When I'm having a night out, beer. Maybe. That is, since most eating out is at fast food locations, wine and beer are irrelevant.
  - redial 10y ago
    They are not irrelevant as 'hard data', which is what you requested. If you want to have only anecdotes and personal experiences then by all means stay with what you order when you go out.
    - taeric 10y ago
      Sorta. That is hard data on price of some things. My question is data on what people actually spend. Consider, many people buy dollar beers at the bar. What I buy at the grocery isn't even that cheap. So, again, straw man. I'm not asking what people could spend. But what they do spend.