The cost of convenience
Every once in awhile, I buy my breakfast and lunch when working downtown, instead of bringing it. Laziness, not wanting to schlep it all, not being able to prepare it at work, lunch dates, chlorinating the well and not wanting to wash the dishes when you get home (that’s today, ha) are all reasons.
And every once in a while, I think “gawd, I’m paying how much for xyz?!”
Like, $3.45 for this oatmeal, when I pay $2.00 for 20ish servings at home. That bugs me, a bit. But not enough to not get it, obviously. And I do appreciate being able to buy oatmeal at all!
It’s funny that that bothers me, but many other costs don’t.
An expensive Starbucks drink? It’s a treat! And I can’t make it taste like that at home!
The expensive vegan restaurant across the street from my office? Again – it’s a treat and I am definitely not able to bring in a lunch like that to eat.
But a regular meal out? Sometimes I do think “Steven could have made this better at a fraction of the cost.”
Or when I have to stop at a big box grocery store (for convenience) that isn’t ALDI? “Why is everything so EXPENSIVE?!?!” Ha.
We all pick and choose what we’re willing to pay for convenience, right?!
I’ve been thinking about this frequently, because we’ve been much more mindful with our finances (not that we were horrible before, but you know) since starting to save for buying the house. Less frivolous purchases, less eating out, and so on. And… it feels good. I’d rather save money for the big things. But still get my Starbucks. Ha.
Themocracy
Wait, chlorinating the well??? How often do you have to do that?! You are out in the country!!!
I used to look at what I was paying for healthy food when I ate out as a ridiculous expense – I mean, I could get loads of double cheeseburgers from McDonalds for the same price as a cup of coffee and a greek yogurt parfait from Starbucks…but as I changed how I ate, I decided that I was worthy of splurging on decent food.
That said, yes – there are many instances where we cut back in order to pay for other items (anything from a big race entry fee to a new faucet). Such is life, I guess.
Hee hee. So, I have this long post written about our water situation. I was kind of waiting to see what our final solution was before posting it. But I will try to make this short 🙂 Our water is really sulfurous. We had it chlorinated once to see if that lasted, and it didn’t. So we had an aerated / carbon system installed to treat the water, and it still gets a bit sulfurous, so we are trying the chlorination one more time to see if that helps – if not, we’ll get a different treatment system. We should only have to do it once a year after this, or each time it gets bad.
Oh man. That is such a good point. It costs so much more to eat healthy, and it’s a shame. We’re lucky we can afford to do it. I feel bad hearing about people choosing to buy McDonald’s because you get more food, instead of something healthier.
Sigh. I’ve totally cut back on races. I wonder if I will pick up more at the end of the year or be able to hold out!!!
Well at least you left the Starbucks in the equation or may have had to quit reading! haha!
LOL! 😛
I make my tea for the week in a huge pitcher, and I pack my lunch. I can save up for things like running shoes or other running gear. Not that I need them, but splurging for gear is more fun.
Yep. Definitely have had the same thoughts as you regarding the buying it already made or making it myself for a fraction of the price. When I buy food at a restaurant I always make sure to get stuff that I don’t generally make at home- like I’ll rarely ever get spaghetti because it’s cheap noodles and sauce… But I’ll get more complex dishes and not have the thought that I could have made it for less money myself- especially the Indian food we get because I’ve cooked it from scratch before and always came to the conclusion it’s so much easier to buy one portion at a restaurant vs buy 800 ingredients and spend all the money and time cooking something like that. We eat out a lot less now due to many factors, but when we do, we want food that we won’t/cannot cook at home- kind of like your Starbucks treat so we don’t leave the place feeling dissatisfied in regards to price.
Ha ha, good point when you make a HUGE investment just to make something at home – like if you did with Indian. One time we wanted to make salsa and I seriously think we spend $50 on everything. It was delish, but ridic to spend so much money!!!
Ahh, spaghetti. Good point. A lot of times that is all I can get because it’s the only vegan thing offered (which is great to have an option at all), but zzzzzzzzzzzz.
I’m with you, I typically try to order stuff I can’t easily make myself.
I also died a little when I used to wait tables at the Olive Garden and people ordered spaghetti. I mean, I know it’s not fine dining, but come on.
Getting food delivered from a restaurant is the biggest splurge. Not only do you have to pay a delivery charge of $3 to $5 but also another $3 to $5 tip for the delivery person! So if I’m lazy, rather than walking six blocks round-trip to pick up some restaurant food, I’ll sometimes pay an additional 25% of the cost of the order just for delivery.
We’ve paid for pizza delivery at the new house because we didn’t want to stop what we were doing to cook or pick up food… it happens!!!! 🙂 Or, you’re feeling lazy… which also happens 🙂
OMG yes GrubHub is so easy but so dangerous.
I totally have a draft post about almost this exact same issue waiting to be posted! If (when) I actually post it, I swear I didn’t steal the idea! Even right now when I am especially money conscious, there are still some convenience things I buy because it is just not worth my time!
Great minds! 😉
And yeah, all the times we talked about cutting back, I told Steven I was still going to get my SB chai once a week 🙂 I can’t live my life that restricted!
I’ve been horrible about this. I’ve been paying for eating out during the workday when I really could be bringing better food from home for cheaper. Like you said, I guess I’m paying for the convenience. But we do want to be more serious about saving so I guess I’ll have to stop being so lazy 🙂
Is bringing lunch a habit you got out of? Or something you need to build up? You can do eet! I like to prep all my lunch stuff (cutting up salad toppings) on the weekend to make it easier during the week! Then grab whatever leftovers from dinner. 🙂
It’s a habit I got out of, sadly. I used to be really good at it. You’re right, I need to just plan in advance and do some of the prep work on the weekend 🙂
Start small with a few days, right? You know what to do! You’ll feel better when you do it. Then lunch out will be an even bigger treat!
So, I haven’t done an actual cost analysis, but I’ve long suspected that going grocery shopping isn’t actually that much cheaper for us than eating out every day. Granted, it would be worlds healthier, but sometimes I wonder. Perhaps we’re both bad at meal planning and shopping (a definite possibility), but it seems like we spend an awful lot on groceries for just two people and I’m interested to see how much more we REALLY spend on eating out.
I think you’d really have to eat out cheaply for grocery shopping to not save you that much money! My husband and I were talking about it yesterday and we probably spend about $100 a week on groceries – and that wouldn’t be enough for 28 meals unless they were all at a fast food place :-/ Where are you grocery shopping that you are spending so much?! You should add it up! I am interested 🙂
You eat 4 meals a day?
In most cases, the dollar really does stretch farther with grocery shopping. Where it seems to get us is with buying ingredients for certain dinners and bigger meals that either don’t carry well for leftovers or there isn’t enough. Maybe it’s just because we’re meat-eaters, I guess 🙂
Ha, no. I am not sure where that math came from. It should be 42 meals a week 3 meals a day x 2 people x 7 days 🙂
I was wondering if meat was more expensive! And I didn’t think about having leftovers! I just know what we spend eating out wouldn’t translate over in to savings on our end. Last night we spend $30 at HuHot for two dinners! We’d have to find cheaper places like you do.
HuHot!!! OMG! I haven’t seen one of those in forever!
Haha, and for the record, there are few things that are actually more expensive than eating out…when you’re actually good at prep, planning, and shopping 🙂
Plus, not all eating out is either McDs or super pricey. There’s a place near my work, for example, where I can get a filling brunch of an omelet, toast, and fruit or hash browns, plus a drink, for under $10. I can go to Subway or Potbelly and get a large sub for 5-6 bucks, and save half of it for my dinner later. I could pay a good price for a nice plate of pasta or a pizza but have enough left over for one, in some cases even two more meals. I hate to defend it but there are also ways to save and stretch your dollar with eating out.
I have always said the same thing…If I can cook a better meal at home, why would I buy it? Now a nice shwanky place, or something unique that I don’t know how to cook? You betcha I’ll pay extra.
Totally! 🙂 Or, when you are freaking exhausted and can’t think about cooking. But at that point, I don’t even really feel that hungry. Ha.
HAHA! We picked up take out last night, and I totally thought of you. I was just too tired to cook!
Well think about how much your time (and sanity) is literally worth in dollars and what you save by paying for convenience.
I’ve never been a brown bagger for lunch (as and adult). I’m going on 12 years. I know myself. I will bring my own oatmeal to work and drink the free coffee, but bring my lunch?? Never. It doesn’t help that my office participates in Fooda, so I don’t have to leave the building to get a decent meal, and my company knocks $3 off the cost every day. But even when I didn’t have that, I was already bringing my breakfast, bring my lunch too?
It does save me a few minutes of prep time… 10 minutes at home the night before and the prep of getting it ready at work. 🙂
It’s nice that your company helps with the cost of your lunch! 🙂
This is kind of chiming into the discussion above but Matt and I are meat eaters and we spend about $100-$120+/- per week on groceries. That’s breakfasts, 4 lunches pp (we each tend to go out about 1x per week for lunch), 4-5 dinners and snacks/things to go in the hoarder pantry 😉 It is funny b/c I want to take advantage of the SALES at the grocery store (I have to pay FULL PRICE? lol) but yeah spend $X on a cup of coffee.
Sounds about right in range with us, and we are not meat eaters (but ARE hoarders, ha!). Do you shop at any cheaper places, like Aldi? I can’t stand those stores where you have to have a card to get the somewhat “discount” (but still ridic!) price!
I often think about how bizarre and inconsistent I am with what sort of expenses bother me. Like for me, eating out? I will pay a HUGE amount for eating out at dinner and not blink an eye – but I am a big foodie, and I place the experience of eating well in a nice environment really high on my “life enjoyment” list. On the other hand, spending money to buy shitty lunches when I don’t plan ahead to bring lunch to work? Infuriates me! These are not enjoyable experiences, they’re spending $10-12 for a prepared meal that is far less healthy than my own lunch, had I managed to bring one!
Or self care stuff: I totally pay out the butt to get my hair cut & dyed regularly. But I just hemmed & hawed for like 2 weeks before caving and buying a bella band (stretchy thingy you put over your waist band when pregnant and can no longer button your pants 😉 ) because it was $30 and that seemed excessive for one piece of fabric. Of course, I now wear it EVERY SINGLE DAY and it has even *saved* me money because I haven’t needed to buy maternity clothes yet. But why did THAT $30 bother me, when I pay far more for my hair, or would easily pay that for a pedicure, without blinking an eye?? I don’t know!
It’s really interesting to hear what people are willing to shell out on, right? Like, I bet a lot of people would spend a lot to travel, but maybe are more stringent in eating out and stuff like that. It makes sense that you spend more on what you enjoy (those meals) or think is worth the money (hair care – I was sad when we had to stop seeing our $$$ stylist years ago).
The comments on this post are so interesting! Especially trying to figure out if it’s cheaper to buy meals out or go grocery shopping. I’m with you that it’s probably cheaper to buy groceries, especially if I ate lunch in the city and spent $10+ on lunch. That’s $50 a week or $200 a month!
Jason eats out probably 2-3 days a week, though, whereas I probably buy lunch at work less than 2-3 times a month. I just can’t justify the expense (or the calories) that often!
Also, sometime last year I started drinking coffee but I HATE spending money on it when we have free coffee in the office. It just seems so silly, especially since I only drink one cup a day. Sometimes I’ll treat myself but it’s pretty rare.
However, when I’m grocery shopping I would rather pay more to get everything at one store than store hop to get the best deals. So, I suppose in that case I’m saving time/sanity rather than money.
It turned in to a really fun discussion! (which is awesome since I wasn’t even sure what to post about on Wed, lol).
City dining is EXPENSIVE! And you can get something healthy, but ugh, it adds up! I guess, at least we have lots of options?
Do you like the office copy?
Oh man, I do NOT want to store hop, either. I only do it to get things that ALDI doesn’t have! 🙂 I get as much there as I can!
Making a Starbucks like drink at home is not cheap. I’ve considered it, but the espresso machine I want is $350. Then there’s buying syrups (which my wife would go through the vanilla plenty fast) and the clean up after frothing milk (or soy milk).
The oatmeal thing… I make oatmeal a lot at home. I rarely buy it. But when I do, it’s at Starbucks. Easy and quick and it prevents me from getting something like an Egg McMuffin or something even junkier.
Your comment is reminding me that I wanted to get some raspberry syrup to keep at home to put in my chais!!! If I could make the drink like they do at Starbucks, and the machinery would last, I would consider the investment 😉 Right now, I use a frother that kind of works… and it was a gift, so whatever. 🙂 We have an espresso machine, but I don’t drink coffee… and I think that is all it does? I don’t think it steams milk or anything.
Yes! It’s nice to have the oatmeal option at so many places now!
I’ve stopped buying tea at Starbucks because it’s SO expensive (like $2+ for a not-very-good teabag), but it makes me a little sad. I liked the “treat” of getting a tea, rather than making it myself.
Do you consider Native Foods a treat?
I bet there are other good places there to get tea, right? Do you have Argo?
I do consider Native Foods a treat since I don’t go there that often 🙂