That math thing I keep doing on groceries plus a rant
If you work a minimum wage job,
It's easier to eat fast food than it is to cook.
It takes longer.
People don't know how to cook.
People don't own pans...
Wait, what?
Literally do not own a pan?
Or - don't own a full set of really awesome pans or a crock pot or other labor saving devices?
I know they own microwaves...
I know they own a pot or two...
I keep running into this set of arguments over the years, and I think some of it sure applies to those stuck in welfare motels.
But the vast majority of the working poor do NOT live in shelters nor motels and do have access to a very basic kitchen.
I realized something this morning.
There's an odd dichotomy going on.
It's the Left's version of the Right's 'Cadillac Welfare Queen Myth'.
The assumption that it's a choice between free range organic nicely cooked well balanced meals that nourish the body and soul -
and drive through fast food.
Between 'getting it quick' and 'getting it right'.
But there's a HUGE gray area in there of 'getting a little bit better, getting it a bit more quickly *without* being a good cook, getting it MUCH cheaper than take out.
At one point I took part in a lengthy thread on whether or not it was cheaper *and* faster to cook or to buy fast food that devolved to proof that recreating the ACTUAL exact McMeal was still cheaper and faster than buying it.
~But that takes cooking and shopping skills people don't have!~
Yep. Recreating McDonald's to the T does take good budgeting, planning, and cooking skills.
But that wasn't the point.
It's not about recreating the exact meal.
Cheaper than those 4 Quarter pounder 'value meals' (right about now in T-Town that's about $25) and cheaper than recreating them at home would have been the lb of hamburger, a box of Minute rice,a can of carrots and a 1/2 gal of 2% milk. For about $9.
And it's still, despite NOT being anywhere near the ideal, a healthier meal.
McD's - 1000 calories, 340 fat calories, 10 grams saturated fat.
Home - 608 cals, 217 fat calories, 9.4 grams saturated fat.
McD's - Protein 29 grams, Vit A 2%, Vit C 15%, Calcium 15%, Iron 30%
Home - Protein 34.3 grams, Vit A 141%, Vit C 6%, Calcium 36%, Iron 33%
It's not what we're hoping for - not an optimal or even close to optimal diet.
But it's better than take out.
It's one pan to brown the hamburger meat and then add water and minute rice, and one bowl to nuke a can of carrots in the microwave.
It tales FAR less time to go home and do this than to drive to McDonald's, wait in line, get the food, and THEN get it home where the kids are waiting for dinner.
The example I saw most recently was the single working min wage mom with three kids.
Doing this for dinner every weeknight with variations of instant potatoes or hamburger helper, with canned green beans or canned peas?
Less than 50$.
Doing take-out every weeknight for that family of 4? Over $120 bucks.
That adds up REALLY fast.
You don't have even one pan, you can afford to go to Walmart on payday and drop $25 on ONE cheap pan and ONE cheap pot - and buy those 5 dinner meals worth of food - and you're still going to be $40 ahead.
Next week you don't need to buy the pans.
You're $65 ahead.
Over the month?
Over $200 ahead.
It's easier to eat fast food than it is to cook.
It takes longer.
People don't know how to cook.
People don't own pans...
Wait, what?
Literally do not own a pan?
Or - don't own a full set of really awesome pans or a crock pot or other labor saving devices?
I know they own microwaves...
I know they own a pot or two...
I keep running into this set of arguments over the years, and I think some of it sure applies to those stuck in welfare motels.
But the vast majority of the working poor do NOT live in shelters nor motels and do have access to a very basic kitchen.
I realized something this morning.
There's an odd dichotomy going on.
It's the Left's version of the Right's 'Cadillac Welfare Queen Myth'.
The assumption that it's a choice between free range organic nicely cooked well balanced meals that nourish the body and soul -
and drive through fast food.
Between 'getting it quick' and 'getting it right'.
But there's a HUGE gray area in there of 'getting a little bit better, getting it a bit more quickly *without* being a good cook, getting it MUCH cheaper than take out.
At one point I took part in a lengthy thread on whether or not it was cheaper *and* faster to cook or to buy fast food that devolved to proof that recreating the ACTUAL exact McMeal was still cheaper and faster than buying it.
~But that takes cooking and shopping skills people don't have!~
Yep. Recreating McDonald's to the T does take good budgeting, planning, and cooking skills.
But that wasn't the point.
It's not about recreating the exact meal.
Cheaper than those 4 Quarter pounder 'value meals' (right about now in T-Town that's about $25) and cheaper than recreating them at home would have been the lb of hamburger, a box of Minute rice,a can of carrots and a 1/2 gal of 2% milk. For about $9.
And it's still, despite NOT being anywhere near the ideal, a healthier meal.
McD's - 1000 calories, 340 fat calories, 10 grams saturated fat.
Home - 608 cals, 217 fat calories, 9.4 grams saturated fat.
McD's - Protein 29 grams, Vit A 2%, Vit C 15%, Calcium 15%, Iron 30%
Home - Protein 34.3 grams, Vit A 141%, Vit C 6%, Calcium 36%, Iron 33%
It's not what we're hoping for - not an optimal or even close to optimal diet.
But it's better than take out.
It's one pan to brown the hamburger meat and then add water and minute rice, and one bowl to nuke a can of carrots in the microwave.
It tales FAR less time to go home and do this than to drive to McDonald's, wait in line, get the food, and THEN get it home where the kids are waiting for dinner.
The example I saw most recently was the single working min wage mom with three kids.
Doing this for dinner every weeknight with variations of instant potatoes or hamburger helper, with canned green beans or canned peas?
Less than 50$.
Doing take-out every weeknight for that family of 4? Over $120 bucks.
That adds up REALLY fast.
You don't have even one pan, you can afford to go to Walmart on payday and drop $25 on ONE cheap pan and ONE cheap pot - and buy those 5 dinner meals worth of food - and you're still going to be $40 ahead.
Next week you don't need to buy the pans.
You're $65 ahead.
Over the month?
Over $200 ahead.