Called meal prepping a fad for years. Finally caved after 3 months of eating out.

I was always the guy saying meal prepping was for gym bros with too much time. Then I looked at my bank statements from January to March and saw I spent $780 on lunches alone. That hurt. Started doing it 6 weeks ago and my lunch cost is down to about $40 a week. Anyone else get humbled by their own credit card bill?

3 comments

3 Comments

sam_rivera23d ago

I mean, $780 in three months sounds bad but that's like $60 a week which honestly isn't crazy depending where you live. I feel like people act like eating out is destroying their finances but then don't account for the time and gas money you save not grocery shopping and cooking. Maybe it's just me but the whole "humbled by my bank account" thing feels a little dramatic unless you were getting steak and lobster every day.

jade_grant9523d agoMost Upvoted

Ngl that $60 a week is nothing if you're grabbing something quick after work or on weekends. I spent like $500 on takeout last quarter and honestly it was worth every penny just not having to deal with groceries after a long day. People really do overblow how "dramatic" it is unless you're dropping $20+ per meal daily.

oscarcooper23d ago

Did you try just setting a weekly budget for eating out and sticking to it? I used to be the same way, and what helped me was taking $50 cash out every Monday and telling myself that's all I get for the week. If I wanted a $10 lunch and a $12 dinner somewhere, I had to make it work or skip one. It made me actually think about what I was buying instead of just tapping my card. Ended up cutting my spending by almost half without feeling like I was missing out.

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