This makes me insanely jealous but kudos to all those kids. It makes my efforts to make a living on-line seem like (forgive the pun), child's play. Perhaps I'll have to leverage my son's brainpower once he gets older and see if he can come up with something as good as these ideas.
Seriously, what's the point of itemizing "things that cost more at restaurants than they cost to buy or make at home" when in fact the whole POINT of restaurants is that you're paying more so you don't HAVE to buy it or make it at home? The restaurants earn money so they can pay their rent and their wages, and you get the food without all the work. Seems like a fair exchange to me.
How about the fact that people who are ill are both more likely to have a higher mortality rate and to sleep longer. It seems they mixed up cause and effect.
I check for some spices in the Ethnic Food aisle; they can be significantly cheaper! But try to keep to whole spices, like peppercorns, bay leaves or garlic powder. Blended spices, like chili or curry powder, may have additives you don't want. I would stay away from cheap imitations of expensive stuff, too. Saffron and vanilla are expensive and cheap versions aren't the same, and not the real thing.
“The History of every major Galactic Civilization tends to pass through three distinct and recognizable phases, those of Survival, Inquiry and Sophistication, otherwise known as the How, Why, and Where phases. For instance, the first phase is characterized by the question 'How can we eat?' the second by the question 'Why do we eat?' and the third by the question 'Where shall we have lunch?”
Mystery shopping is VERY hard work. You hardly have any free time if you are doing it full time, as I do. Even high end better paid video shopping is hard graft and usually involves lots of travel with no expenses to cover fuel and there is always the pressure to perform well and to complete several long jobs (usually car industry) to make it all worthwhile financially. A typical dealership job with last 1-2 hours and that is without filling in the form and travelling to and from to location which could be hundreds of miles away. All for a princely £40? Joke right? No. I am about to give up for these reasons alone and I am in the top league of video mystery shoppers and get offered the highest paid assignments. Ultimately, even that isn't enough to keep me doing it. I barely make more than a mid ranking secretary and put in twice the hours they do. Most of my complaints are aimed at the mystery shopping companies more than the work: they treat Mystery shoppers like crap. They direct and control our entire day yet pay a smallish fee for the work, not the hours. One company even has the gall to impose a directive to force us to drive customers to and from their home for aftersales work, no matter how far away they live or whether we would want some smelly, unsocial boring fart in our own car. Another allows Quality Control to piss all over our heads by texting us day and night for mistakes they have made, not us. I would describe all kinds of mystery shopping like this, and I pretty much think it is accurate - having been at the top, rather than the bottom, and considered very good at what I do: 'it is the best possible crap job you could have.' You have your freedom, and it can be fun, but don't let anyone tell you that it is a good long term career move. It isn't.
Nice article, it really made me reflect on what woes I do not have...versus focusing on what else I could acheive. Sometimes avoiding pain > attaining pleasure.
My only concern was the point about Becoming a Better Person. I think that donating CAN be a way to fulfill oneself, but not if you're just donating to organizations that remove you from the cause. In our privileged society, many of us don't know 'poor people' or those in need--not due to financial irresponsibility, but actual need--so giving someone like that money, after probably searching them out, can be very fulfilling. (Heck, even if they were financially irresponsible, its still an opportunity to help someone in need).
A quote from Muslim scripture, a saying of the Prophet Mohamed goes: "The giving hand (in charity or aid), is better than the receiving hand."
...this basically means that although not fulfilling one's own responsibility is a negative, giving and helping those in need is an opportunity for a great positive.
Obviously, I hold this opinion dear, and in my own life have tried to seek out opportunities to help people, who otherwise may not be known as 'needing help.' I don't feel it makes me enlightened, but I know it definitely feels fulfilling, as opposed to keeping up withe Jones' ...and no one can ever keep up!
I think you've completely missed the point of going out. Going out is about sitting down and relaxing and having someone else do the work for a change. I think you clearly misunderstand the economics of restaurant dining. The cost of the meal isn't just the cost of the ingredients. You're paying for someone to prepare the food, server it to you, and clean up after. You may also be paying for the ambience, decor, and location. (Sure I can save a lot of money eating salad and pasta at home but I can't watch the sun setting into the ocean while I'm eating from my dining room!)
To an extent the OP is correct but ultimately, you either want to go out or you don't and if you don't. Feels a bit like saying "it's cheaper to walk everywhere than drive or take a cab".
I don't disagree that eating out isn't cheap but so many people are prepared to pay these prices that they are just in fact "the going rate" for that commodity.
Drinks and deserts are usually very overpriced but let's face it - who wants to just drink tap water when you go out for a nice meal somewhere?
Having worked in restaurants (both fast food and 'real') in the past, I can vouch for all of those, with the caveat that Sunshine343 mentioned, that the costs only take raw materials into account --- except for pizza. I'm genuinely interested in knowing how to make a pizza that cheap o_O I'm not saying it's not possible, I'd just like to know how to pull that off myself! :)
For reference, when I worked at a national chain pizza joint, we paid (to corporate suppliers (no real choice, by contract)) $2 per pizza for the dough, $2 for the 2 cups of cheese, and $1 for the sauce (Sysco tomato sauce plus a spice blend) for a plain 14 inch pizza...in 1999. I think it's safe to assume that the costs have gone up since then. That's not including toppings.
On the soda note -- It's worse that you think. Our cost (in ~2001) for a 20-oz soft drink was SIX cents per glass, including they "syrup," water, CO2, and labor+fluids+power needed to wash the glasses. One good alternative for those who prefer to drink wine in restaurants is to bring your own and pay the Corkage fee (call ahead to make sure they allow this first!) -- still much, much cheaper than buying direct from the establishment, where the price they pay per bottle is often about what you pay for two glasses from it.
Entirely valid. On top of this you also have to factor in the energy costs (which here in Australia certainly add to the cost). You have gas to get to the supermarket and back to get the ingredients. Then water to clean all the vegies / boil pasta in etc. Then gas/electricity to cook everything (stove/oven/microwave/kettle whatever). Then extra electricity usage by the airconditioners to keep the house cool due to the extra heat generated by the cooking process (I live in the tropics so the airconditioner is on all year round). Oh and electricity to power the lights and extractor fan in the kitchen whilst cooking. Then water and detergent to wash everything up after cooking/eating. Plus electricity to run the lights/airconditioning/tv/stereo or whatever you require whilst eating, which would otherwise be turned off if eating out. Not to mention extra electricity for the fridges that are storing all the perishables that you bring home from the supermarket until you cook them, and then the leftovers after cooking. And depending where you live, maybe even parking fees to even go to the supermarket. Plus extra rubbish bags that you will go through because of all the preparation waste that will result in filling you bin faster. And perhaps foil or cling wrap for storing leftovers. Add all these items up and in Australia at least you're talking an extra $2-$3 per serve easily!
Also, stop being predictable! I've hit a few times in my friendships where every time we meet we just rehash the same types of conversations over and over. Then I press the reset button and try something new. Suggesting a crazy new type of activity we can do together, change the dialogue. Couples do weird, new, interesting things for dates; don't forget to do the same with your friends!
What are you doing with the salad for 10 minutes ? 5 minutes is more than enough to make any kind of salad for 4 people, no matter what, unless you are making dressing from the scratch, and even than I might going to make it in that time frame.
Pasta sauces similar thing. Though there is several sauces that actually need a lot of cooking, most of the sauces that you can find in local restaurants are made quickly.
I take it you've never been a server? Servers need to be in front of the public for hours at a time. They often have to deal with extremely rude customers, or a chef or an Owner in the back that is having a bad day and taking it out on them. There are any number of things beyond their control that can cause them to not be 100%. They don't get paid sick, personal, or holidays, and still have to pay their bills.
Everyone has bad days. I'm a professional working in an office and I have bad days. No, I don't then go and treat my clients terribly, but I also have the option to reschedule a meeting or excuse myself to the restroom or let a call go to voicemail.
I'm not saying that truly bad service should be rewarded, but tipping nothing is awful. If they served you, yes, they DESERVE a tip. That's the deal when you go to a restaurant with a waitstaff.
I go out to eat to enjoy the experience, not to squeeze every last nickel from my budget. If I order something I don't want because it costs the restaurant more to make, I've wasted my money. An odd way to live your life.
Yes, I agree... How much is a person's time worth? either the person eating out, or the person(s) preparing and serving the food?
This is a question that can only be answered by the individual deciding whether to eat at home or eat out...
However, this article does not address the convenience of eating out, or any of the social factors involved in eating out that also has some type of value, albeit difficult to place a monetary value on.
This makes me insanely jealous but kudos to all those kids. It makes my efforts to make a living on-line seem like (forgive the pun), child's play. Perhaps I'll have to leverage my son's brainpower once he gets older and see if he can come up with something as good as these ideas.
11. Everything else.
Seriously, what's the point of itemizing "things that cost more at restaurants than they cost to buy or make at home" when in fact the whole POINT of restaurants is that you're paying more so you don't HAVE to buy it or make it at home? The restaurants earn money so they can pay their rent and their wages, and you get the food without all the work. Seems like a fair exchange to me.
How about the fact that people who are ill are both more likely to have a higher mortality rate and to sleep longer. It seems they mixed up cause and effect.
I check for some spices in the Ethnic Food aisle; they can be significantly cheaper! But try to keep to whole spices, like peppercorns, bay leaves or garlic powder. Blended spices, like chili or curry powder, may have additives you don't want. I would stay away from cheap imitations of expensive stuff, too. Saffron and vanilla are expensive and cheap versions aren't the same, and not the real thing.
“The History of every major Galactic Civilization tends to pass through three distinct and recognizable phases, those of Survival, Inquiry and Sophistication, otherwise known as the How, Why, and Where phases. For instance, the first phase is characterized by the question 'How can we eat?' the second by the question 'Why do we eat?' and the third by the question 'Where shall we have lunch?”
We want to have a lot in our 529 accounts for our girls for college.
Mystery shopping is VERY hard work. You hardly have any free time if you are doing it full time, as I do. Even high end better paid video shopping is hard graft and usually involves lots of travel with no expenses to cover fuel and there is always the pressure to perform well and to complete several long jobs (usually car industry) to make it all worthwhile financially. A typical dealership job with last 1-2 hours and that is without filling in the form and travelling to and from to location which could be hundreds of miles away. All for a princely £40? Joke right? No. I am about to give up for these reasons alone and I am in the top league of video mystery shoppers and get offered the highest paid assignments. Ultimately, even that isn't enough to keep me doing it. I barely make more than a mid ranking secretary and put in twice the hours they do. Most of my complaints are aimed at the mystery shopping companies more than the work: they treat Mystery shoppers like crap. They direct and control our entire day yet pay a smallish fee for the work, not the hours. One company even has the gall to impose a directive to force us to drive customers to and from their home for aftersales work, no matter how far away they live or whether we would want some smelly, unsocial boring fart in our own car. Another allows Quality Control to piss all over our heads by texting us day and night for mistakes they have made, not us. I would describe all kinds of mystery shopping like this, and I pretty much think it is accurate - having been at the top, rather than the bottom, and considered very good at what I do: 'it is the best possible crap job you could have.' You have your freedom, and it can be fun, but don't let anyone tell you that it is a good long term career move. It isn't.
Nice article, it really made me reflect on what woes I do not have...versus focusing on what else I could acheive. Sometimes avoiding pain > attaining pleasure.
My only concern was the point about Becoming a Better Person. I think that donating CAN be a way to fulfill oneself, but not if you're just donating to organizations that remove you from the cause. In our privileged society, many of us don't know 'poor people' or those in need--not due to financial irresponsibility, but actual need--so giving someone like that money, after probably searching them out, can be very fulfilling. (Heck, even if they were financially irresponsible, its still an opportunity to help someone in need).
A quote from Muslim scripture, a saying of the Prophet Mohamed goes: "The giving hand (in charity or aid), is better than the receiving hand."
...this basically means that although not fulfilling one's own responsibility is a negative, giving and helping those in need is an opportunity for a great positive.
Obviously, I hold this opinion dear, and in my own life have tried to seek out opportunities to help people, who otherwise may not be known as 'needing help.' I don't feel it makes me enlightened, but I know it definitely feels fulfilling, as opposed to keeping up withe Jones' ...and no one can ever keep up!
As far as beverages go, at most restaurants what they charge for a glass of milk you can buy a gallon at the store.
I think you've completely missed the point of going out. Going out is about sitting down and relaxing and having someone else do the work for a change. I think you clearly misunderstand the economics of restaurant dining. The cost of the meal isn't just the cost of the ingredients. You're paying for someone to prepare the food, server it to you, and clean up after. You may also be paying for the ambience, decor, and location. (Sure I can save a lot of money eating salad and pasta at home but I can't watch the sun setting into the ocean while I'm eating from my dining room!)
I agree with Sunshine343, good points well made.
To an extent the OP is correct but ultimately, you either want to go out or you don't and if you don't. Feels a bit like saying "it's cheaper to walk everywhere than drive or take a cab".
I don't disagree that eating out isn't cheap but so many people are prepared to pay these prices that they are just in fact "the going rate" for that commodity.
Drinks and deserts are usually very overpriced but let's face it - who wants to just drink tap water when you go out for a nice meal somewhere?
I would like to see our family debt-free except for the mortgage.
Having worked in restaurants (both fast food and 'real') in the past, I can vouch for all of those, with the caveat that Sunshine343 mentioned, that the costs only take raw materials into account --- except for pizza. I'm genuinely interested in knowing how to make a pizza that cheap o_O I'm not saying it's not possible, I'd just like to know how to pull that off myself! :)
For reference, when I worked at a national chain pizza joint, we paid (to corporate suppliers (no real choice, by contract)) $2 per pizza for the dough, $2 for the 2 cups of cheese, and $1 for the sauce (Sysco tomato sauce plus a spice blend) for a plain 14 inch pizza...in 1999. I think it's safe to assume that the costs have gone up since then. That's not including toppings.
On the soda note -- It's worse that you think. Our cost (in ~2001) for a 20-oz soft drink was SIX cents per glass, including they "syrup," water, CO2, and labor+fluids+power needed to wash the glasses. One good alternative for those who prefer to drink wine in restaurants is to bring your own and pay the Corkage fee (call ahead to make sure they allow this first!) -- still much, much cheaper than buying direct from the establishment, where the price they pay per bottle is often about what you pay for two glasses from it.
Retired with a good emergency fund and growing investments.
Entirely valid. On top of this you also have to factor in the energy costs (which here in Australia certainly add to the cost). You have gas to get to the supermarket and back to get the ingredients. Then water to clean all the vegies / boil pasta in etc. Then gas/electricity to cook everything (stove/oven/microwave/kettle whatever). Then extra electricity usage by the airconditioners to keep the house cool due to the extra heat generated by the cooking process (I live in the tropics so the airconditioner is on all year round). Oh and electricity to power the lights and extractor fan in the kitchen whilst cooking. Then water and detergent to wash everything up after cooking/eating. Plus electricity to run the lights/airconditioning/tv/stereo or whatever you require whilst eating, which would otherwise be turned off if eating out. Not to mention extra electricity for the fridges that are storing all the perishables that you bring home from the supermarket until you cook them, and then the leftovers after cooking. And depending where you live, maybe even parking fees to even go to the supermarket. Plus extra rubbish bags that you will go through because of all the preparation waste that will result in filling you bin faster. And perhaps foil or cling wrap for storing leftovers. Add all these items up and in Australia at least you're talking an extra $2-$3 per serve easily!
Also, stop being predictable! I've hit a few times in my friendships where every time we meet we just rehash the same types of conversations over and over. Then I press the reset button and try something new. Suggesting a crazy new type of activity we can do together, change the dialogue. Couples do weird, new, interesting things for dates; don't forget to do the same with your friends!
I'm regrowing a pineapple in my garden, and it's almost ready! I'm very excited to eat it.
$10 pies at Whole Foods?? In NY??
I'm hoping to have my student loans paid off, and a nice cushion of savings in the bank.
Build up retirement/college savings. Have 2 kids in college.
What are you doing with the salad for 10 minutes ? 5 minutes is more than enough to make any kind of salad for 4 people, no matter what, unless you are making dressing from the scratch, and even than I might going to make it in that time frame.
Pasta sauces similar thing. Though there is several sauces that actually need a lot of cooking, most of the sauces that you can find in local restaurants are made quickly.
I take it you've never been a server? Servers need to be in front of the public for hours at a time. They often have to deal with extremely rude customers, or a chef or an Owner in the back that is having a bad day and taking it out on them. There are any number of things beyond their control that can cause them to not be 100%. They don't get paid sick, personal, or holidays, and still have to pay their bills.
Everyone has bad days. I'm a professional working in an office and I have bad days. No, I don't then go and treat my clients terribly, but I also have the option to reschedule a meeting or excuse myself to the restroom or let a call go to voicemail.
I'm not saying that truly bad service should be rewarded, but tipping nothing is awful. If they served you, yes, they DESERVE a tip. That's the deal when you go to a restaurant with a waitstaff.
I go out to eat to enjoy the experience, not to squeeze every last nickel from my budget. If I order something I don't want because it costs the restaurant more to make, I've wasted my money. An odd way to live your life.
Yes, I agree... How much is a person's time worth? either the person eating out, or the person(s) preparing and serving the food?
This is a question that can only be answered by the individual deciding whether to eat at home or eat out...
However, this article does not address the convenience of eating out, or any of the social factors involved in eating out that also has some type of value, albeit difficult to place a monetary value on.
strongly agree with this - article fails to adequately account for value added via labor and opportunity cost of the diner.