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My Fast Food Revelation


Fast food is tasty. It is easy. It is fast. It is convenient. 

 It is not healthy, or nutritious, or fresh. It is greasy.

 I think I had my last fast fast food yesterday. I don't want to eat it again for as long as possible, and only certain restaurants/menu items. I had greasy pizza and some fries last night and it was not pleasant or even remotely worth it. My body hated me afterward. And as unpleasant as it was, it wasn't the first time that I put myself through it for a quick and easy meal. And the stupid thing was, it wasn't even necessarily cheap. The burgers my group got were all at least $5 each, and that didn't include the fries or drinks. They were fairly big, but they were also greasy and sloppy and unimpressive. 

 To be fair, eating out twice probably made it worse, but the truth is that fast food, no matter how many times you have it, isn't good for you. If you haven't seen Fast Food Nation, then I really recommend it. It's fascinating to see how ridiculously unhealthy they are making that fast food these days. 

 Also, it isn't as cheap as everyone thinks. 

 Based on the prices of the fast food joint we went to, a cheeseburger is $5.99/each ($23.96), medium fries $2.89/each ($11.56), regular drink $2.19/each ($8.76). So for a meal for 4 people it costs... $44.28. Which is a bit high since this place is overpriced, but even the standard golden arches quarter pounder with cheese meal (medium drink and fries) costs $5.39 per person. For a group of 4, that's over $20. 

 Let's compare that to a meal for 4 at the grocery store.

  • $2.79/lb ground beef (1 pound needed)
  • $1.99/8pk buns (1 package needed)
  • $1.19 ketchup (1 container needed)
  • $0.88/drink (4 needed=$3.52)
  • 2/$7 bacon (1 needed)
  • $1.99/package Cheese (1 needed, your choice brand)
  • $5.00 in potato chips (minimum 2 bags, your choice brand)
  • $3.99 fruit (strawberries 3lb/watermelon ~10lb)
  • $1.88/package ice cream
Total: $25.85



For TWENTY FIVE DOLLARS you can get way more food at the grocery store, way more control on what you're ingesting, more variety, more fruit, more ice cream. This is like a 3 course meal. And you still get the condiments and even BACON (who can say no to bacon??).  Plus if you do it right, you can know exactly how many calories you're having and I can bet you that it will be a lot less than either one of the fast food meals, or at least you have an easier option of making it so.

Plus all of the ingredients you don't use for this meal can be saved and used another time. 4 people are not going to eat 3 bags of chips by themselves (hopefully), not all the ketchup, there will be extra buns, ice cream, fruit, cheese. 



Eating at home really is just as cheap as eating out. It isn't always as convenient, but it's not always as hard as everyone thinks either. It is definitely fresh, it won't necessarily be as greasy, it can be cheaper and more nutritious too if you want it to be. I've found that when you cook your foods at home, you're better fed and your body likes you more. There have been too many times after a fast food meal that my whole body rumbles and gurgles in ways it never should. I don't have that problem usually when I eat at home. I can cook the meal when I want and as much as I want. If I get tired and lazy, then I don't eat as much. And that isn't always a bad thing.

I just want people to be aware how cheap it can be to stay at home and cook your own meals, to know that you have more control over the foods and calories you intake and still be satisfied and full.



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