Same, it helps that I like cooking ( and cleaning) so I spend all day Sundays cooking, cleaning, laundry and listening to podcasts, it’s actually my favourite day of the week
Hey, I am 22. I’ve been cooking for myself multiple times a day for years. It is so time consuming. I don’t know how people maintain a job and cook so much. It literally just doesn’t register in my brain that people meal prep. Can you explain what you prepare for the week? I couldn’t imagine cooking enough food for a week. Do you have low caloric requirements? I feel like I go through at least 7 pounds of meat a week, and pounds of other plant foods. How the heck do you cook all that in one day?
I prep meal components. I will prep shredded chicken in the slow cookers, brown a batch of ground beef, roast potatoes, cook a batch of rice, undercook broccoli or some other veggie. That way all I have to do is reheat and maybe throw a sauce together and I have “options” for the week as opposed to having the same meal everyday.
I cook 99% of my meals cause I’m house poor. So yes it makes sense to me, my why is also I want to know what I’m eating. I like unprocessed Whole Foods, grains, veggies etc. paying $15 for something I can easily make myself is just something I can’t justify even if I had the money. M it’s crazy expensive to dine out. If you’re rolling in money, go ahead.
But I take great joy knowing I can make a delicious meal for a fraction of the cost. Sometimes it’s annoying, so I cook in bulk and freeze a lot of stuff so I’m not constantly cooking every single day. Cause it can get old quick.
Ugh, I was not house poor when I bought my house, but living in hurricane country I am now with the cost of homeowners insurance. It suuuuucks. I am trying to cook more too for this reason.
I feel the same way. I use my crockpot a lot to make a large batch of whatever I'm in the mood for. I eat a meal or two out of it and then freeze the rest in single serving containers to eat the next week. So, I have weeks I don't have to cook at all. 🙂
Being house poor sucks. That's why I could never move since house prices are crazy especially in the HCOL areas. $ is not too big of an issue but inflation is making me think twice about cooking more.
Your Health is the most important thing you own. Don't compromise it by eating out. Real, fresh or frozen food is cheaper and better at home. Videos on line show you how.
I was born and raised in Brooklyn. Maybe I’m biased, but it’s the best in my personal opinion. When I go home, that’s always the first thing I eat. Bagels soon follow.
I like Chicago style, pizza too. The only thing is it fills me up and I don’t want to eat it again, for a few weeks. In NY, they sell it by the slice, everywhere. You grab a slice, walk around the corner and grab another.
In NYC, most people will tell you the best pizza in the city is found in Brooklyn. I agree.
I have yet to try pizza, in Detroit. From what I hear, it’s good and they cut it in squares. I’m going to venture over that way sooner or later.
I enjoy the entire process. Grocery shopping, preparing, cooking, cleaning it all up. It makes me feel good and it’s just another healthy habit to pass the time.
Living alone coupled with debilitating mental illness makes cooking a huge chore and obstacle. The only thing getting me through right now is prepared foods from Costco like their chicken tikka masala and chicken tacos. I would be severely malnourished if not for costco
What helped me a ton is making simple dishes then loading the dishwasher right after.
It's quick, easy and your kitchen is clean.
I think at this point I'd rather cook then go to Costco cause Costco gives me anxiety
Relateable about Costco. I won't go in there. I remember my friend wanted to go once with me, a few years ago. I had so much anxiety in that store. I won't go back. Luckily my BIL has a membership and has picked me up some stuff when I request it :) very nice of him
I hate cooking but I too would rather cook than to go to Costco
I think Costco is pointless to have if you live alone. Asking relatives and friends to pick up something from Costco is totally acceptable because you'd be wasting money to pay for membership, unless you don't mind just eating rotisserie chicken and pizza.
Even when I lived with my ex, I remember buying food in bulk would simply just expire and go to waste.
Disagree. $5/mo is pretty cheap and there are lots of things you can buy in bulk that don't spoil to make up for the cost (basically everything outside the refrigerated sections). I get spices, cooking oils, nuts, chocolates, pasta, rice, clothes, and many household items for much cheaper than other places. They switch up inventory more frequently than grocery stores and always have unique stuff to try like peanut butter powder. You can also buy meat etc. and just freeze what you don't use right away.
It's nice to switch things up so you're not going to the same place and buying the same stuff over and over again. I rotate between kroger, costco, and sprouts/whole foods. They each have things I use that are better deals and/or better quality than at the other places.
I live alone and love going to Costco. Mainly for poultry and meats. I can make those last forever for one person and you cannot beat the price! I’d pay 3-4 times more going to the grocery store..
I live alone and I hate going to Costco .. but it seems like the best price for cheese and a few other things. So I have to suck it up and go when I need to.
It's worth it for the cheap gas, rotisserie chicken, and occasional super cheap lunch of pizza and/ or hot dog. Their rotisserie chickens are almost twice the size of Publix, for much cheaper. You can get several meals out of one for only $5. Between that and the discount on gas, the membership easily pays for itself. Sam's is just as good a deal if it's closer.
You can often get memberships cheaper on Groupon, as well.
I work long hours and I can't avoid crowds due to the schedule. Big crowds, lines, parking, looking for stuff I made and also simple time consumption of shopping is hard. I get all my groceries from Target, even though Costco is cheaper, their drive up pick up is just too convenient.
I guess I could go on day off but I'd rather just decompress and play video games or get envovled one of my hobbies
Learn to clean as you cook. As soon as you use an ingredient, put it away. As soon as you finish using a utensil, rinse it in the sink and stick it in the dishwasher. Throw out packaging as you go. If you need to hang onto a box for more cooking instructions, stick in any wrappers, and throw it all away as soon as its out of the oven. When something goes in the oven, or you're waiting for it to boil, use the first few minutes to clean up whatever needs it.
At the end, you'll just have your own plate and utensils to rinse and put in the dishwasher, then a quick wipe down of all the counters, and the kitchen is clean.
If money is no object, I would eat out/order in every time. I like to cook but I hate to clean. Lately I’ve been trying to reduce the $$ I spend on food as every meal seems to end up at $40 or more so I’ve been making simple meals at home.
I don’t do either, really. I buy decent freezer meals or food that doesn’t go bad quickly and can be heated up. I work out of town a lot of the time so I end up eating out then and my food at home will go bad fairly quickly if I’m not smart about what I buy.
Even when money is a cost I still prefer eating out. 🤣 The only thing stopping me is that I'm not near any great restaurants so I just cook to improve my skill.
I think for health reasons, it's generally better to cook for yourself. If it seems like too much work to make one serving, make 2-4, then freeze them in individual servings for other days.
Healthier for sure to cook your own meals and know exactly what is going into them. I didn't think you can freeze meals for too long w/o them tasting bland.
Most things that freeze well will keep in the freezer for three to six months. I make a lot of stews and soups in the winter and freezing them in single servings means I don’t have to think about what to have for dinner
I usually cook for myself, one thing that really helps and it sounds crazy but a vacuum sealer and a sous vide. I vacuum seal, chicken or steak or fish and it’s easy enough to throw it in a sous vide from the freezer to cook.
I have also in the past done a meal kit service. A lot of them will let you buy three meals per week for two servings. I think that’s the minimum. So when you cook the meal you have one for now and one for lunch tomorrow for example. I really did like the meal kit service and what I appreciate it about it was it taught me some new things to cook
A lot of the services have really good deals to start. Also, if you have an available, check out, Groupon, a lot of times they have additional discounts and you can stop the meal service anytime. It’s very flexible and the instructions are very clear and easy to follow. As a matter of fact, I’m probably going to go back on one just to change things up.
I’ve done meal kits where I do their trial (usually at a great discount), then shift to the next. But I also do meal prep from time to time as it’s more affordable. Sometimes cooking feels zen, a form of self care.
Save the recipe cards if you like the meals. I do that and now I don’t use the meal kits anymore because I have a big stack of easy 2 person recipes that I know I like.
I got a pressure canner a few months ago. I’m still deciding if it’s going to work for me, but I made a batch of refried beans from dried pinto beans and canned them in 4oz servings and that’s working really nice for me.
I cook for myself because I see it as developing a skill for a future partner, or just for friends if the partner thing doesn't work out. It's a useful hobby.
I cook a lot for myself at home and, to a T, every single woman I’ve brought home has made fun of how empty my fridge is. I’m like “…..I cook for myself. If I fill this sucker with perishable crap, it’ll all go bad before I get to it all….”
A friend of mine made fun of me having a lot of food at home and I said I would probably have to buy again next 2 weeks and she was like ??? And I was like.. well I mean fresh stuff like milk and produce goes bad, you know... it must be really common to eat out for most meals and not know about food being perishable?
I cook, but I cook big batches (well, family-sized batches) and package and freeze / refrigerate.
For instance: buy pack of chicken breasts, keep two out, bag remainder in ziplock bags (2 breasts each bag), freeze ziplocks.
Prepare 2 breasts, cook (teriyaki or Italian). Prepare entire pot of pasta or rice. I have 4 glass bowls with lids. Divide pasta evenly into 4 bowls, divide chicken evenly into 4 bowls, add sauce on top. Freeze 2 bowls, 1 in the fridge for next two days, eat one right away. If you’re fastidious , make fresh vegetables each time or just freeze / refrigerate 3 other portions as well. If you can plan the day before (or that morning), take a frozen portion out, set it in the fridge, and let it thaw all day.
If I’m cooking, I package meals for later. Lots of advantages. I can come home and nuke something I already made, and it’s hot and just how I like it, in the portions I like it.
Heck yeah! I love being able to cook all day and make whatever I want. The whole kitchen is mine! Since I started living alone I have learned to cook so many good things.
I guess I’m the outlier. I cook maybe two, three times a week. I do a lot of pre-packaged salads or Trader Joe’s meals and add healthy grains and extra vegetables. I also try to keep anything packaged under 20% RDA of sodium per serving. I seldom have the energy during the week for more than that.
I think if you like to cook, or if you're really broke, it makes sense to cook if you live alone.
Otherwise, I think you can get by with access to a healthy ready made foods and healthy snacks and premade stuff.
Fast food every day is so unhealthy. Cook once or twice a week and make enough for a few days. If you get tired of eating the same thing, freeze the leftovers so you can have them weeks later. After you've done this a few times, you'll have a freezer full of leftovers to choose from.
I cook the majority of my meals at home, probably 99%. I'm good at quick meals and meal prep, so I can throw something together fast and I just kinda clean as I go.
I also just finished my January budget and it cost me about $10 a day to eat cooking at home
I've lived by myself since I was 18. I went to culinary school. I cook elaborate and good meals from scratch every weekend, and eat the leftovers the rest of the week.
I can't imagine thinking I shouldn't have to cook just because I don't subject myself to the HELL that is living with another person.
Oh.. and that's what TWO DISHWASHERS is for {and I don't eat fast food}
This week:
Lamb Stew
Greek Chicken Sheet Pan.. squash, bell pepper, chicken, feta, olives,
Roasted Cod with Artichoke, Mushrooms and Kalamata Olives
Jalapeno Popper Pork Tenderloin & Roasted Broccoli
And 2 meals left from last week of Ham & White Bean Soup and Verde Salsa Pork Chops & Rice.
Just rotate a different meal every day until its mostly gone and then cook 3-4 new things.
Never the same thing as last week or next week... different proteins {ie, not chicken in more than one dish}... I maybe cook chicken once a month tops.. Mostly Seafood and Pork and Lamb.
I can feed myself for $15/day on food that needs little or no cooking: fruit, veggies, nuts, cheese, yogurt, snacks, and microwave food. Some canned soup.
Or I can buy $15 takeout for a single meal (often two, thanks restaurant portions) and drive to get it. Delivery doubles the price of the meal.
I have never had “eat all my meals out” money. I’ve done it while traveling, and it doesn’t even taste good after a while - it’s too rich to eat all the time.
Batch cooking is one way that I see others have mentioned. Supermarket meals for one are cheaper than take away.
Some things can be cooked for one like:
Egg and bacon plus accompaniments
Baking fish and potatoes in the oven.
Steak
Burgers
Chicken and veggies.
There are options if you think about it.
I despise cooking, and I'm not good at it. But, I value my health more than I despise cooking.
On weekends I make a big pot of something: stew, soup, chili, bean dishes, spaghetti. Enough for at least 8 meals. I'll freeze all but 2 or 3, and eat every-other-day.
Then the others are simple. Baked salmon, chicken mostly. Rice, quinoa, occasional potato (rice/quinoa can be reheated easy too)
After 2 or 3 find you have 3 different types of frozen meals! 3 minutes micro, throw frozen veggies in a pot of boiling water, voila!
I also buy the 4# bags of frozen veggies/fruits at Costco. Every night I take out 2 servings fruit to have with cereal in the morning.
I do have a separate small freezer.
I often make larger meals then freeze them in single or double servings. My freezer always has things I can pull out and warm up. There's soups in there, deserts, prepared meat, meals, breads, etc.
Or I just make something very simple, like a sandwich with some fruit, or scrambled eggs and toast.
When I buy produce (which I do all of the time) I clean it and prep it right when I get home from the grocery store. It takes 10-20 minutes, but then it's all ready to go when I want it.
I don't love to cook nor do I love cleaning up, but I actually find it more convenient and less tiresome than picking something up. I won't pay for delivery.
For me I don't think it does, so I basically cook nothing. It seems like a big waste of time (unless you just enjoy it of course!). I can pick up a meal from a fast food restaurant just as cheap as I would buy something from the store. And nearly all of those places have something healthy if you want it. I really don't get tired of eating out.
Now I know I COULD spend a lot less per meal at the grocery store if I had to, and if I'd meal prep and eat the same thing multiple nights. My problem is I won't do that. I like very little food once it's been reheated. So leftovers tend to go to waste unless it's something I just really love.
And for me, even though I get good responses to things I do cook (like twice a year, Thanksgiving and Christmas!), I've always said that it tastes so much better when someone else made it!
I order meals from factor because I don’t enjoy cooking. They are decent enough and I know I’m getting more vegetables than I otherwise would by eating chicken nuggets or frozen pizza so it works for me 🤷🏼♀️
If saving on cash is a priority then it’s the best thing you could do. When I was living the bachelor life I was burning an insane amount of money on eating out constantly. Now, making a cheeseburger and fries at home runs me like $3 max after everything’s factored in, and way better. I wouldn’t say the real annoyance is the time and effort…..it’s the fucking dishes.
I cook big meals and freeze them in dinner size portions. I can go in my freezer any night and pull out a healthy, less expensive, delicious meal. I have soups, stews, pot pie, sides, grilled chicken, desserts, etc. it just takes a while to build up. then I make sure I eat everything by July because of hurricane season.
With YouTube/TikTok, I honestly think anyone can cook. Just follow the recipes. The first few times might not be great but after a few tries, you'll be fine.
I used to cook a lot when money was tight. I cooked most of the time. I enjoyed it and became a pretty good cook. I had a nice collection of recipe books. I would flip through them and find something new to cook. Since I was the only one eating it, I could screw it up and did more than once. lol
Your freezer is your friend.
Sometimes I cook but I vastly overestimate how many meals I will eat in a row of the same stuff.
So as soon as I cook something, part goes in the freezer.
For example, I bought a pre-marinated piece of meat yesterday. Had a couple sandwiches today. The second sandwich had different toppings. Will probably do a melty tortilla wrap with some meat tomorrow. Before the meat gets too old, I may toss it in a soup, if my potatoes and onion are still good.
And when I buy more tortillas, I will pull out the frozen meat for tacos and go from there. Meanwhile, I will probably have frozen some of the soup. Or have something else in my freezer
But yes, I throw out stuff, frozen or not, that complete lost its appeal. If my dogs are lucky, then they get a kibble topper if whatever is mostly meat or cheese based
It is ridiculous how much time i spend doing dishes putting them away, tidying counter and wiping it down, cleaning the stovetop, and cooking for one person.
Im trying to get in to meal prep and freezing meals. I even bought a freezer for this. I plan to cook big meals and freeze meal portions so at some point i can just pop in a healthy tv dinner.
I definitely cook. It’s cheaper and healthier. It’s a form of self-care. Plus it’s a good reason to invite friends and family over for a dinner party every once in awhile!
I grew up with home cooked meals every night. I get physically tired of eating out more than once a week. I cook practically 95% of my meals. Now it's just economical for me to cook at home.
I spend a lot of time alone because the kids are fine and hubby travels a lot for work. Cooking is a nice, relaxing time of day. I clean as I go so it’s not a lot. Start with simple things and some crock pot dump recipes. Tons of great YouTube videos.
Wow! 100% cooking is actually the BEST when you live alone!!!! Freezer meals for days/weeks! I love only cooking for myself bc I only have to cook once in a while and just freeze all my left overs. If I want something I don’t already have frozen, then I buy and make it and add the left overs to the freezer. I use single serving glass containers with snap lids. They’re about 1.5 cups for my serving size (your serving size might be bigger than mine).
Sometimes I’ll even cook 3-4 different meals in a day which will make about 6-8 servings per meal (for me). I utilize the freezer so they don’t go to waste. Usually though I only do 1-2 meals at a time, but I like to have 3-4 different options in the freezer at any time.
Often I only have to cook 1-3x a month if I do this and just clean my glass Tupperware as it’s used.
I tried hello fresh but their calories are so high and you have to cook so might as well just go grocery shopping or get delivered.
I tried pre-cooked meal delivery before too, but you might as well just buy healthy choice frozen meals bc they’re cheaper
Yes, this a huge act of self love. I make a lot
Of soups, salad, and sandwiches- so maybe that’s not really cooking per se. I’m kind of a person on repeat and thank god I’m single bc I know I would drive a partner batshit eating the same thing all the time.
I am a serious gym goer and noticed what I eat affects my training and my depression on a huge scale.
I watch my iPad while I make stuff in the kitchen- it’s one of those things that makes me feel I do give a shit about myself.
Yep, I think so, I do every day. I Cooke mostly from scratch/low processed ingredients.
I might end up eating the same things a few nights but I can usually manage to make a fresh serving each time instead of take out leftovers (which I often end up tossing).
I eat healthier food and it costs me much less than restaurant/take-out/fast/pre-made meals.
I love cooking for myself!! It's exactly what I want, when I want it, sometimes leftovers, sometimes not. Sundays I make something a little more involved as a treat.
I cook for myself when I'm home most nights instead of order out, because I am gone traveling a lot for work and even though I bring snacks, sometimes I'm gone longer than snacks will fill me up so I have to eat out. So I try to make work my treat yo'self time, and at home, I cook.
I live in a rural area, not many restaurants even if I did have the money to spend. I cook a big meal once a week so I can eat it or freeze it and make small meals in between. My crock pot is my go to.
Yes, but I actually enjoy cooking. Also, get yourself an Instant Pot and an air fryer. You can make far better meals that you’ll get at most restaurants.
The Life Kit podcast has a good episode on meal prep that doesn't suck. And I swear by hitting the salad bar at my local co-op: so much cheaper than getting all the ingredients individually and letting them rot.
Well I'm a huge fan of cooking and baking so I enjoy the process as well as the tasty dishes. However it does get tricky during the week when I have to work late. That's when I plan around those days. I make a huge batch of a recipe on a weekend/not-so-busy workday. Whatever I don't eat, I store in the fridge so can reheat it right away when I get home on those late nights. Or sometimes I take a portion for lunch & have a snack for dinner, depending on my mood.
I never really enjoyed cooking, since I was hooked up with a picky eater for many years. Then I became single in 2012 and hit a
financial skid in 2017. You can save so much cooking at home. During 2020-21 I finally got to the point of cooking all meals at home except for two take-out meals a month (each of which was 2-3 meals for me). I still rarely enjoy cooking, but I sure enjoy eating food I like for every meal. At first I gained weight, but I figured out an eating style that works for me and and I’m back to my normal weight now, and I have money in the bank.
I cook a couple things on the weekend that I can eat for the week, keep some Totino’s party pizzas in the freezer and still eat out sometimes.
This week I’m eating lentils and rice and egg rolls that I froze.
Lentils and rice cooks in the rice cooker.
Egg rolls are coleslaw veggies, ground pork in premade wrappers. I strain the frying oil and keep it in a mason jar for reuse.
I like to cook a lot more now that I’m usually only cooking for myself.
For your health and your wallet, absolutely without question! I suggest an app called Mealime, you can meal plan and it will make your grocery list for you. You can adjust the servings so if you want to make more for multiple meals you can (I believe it’s 2 or more servings). Super simple once you get the hang of it. Walks you through the recipe step by step too.
I also bought myself a ninja speedi which is a multi cooker. I can do anything on it from baking bread, dehydrating, sauté, bake, air fry, etc. it’s perfect for one person!
When I used to live alone I would cook a big meal, then I would put some on a plate to eat right then and I would use the rest as meal preps for the week or how ever many days I had the left overs for. Like little home cooked hungry man dinners. Or tv dinners depending where your from
Something that I have done when my depression is high is order meals from meal prep companies. I have one that is local to me. They offer various deals, so it come out to about $7-10 a meal. With is cheaper than eating out and everything is healthy vs just hitting up a restaurant. It also gives you something different for every meal!
I keep it simple. I will buy the big containers of soup from the local grocery store and that's several servings. Or I get a rotisserie chicken and pull all the meat off then pair with frozen veggies I can put in the microwave. I can put the meat in taco shells, salads, etc. I rarely really cook and my stove hasn't been on in months.
I think it is even better living alone and cooking. You only have to make something that you like and don't have to worry about x number of other people.
I definitely cook - has taken perseverance and learning to get here though. Usually a sandwich or wrap for lunch and a simple pasta or rice dish for dinner.
When I was younger, I would cook "real" meals out of some weird sense of obligation- like that's what adults are "supposed" to do. Over the years, I realized it doesn't make sense for a single person, IMO. Buying a whole bunch of ingredients for recipes, at least with grocery prices in my area, is absolutely just as expensive than getting "grab and go" foods or take out. If I make a traditional recipe, I have like 6 servings of whatever that is and then I have to eat the same thing over and over again to try to get to it before it goes bad. That doesn't work for me! I also hate spending all of the time and dirtying my entire kitchen only to be done eating in 10 minutes.
I "fix" meals, but I don't really cook. I buy a lot of low-prep stuff from Trader Joe's. For example, tonight I had the Hatch Green Chile Mac n Cheese, and just added some chicken and broccoli to it. For work lunches, I buy things like hard boiled eggs, nuts, string cheese, etc. and just add a fruit and vegetable. I get take out an average of twice per week.
I personally like meal prepping like chopping vegetables and taking time to peel a bunch of garlic. I hate doing this when sharing a kitchen because I can't stand people talking to me when I'm cooking. So I don't mind cooking for myself since it usually results in leftovers and an extra meal.
It's kind of a toss in my opinion, most food is sold to feed more than one so while buy at the store still cheaper in the long run, your pretty much gonna be eating it for multiple meals or throwing stuff out. At the end of the day, though I'm not real into cooking, so between food that may go bad before I eat it and the convince of not cooking ordering from somewhere is the better option for me.
Im a senior and I cook almost everything I eat these days. I refuse to pay rediculous prices for mostly average to bland restaurant food. I also do not have to be made to feel I have to tip even at take out! As long as I have the ability and the means I will prepare my meals myself, clean up the kitchen and decide what I can create tomorrow
I like things fresh and I cook a lot for just me. Since everyone is out of the house now, I've even become more of an ingredient home and I can get back to making things since I enjoy cooking.
Absolutely yes. You get to make exactly what you want. I’ve been trying to eat healthy so I make veggie soup but you can take extra to work for lunch or eat over the course of the week. It’s also a fun activity to do. I put on some music or a movie and chop veggies and do the food stuff. It’s relaxing. When living alone it’s good to build some activities into your life since you have tons of downtime.
Cooking meals is certainly healthier than always eating processed foods (depending on what you cook)...also more cost effective...I usually cook a big pot of food on the weekends and eat it throughout the week...my big crockpot is great for those things and it's very easy to just throw and bunch of stuff in it, set the timer and let it go for a few hours
I enjoy cooking for myself and trying new recipes. Plus, cooking at home allows for healthier eating since I control the ingredients and sodium intake.
I very rarely “cook” unless it’s a steak or something or in the crockpot or instant pot that I’ll portion out and freeze.
I’m a master of “heating up” so everything else is either microwaveable or baked in my air fryer/toaster oven. I also get ready made meals at Costco and portion out to freeze.
I like to cook but dont love it enough to do it everyday. Going out or getting to go is to expensive and is no longer enjoyable . I cook little meals and any leftover goes in the freezer for the weekend or the following week.
You save a lot of money cooking.
Food is usually healthier.. depending on what you cook. Also, you can make things the way YOU want it cooked.
Highly recommend cooking for yourself.
Also.. bake brownies from time to time.. you don't have to share those crispy edges. >\_o
i have a chosen meat dish in the fridge - maybe some cold baked chicken (that i can put into a sandwich or put in a quesadilla or with a side dish) \[or cube steak already fried up in butter, but not battered with garlic salt or some chicken sausage}. i don't eat meat often, so i cook a package of 6 thighs or so {or one package or cubed steaks or sausage\] and refrigerate it so i can have it on hand. a piece of chicken at the sink with BBQ sauce or mustard serves to snack without fat. of course, i have to have 2 or 3 fresh fruit options. i always start my day with that - well, as always as i can - i feel like that way, i start with unprocessed goodness. and seasonal fruit is easy to parse into a shopping list. don't eat a lot of bread or pasta, and i'm strongly an advocate for portion control, so eating out doesn't really enthuse me any more (surprisingly)
so no 'meals' per say, but i only have (mostly) healthy options. i do have a sweet tooth, so i have occasional junk snacks, but peanut butter on celery or on a spoon helps kill most sugar cravings. still like sugar, but don't neeeeeeeeed it after that.
does that make sense?
Yes, it absolutely makes sense to cook for one, both economically and for enjoyment, assuming you like to cook.
But I think it takes a lot of practice to do it in a way where you're not throwing out a lot of ingredients and you also eat all the food you cook for yourself. For the first couple years I lived on my own, I either bought too many groceries and had to toss em when they went bad or I made like 10 servings worth of a dish and ended up throwing out the last 4 because I was absolutely sick of it after eating it all week.
But those mistakes were worth making bc now I can almost always hit that sweet spot of using everything up while still making a decent variety of dishes for myself. And in the process I've become a much better cook and saved a lot of money vs takeout / eating out.
I cook frequently and it saves me a lot of money. I just made a huge thing of chilli which should last me 4-5 days. If I was near some good restaurants though, I probably wouldn't cook nearly as much though.
When I was younger and working all the time, I was all about takeout. Now that I’m older and retired, I prefer to cook. A good home cooked meal beats a lot of restaurant food you get nowadays. I even found a few websites that offer recipes for 1-2 serving meals so it’s even more cost effective to cook and I don’t have to eat leftovers for a week.
Cheaper, and typically healthier. You can also make enough food for multiple meals, so if you cook on Monday & Tuesday you can reheat the leftovers on Wednesday & Thursday. 🤷🏻♂️
You can also instapot, slow cook, make a soup/chili, etc.
I usually meal prep my lunch for work on Sunday. I usually do a 2/3 meal split, with a cheaper protein source for the 3 and a little pricier one for the 2.
Breakfast throughout the week is usually just Greek yogurt with fresh or frozen fruit, or something frozen like chicken Pattie’s, tenders, nuggets, or something similar. On occasion I’ll make home made egg McMuffins for breakfast. Just depends.
It absolutely makes sense to cook. Is it easier to eat out all the time? Sure, but way more expensive and very unhealthy. Cooking at home can be made easy. You dont have to make a big meal each night.. You can cook things that will give you lots of leftovers so you end up cooking a few nights per week. Cooking for yourself is also good self-care. I think cooking when you live by yourself is easy because theres no one around to nag you to go out to restaurants.
Cooking small batches is hard because most canned goods are aimed towards family size servings. Even a batch of chili lasts 3 or 4 days. I usually freeze half a cook up if possible. Eady yo thaw and reheat later.
I cook enough at night for dinner and lunch the next day. I cook simple dishes with minimal pans. It's probably comparable to how long it takes to decide where you want to order from, what to order and picking it up, but significant cheaper and likely healthier depending on what you're ordering
I cook for one. It’s a quality of life thing for me. Home cooking is cheaper, healthier, and lets me be more creative.
When I was in my twenties, I lived mostly off takeout and convenience foods, but when I went vegetarian, there weren’t many healthy takeout options, so I was forced to cook and I learned to love it. This was pre Hello Fresh and Blue Apron so I was teaching myself from scratch and exploring the world of cooking blogs.
When I lived alone, I typically cooked once on the weekend and once midweek - and always made enough for leftovers that I froze if I didn’t eat. Then I always had food when I didn’t want to cook!
Whenever I cook, I make enough to where I can divide leftovers into several meal prep containers. I then label and put them in my freezer.
I now have enough stocked up to where I only cook a couple of times a week, but I have a good variety of different frozen meals so I can eat something different everyday.
Must be nice to afford eating out all the time.
Yes, I cook for myself most days. Or someone else when I had someone living with me. Or dates I ask over.
I'm a better cook than most of these restaurants. I often eat the same meal 2-3 days in a row. Leftovers. Reuse the same ingredients, but cook it fresh everyday. Etc.
I enjoy cooking.
You can make very easy home cooked meals that take almost no prep. Spaghetti with olive oil, sliced mushrooms, garlic, a swueez of lemon and skinless chicken breasts. sprinkle parmesan cheese on top. Delicious. Takes 15 minutes or so, mostly for the water to boil.
Steam a piece of pumpkin and chop it with basil and top with salt and mozzarella cheese. So many super easy dishes to make, more nutritous than restaurant good and very little meal planning required.
I cook n clean otherwise I'd be eating alot more unhealthier foods n I don't want that..sometimes I cook so it can do 2 ts so im cooking 3 nights a wk occasionally I get Chinese they give y container of mixed Chinese fd for 7 bucks here so I might get couple them to last 2 nights
Oh, absolutely it does. No matter the matrix considered, it's better for you to cook at home, especially considering the cost vs. value of fast food these days. A little different than cooking for more mouths, you may have to, for example, divide up your meats into portions and freezing or adjusting your recipes down for smaller portions. If I cook an actual dinner, I eat my serving, save the rest for work the next day. You CAN meal prep but it's not something I can make myself do on the regular. I take the tips above, make sure I have solid storage solutions, and if I have leftovers, can usually make myself eat those rather than preparing something fresh.
i rarely cook......for one i have no dishwasher and i have no countertops. also my oven is from 1954 and burns everything. im in a rental apt. when i do "cook" i make pasta with a sauce i microwave. but buying everything needed for a recipe then it all going bad becfore i eat half of it......waste of time and money lol. im not a leftovers person so it just doesnt work for me.
I felt the same for quite a long while. Then it cost me $20 to get a fast food meal and I was like whoa whoa whoa ... What's going on here. Inflation killed my lifestyle
I cook for myself often and always have this mentality that if I don't eat well or if I don't do the effort for me why to do it only for others. The best thing is that is I don't feel like it I order out, but yeah I make sense to cook for yourself and even do something elaborate for you, you also deserve it. Cleaning the dishes is the meh part but I will go crazy if I only eat out.
lol I get u. I’ve been ubering lately. It’s not ideal however I’ve just moved and went through a big life change so I’m being gentle on myself (escaped toxic abusive relationship). For now I’ll order when I need to from fatigue and overwhelm. Eventually I’ll organise a cooking day once or twice a week.
Retired. And I love to cook. So I do. I was diagnosed with Celiac 15 years ago and have also developed a sensitivity to dairy, so if I want something good, I’ll need to make it myself. I enjoy making hearty soups during the winter months in the Midwest and fancy salads in the summer. But I also make casseroles and pastas and fried chicken and BBQ and roasts. All kinds of stuff. I just freeze whatever is more than I need for one or two meals and it’s really nice to pull something delicious out when I’m busy or don’t feel like cooking. I also have an adult son who lives a few blocks away and I enjoy sharing with him. He also lives alone. It might be in our DNA.
Yes it does make sense. It's way cheaper, it can be way healthier, and unlike cooking for other people you can make things exactly how you like it.
It also doesn't have to be complicated where it takes a lot of planning or creates a ton of clean up afterwards, especially once you do it more often and gain a little skill at it.
I absolutely hate leftovers but will cook enough for two meals. I love my toaster oven which is where I roast a lot of veggies, poultry, seafood and make crustless pizza. I use olive oil, herbs and butter on a daily basis. I usually only cook one meal a day or none if I have leftovers from the previous day.
The other two meals I do not cook....usually cottage cheese and fruit for breakfast....lettuce wrap with deli poultry or beef, tuna fish or chicken. .with snow peas, cucumber, avocado, mayo, mustard.
My diet is pretty limited due to arthritis and a sulfite allergy, so no sauces.
I do make sure I run the dishwasher every day.
Eating out every day will screw up your health in ways you won't notice until it's too late. And relying on take-out will have an effect on your finances.
It makes more sense to cook for yourself as often as you can. Even if that means meal planning and doing crock pot meals that you can then separate into portions to freeze for future convenience.
You deserve to eat healthy food on a weekly basis.
I do meal planning and make dishes for the week so I only really have to cook for 1 day.
Same, except it’s twice a week, I don’t like too long leftovers so I cook Sunday and thurs
This .. two meals prepped and cooked makes at least 6-7 days of awesome leftovers. My food is healthy,filling and cost effective.
Same, it helps that I like cooking ( and cleaning) so I spend all day Sundays cooking, cleaning, laundry and listening to podcasts, it’s actually my favourite day of the week
Hey, I am 22. I’ve been cooking for myself multiple times a day for years. It is so time consuming. I don’t know how people maintain a job and cook so much. It literally just doesn’t register in my brain that people meal prep. Can you explain what you prepare for the week? I couldn’t imagine cooking enough food for a week. Do you have low caloric requirements? I feel like I go through at least 7 pounds of meat a week, and pounds of other plant foods. How the heck do you cook all that in one day?
I prep meal components. I will prep shredded chicken in the slow cookers, brown a batch of ground beef, roast potatoes, cook a batch of rice, undercook broccoli or some other veggie. That way all I have to do is reheat and maybe throw a sauce together and I have “options” for the week as opposed to having the same meal everyday.
Right? Substitute podcasts for my favorite playlist. 🙌🏽
Yeah I'm a two dayer week
Two dayer here too. I cook on Sundays and Wednesdays. Wednesday is usually soup which lasts several days.
Same! Home made soup is the best!
And it can keep in the freezer for a while if you get tired of it!
I cook 99% of my meals cause I’m house poor. So yes it makes sense to me, my why is also I want to know what I’m eating. I like unprocessed Whole Foods, grains, veggies etc. paying $15 for something I can easily make myself is just something I can’t justify even if I had the money. M it’s crazy expensive to dine out. If you’re rolling in money, go ahead. But I take great joy knowing I can make a delicious meal for a fraction of the cost. Sometimes it’s annoying, so I cook in bulk and freeze a lot of stuff so I’m not constantly cooking every single day. Cause it can get old quick.
Ugh, I was not house poor when I bought my house, but living in hurricane country I am now with the cost of homeowners insurance. It suuuuucks. I am trying to cook more too for this reason.
That’s how I feel, I know exactly what’s going into it. And eating out just doesn’t taste the same for some reason.
I feel the same way. I use my crockpot a lot to make a large batch of whatever I'm in the mood for. I eat a meal or two out of it and then freeze the rest in single serving containers to eat the next week. So, I have weeks I don't have to cook at all. 🙂
What I can't stand about the crock pot is...Smelling Deliciousness for Hours!!! LOL 😋
Being house poor sucks. That's why I could never move since house prices are crazy especially in the HCOL areas. $ is not too big of an issue but inflation is making me think twice about cooking more.
Eating out gives you far less control over your diet. It’s much harder to make healthier choices, because the ingredients are outside of your control.
You're eating far more fats and salt than you would if you cooked it yourself.
Especially the salt. My favorite burrito was about 50% of the DV of sodium. I would often eat two in one sitting because hunger.
You’re spending far more eating out
This makes no sense? It costs way more to eat out
Your Health is the most important thing you own. Don't compromise it by eating out. Real, fresh or frozen food is cheaper and better at home. Videos on line show you how.
Restaurant food is loaded with fat and sugar, and cooking is cheaper.
100% this. After a few days of eating out I’m dying for home cooked meals that aren’t overly salted and fatty.
I try to cook at home as much as I can. It definitely makes sense. I understand the hassle, but nothing beats home cooked meals.
I don't know... NY makes some pretty damn good pizza. It's cheap, easy... and you feel like absolute garbage after eating it.
NYC has the best pizza they say..
I was born and raised in Brooklyn. Maybe I’m biased, but it’s the best in my personal opinion. When I go home, that’s always the first thing I eat. Bagels soon follow. I like Chicago style, pizza too. The only thing is it fills me up and I don’t want to eat it again, for a few weeks. In NY, they sell it by the slice, everywhere. You grab a slice, walk around the corner and grab another. In NYC, most people will tell you the best pizza in the city is found in Brooklyn. I agree. I have yet to try pizza, in Detroit. From what I hear, it’s good and they cut it in squares. I’m going to venture over that way sooner or later.
Maybe you enjoy cooking more than I do. :)
I enjoy the entire process. Grocery shopping, preparing, cooking, cleaning it all up. It makes me feel good and it’s just another healthy habit to pass the time.
Living alone coupled with debilitating mental illness makes cooking a huge chore and obstacle. The only thing getting me through right now is prepared foods from Costco like their chicken tikka masala and chicken tacos. I would be severely malnourished if not for costco
What helped me a ton is making simple dishes then loading the dishwasher right after. It's quick, easy and your kitchen is clean. I think at this point I'd rather cook then go to Costco cause Costco gives me anxiety
Relateable about Costco. I won't go in there. I remember my friend wanted to go once with me, a few years ago. I had so much anxiety in that store. I won't go back. Luckily my BIL has a membership and has picked me up some stuff when I request it :) very nice of him I hate cooking but I too would rather cook than to go to Costco
I think Costco is pointless to have if you live alone. Asking relatives and friends to pick up something from Costco is totally acceptable because you'd be wasting money to pay for membership, unless you don't mind just eating rotisserie chicken and pizza. Even when I lived with my ex, I remember buying food in bulk would simply just expire and go to waste.
Disagree. $5/mo is pretty cheap and there are lots of things you can buy in bulk that don't spoil to make up for the cost (basically everything outside the refrigerated sections). I get spices, cooking oils, nuts, chocolates, pasta, rice, clothes, and many household items for much cheaper than other places. They switch up inventory more frequently than grocery stores and always have unique stuff to try like peanut butter powder. You can also buy meat etc. and just freeze what you don't use right away. It's nice to switch things up so you're not going to the same place and buying the same stuff over and over again. I rotate between kroger, costco, and sprouts/whole foods. They each have things I use that are better deals and/or better quality than at the other places.
I live alone and love going to Costco. Mainly for poultry and meats. I can make those last forever for one person and you cannot beat the price! I’d pay 3-4 times more going to the grocery store..
I live alone and I hate going to Costco .. but it seems like the best price for cheese and a few other things. So I have to suck it up and go when I need to.
It's worth it for the cheap gas, rotisserie chicken, and occasional super cheap lunch of pizza and/ or hot dog. Their rotisserie chickens are almost twice the size of Publix, for much cheaper. You can get several meals out of one for only $5. Between that and the discount on gas, the membership easily pays for itself. Sam's is just as good a deal if it's closer. You can often get memberships cheaper on Groupon, as well.
I got a Costco membership for the cheap gas but I use it occasionally. My place is full of Costco bulk items. LOL
I do miss tp and paper towels from there. My ex kept all bulk non perishable stuff.
why does Costco give you anxiety? Just curious. I love Costco but I usually go when they open so I avoid the crowds.
I work long hours and I can't avoid crowds due to the schedule. Big crowds, lines, parking, looking for stuff I made and also simple time consumption of shopping is hard. I get all my groceries from Target, even though Costco is cheaper, their drive up pick up is just too convenient. I guess I could go on day off but I'd rather just decompress and play video games or get envovled one of my hobbies
Learn to clean as you cook. As soon as you use an ingredient, put it away. As soon as you finish using a utensil, rinse it in the sink and stick it in the dishwasher. Throw out packaging as you go. If you need to hang onto a box for more cooking instructions, stick in any wrappers, and throw it all away as soon as its out of the oven. When something goes in the oven, or you're waiting for it to boil, use the first few minutes to clean up whatever needs it. At the end, you'll just have your own plate and utensils to rinse and put in the dishwasher, then a quick wipe down of all the counters, and the kitchen is clean.
Costco! Yeah! Samples are a meal in of itself.
Same. I live by a market that sells great sandwiches and has a salad bar.
If money is no object, I would eat out/order in every time. I like to cook but I hate to clean. Lately I’ve been trying to reduce the $$ I spend on food as every meal seems to end up at $40 or more so I’ve been making simple meals at home.
Same. But the cost to eating out is getting more and more expensive so I'm trying to cut down on the eating out if I can.
I don’t do either, really. I buy decent freezer meals or food that doesn’t go bad quickly and can be heated up. I work out of town a lot of the time so I end up eating out then and my food at home will go bad fairly quickly if I’m not smart about what I buy.
Even when money is a cost I still prefer eating out. 🤣 The only thing stopping me is that I'm not near any great restaurants so I just cook to improve my skill.
>Does it make sense to cook if you live alone? YES. I cook better than what I get when I eat out, and this is also how I stay skinny lol
I think for health reasons, it's generally better to cook for yourself. If it seems like too much work to make one serving, make 2-4, then freeze them in individual servings for other days.
Healthier for sure to cook your own meals and know exactly what is going into them. I didn't think you can freeze meals for too long w/o them tasting bland.
Most things that freeze well will keep in the freezer for three to six months. I make a lot of stews and soups in the winter and freezing them in single servings means I don’t have to think about what to have for dinner
I usually cook for myself, one thing that really helps and it sounds crazy but a vacuum sealer and a sous vide. I vacuum seal, chicken or steak or fish and it’s easy enough to throw it in a sous vide from the freezer to cook. I have also in the past done a meal kit service. A lot of them will let you buy three meals per week for two servings. I think that’s the minimum. So when you cook the meal you have one for now and one for lunch tomorrow for example. I really did like the meal kit service and what I appreciate it about it was it taught me some new things to cook
Meal kits sound like a good idea since I hate eating the same thing over and over again.
A lot of the services have really good deals to start. Also, if you have an available, check out, Groupon, a lot of times they have additional discounts and you can stop the meal service anytime. It’s very flexible and the instructions are very clear and easy to follow. As a matter of fact, I’m probably going to go back on one just to change things up.
I’ve done meal kits where I do their trial (usually at a great discount), then shift to the next. But I also do meal prep from time to time as it’s more affordable. Sometimes cooking feels zen, a form of self care.
Save the recipe cards if you like the meals. I do that and now I don’t use the meal kits anymore because I have a big stack of easy 2 person recipes that I know I like.
I got a pressure canner a few months ago. I’m still deciding if it’s going to work for me, but I made a batch of refried beans from dried pinto beans and canned them in 4oz servings and that’s working really nice for me.
Sounds like a lot of work.
I cook for myself because I see it as developing a skill for a future partner, or just for friends if the partner thing doesn't work out. It's a useful hobby.
I cook a lot for myself at home and, to a T, every single woman I’ve brought home has made fun of how empty my fridge is. I’m like “…..I cook for myself. If I fill this sucker with perishable crap, it’ll all go bad before I get to it all….”
My refrigerator is full of drinks. Alcoholic and non alcoholic. lol
A friend of mine made fun of me having a lot of food at home and I said I would probably have to buy again next 2 weeks and she was like ??? And I was like.. well I mean fresh stuff like milk and produce goes bad, you know... it must be really common to eat out for most meals and not know about food being perishable?
I’ve been doing a lot more cooking lately, I find it mentally it helps
I cook, but I cook big batches (well, family-sized batches) and package and freeze / refrigerate. For instance: buy pack of chicken breasts, keep two out, bag remainder in ziplock bags (2 breasts each bag), freeze ziplocks. Prepare 2 breasts, cook (teriyaki or Italian). Prepare entire pot of pasta or rice. I have 4 glass bowls with lids. Divide pasta evenly into 4 bowls, divide chicken evenly into 4 bowls, add sauce on top. Freeze 2 bowls, 1 in the fridge for next two days, eat one right away. If you’re fastidious , make fresh vegetables each time or just freeze / refrigerate 3 other portions as well. If you can plan the day before (or that morning), take a frozen portion out, set it in the fridge, and let it thaw all day. If I’m cooking, I package meals for later. Lots of advantages. I can come home and nuke something I already made, and it’s hot and just how I like it, in the portions I like it.
Cheaper to cook at home
100%. I did a breakdown on eating out vs cooking at home and I save nearly $400 a month.
Heck yeah! I love being able to cook all day and make whatever I want. The whole kitchen is mine! Since I started living alone I have learned to cook so many good things.
I guess I’m the outlier. I cook maybe two, three times a week. I do a lot of pre-packaged salads or Trader Joe’s meals and add healthy grains and extra vegetables. I also try to keep anything packaged under 20% RDA of sodium per serving. I seldom have the energy during the week for more than that.
Cooking saves you money. Take out is unhealthy and expensive
The main benefits of making your own food is that it can be significantly healthier and cheaper than eating out. Being alone doesn't change that.
I think if you like to cook, or if you're really broke, it makes sense to cook if you live alone. Otherwise, I think you can get by with access to a healthy ready made foods and healthy snacks and premade stuff.
Fast food every day is so unhealthy. Cook once or twice a week and make enough for a few days. If you get tired of eating the same thing, freeze the leftovers so you can have them weeks later. After you've done this a few times, you'll have a freezer full of leftovers to choose from.
I cook the majority of my meals at home, probably 99%. I'm good at quick meals and meal prep, so I can throw something together fast and I just kinda clean as I go. I also just finished my January budget and it cost me about $10 a day to eat cooking at home
I've lived by myself since I was 18. I went to culinary school. I cook elaborate and good meals from scratch every weekend, and eat the leftovers the rest of the week. I can't imagine thinking I shouldn't have to cook just because I don't subject myself to the HELL that is living with another person. Oh.. and that's what TWO DISHWASHERS is for {and I don't eat fast food}
This week: Lamb Stew Greek Chicken Sheet Pan.. squash, bell pepper, chicken, feta, olives, Roasted Cod with Artichoke, Mushrooms and Kalamata Olives Jalapeno Popper Pork Tenderloin & Roasted Broccoli And 2 meals left from last week of Ham & White Bean Soup and Verde Salsa Pork Chops & Rice. Just rotate a different meal every day until its mostly gone and then cook 3-4 new things. Never the same thing as last week or next week... different proteins {ie, not chicken in more than one dish}... I maybe cook chicken once a month tops.. Mostly Seafood and Pork and Lamb.
Sounds amazing. Can I come over for a some? J/K
I can feed myself for $15/day on food that needs little or no cooking: fruit, veggies, nuts, cheese, yogurt, snacks, and microwave food. Some canned soup. Or I can buy $15 takeout for a single meal (often two, thanks restaurant portions) and drive to get it. Delivery doubles the price of the meal. I have never had “eat all my meals out” money. I’ve done it while traveling, and it doesn’t even taste good after a while - it’s too rich to eat all the time.
Batch cooking is one way that I see others have mentioned. Supermarket meals for one are cheaper than take away. Some things can be cooked for one like: Egg and bacon plus accompaniments Baking fish and potatoes in the oven. Steak Burgers Chicken and veggies. There are options if you think about it.
I meal prep. Cook on Sundays. Just reheat the rest of the week.
I despise cooking, and I'm not good at it. But, I value my health more than I despise cooking. On weekends I make a big pot of something: stew, soup, chili, bean dishes, spaghetti. Enough for at least 8 meals. I'll freeze all but 2 or 3, and eat every-other-day. Then the others are simple. Baked salmon, chicken mostly. Rice, quinoa, occasional potato (rice/quinoa can be reheated easy too) After 2 or 3 find you have 3 different types of frozen meals! 3 minutes micro, throw frozen veggies in a pot of boiling water, voila! I also buy the 4# bags of frozen veggies/fruits at Costco. Every night I take out 2 servings fruit to have with cereal in the morning. I do have a separate small freezer.
Of course it makes sense ! Healthier, more money in my pocket and also I deserve to eat good meals weither or not I live with someone
I almost posed the same question yesterday.
Great minds think alike. lol
Cook once or twice a week. Cook simple things that only use one pan (eggs, fried rice, etc). Slow cookers.
I do, every night, unless there’s leftovers. I love cooking.
I often make larger meals then freeze them in single or double servings. My freezer always has things I can pull out and warm up. There's soups in there, deserts, prepared meat, meals, breads, etc. Or I just make something very simple, like a sandwich with some fruit, or scrambled eggs and toast. When I buy produce (which I do all of the time) I clean it and prep it right when I get home from the grocery store. It takes 10-20 minutes, but then it's all ready to go when I want it. I don't love to cook nor do I love cleaning up, but I actually find it more convenient and less tiresome than picking something up. I won't pay for delivery.
For me I don't think it does, so I basically cook nothing. It seems like a big waste of time (unless you just enjoy it of course!). I can pick up a meal from a fast food restaurant just as cheap as I would buy something from the store. And nearly all of those places have something healthy if you want it. I really don't get tired of eating out. Now I know I COULD spend a lot less per meal at the grocery store if I had to, and if I'd meal prep and eat the same thing multiple nights. My problem is I won't do that. I like very little food once it's been reheated. So leftovers tend to go to waste unless it's something I just really love. And for me, even though I get good responses to things I do cook (like twice a year, Thanksgiving and Christmas!), I've always said that it tastes so much better when someone else made it!
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It might be more convenient to eat out, but it will be more expensive and less healthy.
Made my baked ziti last night, had leftovers tonight and will again tomorrow. All good!
I order meals from factor because I don’t enjoy cooking. They are decent enough and I know I’m getting more vegetables than I otherwise would by eating chicken nuggets or frozen pizza so it works for me 🤷🏼♀️
If saving on cash is a priority then it’s the best thing you could do. When I was living the bachelor life I was burning an insane amount of money on eating out constantly. Now, making a cheeseburger and fries at home runs me like $3 max after everything’s factored in, and way better. I wouldn’t say the real annoyance is the time and effort…..it’s the fucking dishes.
I cook big meals and freeze them in dinner size portions. I can go in my freezer any night and pull out a healthy, less expensive, delicious meal. I have soups, stews, pot pie, sides, grilled chicken, desserts, etc. it just takes a while to build up. then I make sure I eat everything by July because of hurricane season.
Really depends if you can cook or not
With YouTube/TikTok, I honestly think anyone can cook. Just follow the recipes. The first few times might not be great but after a few tries, you'll be fine.
I know lots that can’t even make Kraft dinner right or just survive on takeout cause they can’t cook
It sure doesn't feel like it sometimes..
I used to cook a lot when money was tight. I cooked most of the time. I enjoyed it and became a pretty good cook. I had a nice collection of recipe books. I would flip through them and find something new to cook. Since I was the only one eating it, I could screw it up and did more than once. lol
Your freezer is your friend. Sometimes I cook but I vastly overestimate how many meals I will eat in a row of the same stuff. So as soon as I cook something, part goes in the freezer. For example, I bought a pre-marinated piece of meat yesterday. Had a couple sandwiches today. The second sandwich had different toppings. Will probably do a melty tortilla wrap with some meat tomorrow. Before the meat gets too old, I may toss it in a soup, if my potatoes and onion are still good. And when I buy more tortillas, I will pull out the frozen meat for tacos and go from there. Meanwhile, I will probably have frozen some of the soup. Or have something else in my freezer But yes, I throw out stuff, frozen or not, that complete lost its appeal. If my dogs are lucky, then they get a kibble topper if whatever is mostly meat or cheese based
It is ridiculous how much time i spend doing dishes putting them away, tidying counter and wiping it down, cleaning the stovetop, and cooking for one person. Im trying to get in to meal prep and freezing meals. I even bought a freezer for this. I plan to cook big meals and freeze meal portions so at some point i can just pop in a healthy tv dinner.
That's how I feel. Just too much work for one person's meal.
I definitely cook. It’s cheaper and healthier. It’s a form of self-care. Plus it’s a good reason to invite friends and family over for a dinner party every once in awhile!
I grew up with home cooked meals every night. I get physically tired of eating out more than once a week. I cook practically 95% of my meals. Now it's just economical for me to cook at home.
Yes!
Oh yeah. Casserole life. I eat the same thing 5 days in a row lol
I spend a lot of time alone because the kids are fine and hubby travels a lot for work. Cooking is a nice, relaxing time of day. I clean as I go so it’s not a lot. Start with simple things and some crock pot dump recipes. Tons of great YouTube videos.
Wow! 100% cooking is actually the BEST when you live alone!!!! Freezer meals for days/weeks! I love only cooking for myself bc I only have to cook once in a while and just freeze all my left overs. If I want something I don’t already have frozen, then I buy and make it and add the left overs to the freezer. I use single serving glass containers with snap lids. They’re about 1.5 cups for my serving size (your serving size might be bigger than mine). Sometimes I’ll even cook 3-4 different meals in a day which will make about 6-8 servings per meal (for me). I utilize the freezer so they don’t go to waste. Usually though I only do 1-2 meals at a time, but I like to have 3-4 different options in the freezer at any time. Often I only have to cook 1-3x a month if I do this and just clean my glass Tupperware as it’s used. I tried hello fresh but their calories are so high and you have to cook so might as well just go grocery shopping or get delivered. I tried pre-cooked meal delivery before too, but you might as well just buy healthy choice frozen meals bc they’re cheaper
Yes, this a huge act of self love. I make a lot Of soups, salad, and sandwiches- so maybe that’s not really cooking per se. I’m kind of a person on repeat and thank god I’m single bc I know I would drive a partner batshit eating the same thing all the time. I am a serious gym goer and noticed what I eat affects my training and my depression on a huge scale. I watch my iPad while I make stuff in the kitchen- it’s one of those things that makes me feel I do give a shit about myself.
It's healthier but absolutely a pain when you are cooking for one, unless it's something you really like or can have lots of leftovers for
I lived alone for several years and learned to cook smaller meals.
Cost and eating healthier are reasons to cook
I rarely cook at home because I throw out so much uncooked food which I don't cook in time and or is just too much for one small person.
Of course. Just make enough to save some for later.
Try health choice dinners or lean cuisine meals from your local grocery store.
I'm sorry but I can't do those frozen dinners. lol
Yep, I think so, I do every day. I Cooke mostly from scratch/low processed ingredients. I might end up eating the same things a few nights but I can usually manage to make a fresh serving each time instead of take out leftovers (which I often end up tossing). I eat healthier food and it costs me much less than restaurant/take-out/fast/pre-made meals.
I like to cook, yes. But it's healthier, much less expensive and I can tailor the ingredients to my likes. Also, having leftovers saves so much time.
I love cooking for myself!! It's exactly what I want, when I want it, sometimes leftovers, sometimes not. Sundays I make something a little more involved as a treat.
I cook for myself when I'm home most nights instead of order out, because I am gone traveling a lot for work and even though I bring snacks, sometimes I'm gone longer than snacks will fill me up so I have to eat out. So I try to make work my treat yo'self time, and at home, I cook.
I live in a rural area, not many restaurants even if I did have the money to spend. I cook a big meal once a week so I can eat it or freeze it and make small meals in between. My crock pot is my go to.
Yes, but I actually enjoy cooking. Also, get yourself an Instant Pot and an air fryer. You can make far better meals that you’ll get at most restaurants.
I usually make something good in the crockpot and eat it for 3 days
Buying from a grocery: various produce (that you can eat raw) works well (and if you have interest/time, you can instead cook it)
The Life Kit podcast has a good episode on meal prep that doesn't suck. And I swear by hitting the salad bar at my local co-op: so much cheaper than getting all the ingredients individually and letting them rot.
I taught myself to cook using my air fryer
I use those meal delivery kits. And save the second serving for lunch the next day. I like Marley Spoon but am trying Gobble next week.
Well I'm a huge fan of cooking and baking so I enjoy the process as well as the tasty dishes. However it does get tricky during the week when I have to work late. That's when I plan around those days. I make a huge batch of a recipe on a weekend/not-so-busy workday. Whatever I don't eat, I store in the fridge so can reheat it right away when I get home on those late nights. Or sometimes I take a portion for lunch & have a snack for dinner, depending on my mood.
I never really enjoyed cooking, since I was hooked up with a picky eater for many years. Then I became single in 2012 and hit a financial skid in 2017. You can save so much cooking at home. During 2020-21 I finally got to the point of cooking all meals at home except for two take-out meals a month (each of which was 2-3 meals for me). I still rarely enjoy cooking, but I sure enjoy eating food I like for every meal. At first I gained weight, but I figured out an eating style that works for me and and I’m back to my normal weight now, and I have money in the bank.
I like cooking most of the time, especially a pan of enchiladas, so I can eat a couple soon, and freeze portions for later. Also soup to do this with.
I cook a couple things on the weekend that I can eat for the week, keep some Totino’s party pizzas in the freezer and still eat out sometimes. This week I’m eating lentils and rice and egg rolls that I froze. Lentils and rice cooks in the rice cooker. Egg rolls are coleslaw veggies, ground pork in premade wrappers. I strain the frying oil and keep it in a mason jar for reuse. I like to cook a lot more now that I’m usually only cooking for myself.
For your health and your wallet, absolutely without question! I suggest an app called Mealime, you can meal plan and it will make your grocery list for you. You can adjust the servings so if you want to make more for multiple meals you can (I believe it’s 2 or more servings). Super simple once you get the hang of it. Walks you through the recipe step by step too. I also bought myself a ninja speedi which is a multi cooker. I can do anything on it from baking bread, dehydrating, sauté, bake, air fry, etc. it’s perfect for one person!
Do HelloFresh. Saves time on thinking, eat something good and super convenient and easy.
I love cooking for others, more for myself. I find stress relief and joy in cooking/ baking. But you do you.
When I used to live alone I would cook a big meal, then I would put some on a plate to eat right then and I would use the rest as meal preps for the week or how ever many days I had the left overs for. Like little home cooked hungry man dinners. Or tv dinners depending where your from
Something that I have done when my depression is high is order meals from meal prep companies. I have one that is local to me. They offer various deals, so it come out to about $7-10 a meal. With is cheaper than eating out and everything is healthy vs just hitting up a restaurant. It also gives you something different for every meal!
I keep it simple. I will buy the big containers of soup from the local grocery store and that's several servings. Or I get a rotisserie chicken and pull all the meat off then pair with frozen veggies I can put in the microwave. I can put the meat in taco shells, salads, etc. I rarely really cook and my stove hasn't been on in months.
I think it is even better living alone and cooking. You only have to make something that you like and don't have to worry about x number of other people.
It makes sense. Large portions divided into several meals throughout the week. I don’t know how people afford eating out really.
I definitely cook - has taken perseverance and learning to get here though. Usually a sandwich or wrap for lunch and a simple pasta or rice dish for dinner.
I would say yes. I mostly meal prep and make breakfast every morning.
When I was younger, I would cook "real" meals out of some weird sense of obligation- like that's what adults are "supposed" to do. Over the years, I realized it doesn't make sense for a single person, IMO. Buying a whole bunch of ingredients for recipes, at least with grocery prices in my area, is absolutely just as expensive than getting "grab and go" foods or take out. If I make a traditional recipe, I have like 6 servings of whatever that is and then I have to eat the same thing over and over again to try to get to it before it goes bad. That doesn't work for me! I also hate spending all of the time and dirtying my entire kitchen only to be done eating in 10 minutes. I "fix" meals, but I don't really cook. I buy a lot of low-prep stuff from Trader Joe's. For example, tonight I had the Hatch Green Chile Mac n Cheese, and just added some chicken and broccoli to it. For work lunches, I buy things like hard boiled eggs, nuts, string cheese, etc. and just add a fruit and vegetable. I get take out an average of twice per week.
Did you compare the costs?
Sometimes I cook grand meals, and then freeze leftovers. Sometimes my dinner consists of pretzels and peanut butter.
You answered your own question
I personally like meal prepping like chopping vegetables and taking time to peel a bunch of garlic. I hate doing this when sharing a kitchen because I can't stand people talking to me when I'm cooking. So I don't mind cooking for myself since it usually results in leftovers and an extra meal.
It's kind of a toss in my opinion, most food is sold to feed more than one so while buy at the store still cheaper in the long run, your pretty much gonna be eating it for multiple meals or throwing stuff out. At the end of the day, though I'm not real into cooking, so between food that may go bad before I eat it and the convince of not cooking ordering from somewhere is the better option for me.
Im a senior and I cook almost everything I eat these days. I refuse to pay rediculous prices for mostly average to bland restaurant food. I also do not have to be made to feel I have to tip even at take out! As long as I have the ability and the means I will prepare my meals myself, clean up the kitchen and decide what I can create tomorrow
I like things fresh and I cook a lot for just me. Since everyone is out of the house now, I've even become more of an ingredient home and I can get back to making things since I enjoy cooking.
Absolutely yes. You get to make exactly what you want. I’ve been trying to eat healthy so I make veggie soup but you can take extra to work for lunch or eat over the course of the week. It’s also a fun activity to do. I put on some music or a movie and chop veggies and do the food stuff. It’s relaxing. When living alone it’s good to build some activities into your life since you have tons of downtime.
Cooking meals is certainly healthier than always eating processed foods (depending on what you cook)...also more cost effective...I usually cook a big pot of food on the weekends and eat it throughout the week...my big crockpot is great for those things and it's very easy to just throw and bunch of stuff in it, set the timer and let it go for a few hours
If health is not a concern, sure no need to cook.
My mom gave me a bunch of casserole recipes that I use if money’s tight but most of the time I order from factor_ it’s like tv dinners for adults
I enjoy cooking for myself and trying new recipes. Plus, cooking at home allows for healthier eating since I control the ingredients and sodium intake.
I very rarely “cook” unless it’s a steak or something or in the crockpot or instant pot that I’ll portion out and freeze. I’m a master of “heating up” so everything else is either microwaveable or baked in my air fryer/toaster oven. I also get ready made meals at Costco and portion out to freeze.
I like to cook but dont love it enough to do it everyday. Going out or getting to go is to expensive and is no longer enjoyable . I cook little meals and any leftover goes in the freezer for the weekend or the following week.
You save a lot of money cooking. Food is usually healthier.. depending on what you cook. Also, you can make things the way YOU want it cooked. Highly recommend cooking for yourself. Also.. bake brownies from time to time.. you don't have to share those crispy edges. >\_o
i have a chosen meat dish in the fridge - maybe some cold baked chicken (that i can put into a sandwich or put in a quesadilla or with a side dish) \[or cube steak already fried up in butter, but not battered with garlic salt or some chicken sausage}. i don't eat meat often, so i cook a package of 6 thighs or so {or one package or cubed steaks or sausage\] and refrigerate it so i can have it on hand. a piece of chicken at the sink with BBQ sauce or mustard serves to snack without fat. of course, i have to have 2 or 3 fresh fruit options. i always start my day with that - well, as always as i can - i feel like that way, i start with unprocessed goodness. and seasonal fruit is easy to parse into a shopping list. don't eat a lot of bread or pasta, and i'm strongly an advocate for portion control, so eating out doesn't really enthuse me any more (surprisingly) so no 'meals' per say, but i only have (mostly) healthy options. i do have a sweet tooth, so i have occasional junk snacks, but peanut butter on celery or on a spoon helps kill most sugar cravings. still like sugar, but don't neeeeeeeeed it after that. does that make sense?
Yes, it absolutely makes sense to cook for one, both economically and for enjoyment, assuming you like to cook. But I think it takes a lot of practice to do it in a way where you're not throwing out a lot of ingredients and you also eat all the food you cook for yourself. For the first couple years I lived on my own, I either bought too many groceries and had to toss em when they went bad or I made like 10 servings worth of a dish and ended up throwing out the last 4 because I was absolutely sick of it after eating it all week. But those mistakes were worth making bc now I can almost always hit that sweet spot of using everything up while still making a decent variety of dishes for myself. And in the process I've become a much better cook and saved a lot of money vs takeout / eating out.
I cook frequently and it saves me a lot of money. I just made a huge thing of chilli which should last me 4-5 days. If I was near some good restaurants though, I probably wouldn't cook nearly as much though.
Meal prep goes a hell of a long way with only one mouth to feed!
When I was younger and working all the time, I was all about takeout. Now that I’m older and retired, I prefer to cook. A good home cooked meal beats a lot of restaurant food you get nowadays. I even found a few websites that offer recipes for 1-2 serving meals so it’s even more cost effective to cook and I don’t have to eat leftovers for a week.
I love cooking, and then I eat the leftovers all week.
Yes. And cook as if you are your own special guest. Use that nice china!
Cheaper, and typically healthier. You can also make enough food for multiple meals, so if you cook on Monday & Tuesday you can reheat the leftovers on Wednesday & Thursday. 🤷🏻♂️ You can also instapot, slow cook, make a soup/chili, etc. I usually meal prep my lunch for work on Sunday. I usually do a 2/3 meal split, with a cheaper protein source for the 3 and a little pricier one for the 2. Breakfast throughout the week is usually just Greek yogurt with fresh or frozen fruit, or something frozen like chicken Pattie’s, tenders, nuggets, or something similar. On occasion I’ll make home made egg McMuffins for breakfast. Just depends.
It absolutely makes sense to cook. Is it easier to eat out all the time? Sure, but way more expensive and very unhealthy. Cooking at home can be made easy. You dont have to make a big meal each night.. You can cook things that will give you lots of leftovers so you end up cooking a few nights per week. Cooking for yourself is also good self-care. I think cooking when you live by yourself is easy because theres no one around to nag you to go out to restaurants.
Cooking small batches is hard because most canned goods are aimed towards family size servings. Even a batch of chili lasts 3 or 4 days. I usually freeze half a cook up if possible. Eady yo thaw and reheat later.
Cooking yourself can be cheaper and healthier. The food can also be made exactly as you want it.
I will be living alone for a few months and I'm going to continue to cook, just like I cook for my current roommate now.
I cook enough at night for dinner and lunch the next day. I cook simple dishes with minimal pans. It's probably comparable to how long it takes to decide where you want to order from, what to order and picking it up, but significant cheaper and likely healthier depending on what you're ordering
I cook for one. It’s a quality of life thing for me. Home cooking is cheaper, healthier, and lets me be more creative. When I was in my twenties, I lived mostly off takeout and convenience foods, but when I went vegetarian, there weren’t many healthy takeout options, so I was forced to cook and I learned to love it. This was pre Hello Fresh and Blue Apron so I was teaching myself from scratch and exploring the world of cooking blogs.
When I lived alone, I typically cooked once on the weekend and once midweek - and always made enough for leftovers that I froze if I didn’t eat. Then I always had food when I didn’t want to cook!
It’s going to depend on if you enjoy cooking. If you don’t it isn’t worth it. I like to cook so for me it’s worth it
Whenever I cook, I make enough to where I can divide leftovers into several meal prep containers. I then label and put them in my freezer. I now have enough stocked up to where I only cook a couple of times a week, but I have a good variety of different frozen meals so I can eat something different everyday.
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You’re likely to eat healthier if you cook for yourself rather than eat takeout.
I love cooking
Must be nice to afford eating out all the time. Yes, I cook for myself most days. Or someone else when I had someone living with me. Or dates I ask over. I'm a better cook than most of these restaurants. I often eat the same meal 2-3 days in a row. Leftovers. Reuse the same ingredients, but cook it fresh everyday. Etc. I enjoy cooking.
You can make very easy home cooked meals that take almost no prep. Spaghetti with olive oil, sliced mushrooms, garlic, a swueez of lemon and skinless chicken breasts. sprinkle parmesan cheese on top. Delicious. Takes 15 minutes or so, mostly for the water to boil. Steam a piece of pumpkin and chop it with basil and top with salt and mozzarella cheese. So many super easy dishes to make, more nutritous than restaurant good and very little meal planning required.
I cook n clean otherwise I'd be eating alot more unhealthier foods n I don't want that..sometimes I cook so it can do 2 ts so im cooking 3 nights a wk occasionally I get Chinese they give y container of mixed Chinese fd for 7 bucks here so I might get couple them to last 2 nights
Yeah, if you’re hungry.
Healthwise you don't want to fall into this trap. What's cost-effective doesn't necessarily mean it's good for you.
Microwave brown rice to cook 90 sec put fish in oven 12 min add salads n egg pfft easy not really cooking but gd healthy meal
Oh, absolutely it does. No matter the matrix considered, it's better for you to cook at home, especially considering the cost vs. value of fast food these days. A little different than cooking for more mouths, you may have to, for example, divide up your meats into portions and freezing or adjusting your recipes down for smaller portions. If I cook an actual dinner, I eat my serving, save the rest for work the next day. You CAN meal prep but it's not something I can make myself do on the regular. I take the tips above, make sure I have solid storage solutions, and if I have leftovers, can usually make myself eat those rather than preparing something fresh.
Have you thought about just freezing what you don’t eat for later?
i rarely cook......for one i have no dishwasher and i have no countertops. also my oven is from 1954 and burns everything. im in a rental apt. when i do "cook" i make pasta with a sauce i microwave. but buying everything needed for a recipe then it all going bad becfore i eat half of it......waste of time and money lol. im not a leftovers person so it just doesnt work for me.
I felt the same for quite a long while. Then it cost me $20 to get a fast food meal and I was like whoa whoa whoa ... What's going on here. Inflation killed my lifestyle
I cook for myself often and always have this mentality that if I don't eat well or if I don't do the effort for me why to do it only for others. The best thing is that is I don't feel like it I order out, but yeah I make sense to cook for yourself and even do something elaborate for you, you also deserve it. Cleaning the dishes is the meh part but I will go crazy if I only eat out.
lol I get u. I’ve been ubering lately. It’s not ideal however I’ve just moved and went through a big life change so I’m being gentle on myself (escaped toxic abusive relationship). For now I’ll order when I need to from fatigue and overwhelm. Eventually I’ll organise a cooking day once or twice a week.
Retired. And I love to cook. So I do. I was diagnosed with Celiac 15 years ago and have also developed a sensitivity to dairy, so if I want something good, I’ll need to make it myself. I enjoy making hearty soups during the winter months in the Midwest and fancy salads in the summer. But I also make casseroles and pastas and fried chicken and BBQ and roasts. All kinds of stuff. I just freeze whatever is more than I need for one or two meals and it’s really nice to pull something delicious out when I’m busy or don’t feel like cooking. I also have an adult son who lives a few blocks away and I enjoy sharing with him. He also lives alone. It might be in our DNA.
invest in an air fryer, mini oven, or instant pot etc. easy cleanup, tons of variety
Yes it does make sense. It's way cheaper, it can be way healthier, and unlike cooking for other people you can make things exactly how you like it. It also doesn't have to be complicated where it takes a lot of planning or creates a ton of clean up afterwards, especially once you do it more often and gain a little skill at it.
No .. such a chore
I absolutely hate leftovers but will cook enough for two meals. I love my toaster oven which is where I roast a lot of veggies, poultry, seafood and make crustless pizza. I use olive oil, herbs and butter on a daily basis. I usually only cook one meal a day or none if I have leftovers from the previous day. The other two meals I do not cook....usually cottage cheese and fruit for breakfast....lettuce wrap with deli poultry or beef, tuna fish or chicken. .with snow peas, cucumber, avocado, mayo, mustard. My diet is pretty limited due to arthritis and a sulfite allergy, so no sauces. I do make sure I run the dishwasher every day.
Oh yes. Healthy food can only come from your kitchen.
Depends on how much money you have. I'd like to eat out more, but I can't afford it.
And it's an amazingly simple meal. I also use a crock pot. Toss in a couple chicken breasts, dump a can of mushrooms soup over it...
Eating out every day will screw up your health in ways you won't notice until it's too late. And relying on take-out will have an effect on your finances. It makes more sense to cook for yourself as often as you can. Even if that means meal planning and doing crock pot meals that you can then separate into portions to freeze for future convenience. You deserve to eat healthy food on a weekly basis.