To ask if you view food such as takeaways as a waste of money

[Blameitonme7000]

I personally don’t but I know many do

Out Chinese and Indian takeaways cost £75! That's why we only have them very rarely.

When you are out shopping, it really hits the spot. I love it - and miss it! Haven't had one for ages.

‘Waste of money’ totally depends firstly on how much money you’ve actually got and then on what you value most.

If the regularity with which you buy takeaway and amount of spending on it means you go without other basic things or sometimes struggle, then yes it will be a waste because it’s possible to feed yourself far more cheaply. Therefore, if you’re hard up at the end of the month or struggle to pay for a new boiler when it breaks down, or feel you can’t afford for your kids to go on a residential trip at school and you’re eating weekly takeaway, then a reassessment if regularity might be worthwhile.

However, if you pay for the takeaway and still have plenty of cash for the mo they expenses and other things you consider important in life and you really enjoy it, then it’s fine.

I’m always interested in ‘enjoyment per £’ or perhaps value. I do t begrudge spending on something that delivers significant value. I do if the enjoyment feels low.

For me, if I ate takeaway every week the enjoyment per meal would reduce as it would lose its novelty value. I could get more pleasure by spending the money on other things.

For me too, a key consideration is healthy diet. Takeaways round here are high fat and high calorie. Tasty yes, healthy no. I don’t mind eating that once a month or so, but not in a weekly basis. I look at my weight and my BMI and that all factors into my choices. For me it’s not just about price but health impact too. Lots of takeaways or fast food is clearly associated with being obese. I’m keen to avoid becoming obsessed and eating less takeaway is one thing I can do to help with that.

If it was half the price it is now, would I eat twice as much? No, because it’s at least double the calories if one of my standard meals and I don’t think I can ‘afford’ those calories more regularly than occasionally. A bit of self control for me over spending and over eating habits is a good thing as I can out on weight quite quickly. When I occasionally have it I do really enjoy it in a way I wouldn’t if it happened every week and also I do t worry about the calories or health impact as everything in moderation seems fine.

Depends what it is. If it's really excellent Indian food, or Thai -- not a waste, as I know the time that goes into cooking that sort of thing. And I enjoy the experience of eating it. If it's soggy pizza or overpriced cheap, crap ingredients then I do see it as a waste.

Depends.

I can't cook Indian, Thai or Chinese food as nicely as a restaurant so it's a real treat to have it. Supermarket versions don't come near to the taste, quality and freshness.

I can buy ready made pizzas from the supermarket too but they are not as nice as the ones on Pizza Hut's £5 menu or Domino's £5.99 deal.

If I am going to be eating a lot of calories then I want the meal to be worthwhile.

As the Pizza Hut example shows, takeaways aren't always expensive.

@notacooldad

We have some really good value takeaways where I live. Theres a lot of.iddle Eastern ones that are really cheap, tasty pretty healthy and lots of food for your money that it can be enough for lunch next day. A couple do absolutely huge slices of spinach and cheese Fatayer for two people for £3. I don't think it is a waste at all!

I didn't realise such prices were even possible. That's even cheaper than fish and chips.

I love cooking and I am a very good cook, however takeaway dishes just hit a bit different.

I’d happily eat one a week but we probably have them once maybe twice a month as our takeaway order comes to the same price as our weekly food shop. I’d also be massive if we ate takeaway that much! On the weeks we don’t have takeout I always do fakeaway on Saturday nights.

"I can buy ready made pizzas from the supermarket too but they are not as nice as the ones on Pizza Hut's £5 menu or Domino's £5.99 deal."

Depends on your taste I suppose. I was never massively impressed with Pizza Hut's pizzas. Pizza Express is better. Dt Oetker is good enough for me so there's no point spending more for me.
I have an independent pizza place near me that I've ordered from when I had a guest because it looks better than getting the Dr Oetker from the freezer, but I wouldn't bother on my own.

@littlepattilou

No. Me and DH spend £15 on a Chinese takeaway, or an Indian takeaway once a month, and we have pretty much a bit of a buffet; like 6 or 7 different things. Like a main, half a main, (eg half a portion of chicken balls,) chips, prawn crackers, sauces, noodles, spring rolls etc, It makes us 2 meals each.

So that's 4 meals for £15. £3.75 a meal each. (We have 1 meal each on a Friday night, and 1 meal each on Saturday.) Excellent bargain. There's no way we could buy all the ingredients, make it, and cook it ourselves for that.

Wow where do you live?! That would cost £40 at least here.

I don't view it as a waste at all, we can afford it.

Why is it so hard to believe that takeaway can vary so much in cost?

“Takeaway” can be any food, from any restaurant, of any quality - especially at the moment when lockdown has caused lots of new establishments to offer delivery and takeaway.

Takeaway from an old-school red slop curry house made from powders and tins is going to cost less than a cool modern Indian that cooks with fresh spices and ingredients.

Why is it so hard to understand that a takeaway for 2 could cost £15 or £60? IT DEPENDS WHAT TAKEAWAY YOU BUY!

I appreciate it might not always be the best value for money, but I don’t get them often and I enjoy them when I do.

Twice a month, prob more during lockdown. Lucky to have lots of choice but it’s not cheap. Fish and chips for 4 of us is £40 😳. Tapas nearly £70.

I usually feel they are a waste of money after having them, especially Chinese. They are never that nice and I feel crap after eating them.

I am happier to wait until we can eat out instead of having takeaways.

As that was always our preference anyway.

We don't eat at fancy places just the chains. But really enjoy it. Takeaways we don't really enjoy.

Chiquito's, Nando's, Wagamama, Pizza Express - looking forward to them all.

It's not a waste of money if you enjoy them. We get a Chinese takeaway once in a while maybe twice a month - from a proper restaurant rather than just a takeaway. It amounts to about £40- £50 or so but we have it across two meals at least, food is fresh and hot and not greasy. And often we cook the rice ourselves- we have a rice cooker so it's easy and it's not worth paying for steamed rice!

We tend to only get Chinese food or Indian food as our takeaways. For 4 we're looking at a minimum spend of £40. Only enough for one meal as we have cut back on too many extras and share what we buy. It's obviously expensive where we are.

We do make Indian food at home and it's nice, but never as tasty.

We've tried to make Chinese fried rice lots of times and always miss the tasty mark so now don't bother and always buy.

They are a treat and I'd say we have them about once a month. Normally just after pay day. Takeaways really are a treat to us and we normally also coincide our choice to get them after a day of hard work. Today this work is lots of garden related chores.

@MasterBeth I don't think anyone doesn't understand do they? I understand that prices are different and because it's more expensive for me I make differ decisions to those who can get cheaper ones 🤷🏼‍♀️.

If you buy takeaways or go out to restaurants very often, I do think it's a bit of a waste of money. But if someone has plenty of savings and can afford it without difficulty, that's their business. How often is too often is very subjective, anyway. Personally, I like to keep things balanced, because saving is important to me, and I'd rather splurge on other things than very expensive food.

Just pre ordered a Chinese 😋

We have a takeaway on Fridays but it's only €10 for 4 of us (we live in a cheap place compared to the uk) so I don't see it as very expensive.

I really want a takeaway now after reading all this!

Mostly I find them disappointing, expensive and overly fatty or salty. I can usually cook better myself (although never pizza as I dislike it). However my once a month treat is seriously good sushi and sashimi. Can’t do that myself!

No, its a treat for us and that's important. Some people have film or sports channel subscriptions, spend money on a hobby or activity, spend money on gadgets or clothing or whatever else. If it is something you enjoy, its not a waste. I enjoy takeaways and we can easily afford them so whats the harm.

[quote fireplaceburning]@MasterBeth I don't think anyone doesn't understand do they? I understand that prices are different and because it's more expensive for me I make differ decisions to those who can get cheaper ones 🤷🏼‍♀️. [/quote]
There are loads of people on this thread saying “I can’t believe you pay £40! We pay £6.50 and it lasts us three days” or vice versa.

@notacooldad

Having just spent £40 on a very mediocre Chinese takeaway for two, yes! Christmas in a bike, i would expect paying £40 to feed 7!!

Here’s one