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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To wonder how people can afford a takeaway for a family?

784 replies

MaknCheeese · 15/04/2023 19:51

We haven't had a takeaway for a while and I was thinking about ordering one for the family as a treat tonight. I decided not to once I worked out the price, I just couldn't justify paying 1/3 of my weekly groceries budget, £30 on a curry for 4.
When did you last have a takeaway?
How much did it cost and how many did it feed?

OP posts:
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16
VincentVaguer · 17/04/2023 15:33

Comefromaway · 17/04/2023 15:29

Whereas I wouldn't thank you for cheese, smoked salmon, avocados or the like.

You don't like any of those things?

I am agog at the amount people spend on takeaways. I genuinely had no idea people were happy to spend that much. Seems silly of me really as obviously these places exist for a reason.

Comefromaway · 17/04/2023 15:59

No, I don't. (I realise I am unusual in not liking cheese but it is my most hated food)!

Comefromaway · 17/04/2023 15:59

I absolutely love fish, chips and mushy peas though!

coffeecupsandwaxmelts · 17/04/2023 16:00

Blaueblumen · 17/04/2023 15:17

£95! Omg that is so expensive! I don’t blame families one little bit for getting takeaways- hardworking parents etc but when I think about how much food £95 would buy … 😱

I know. Think of all the nice wine, smoked salmon, avocados, nice cheese and other lovely food you could buy for that....!!

You do realise you could just...buy both?

Why do you think it's an either/or situation?

BarbaraofSeville · 17/04/2023 16:35

Whether or not you could buy both isn't really the point. Even if you could, wouldn't you think just a little bit about whether nearly £100 for a single meal of food that takes no skill, time, effort or specialist ingredients to make and doesn't involve any sort of hospitality, ie time in a restaurant, is value for money?

I understand why people pay for takeaways when it takes hours of cooking and chopping, or you need endless obscure spices, but Five Guys is just burgers and fries after all, hardly haute cuisine.

You could get the stuff from the supermarket in your normal weekly shop for maybe £20 and spend 10-15 minutes grilling burgers and cutting up salad and you have exactly the same thing.

DanceMonster · 17/04/2023 16:37

BarbaraofSeville · 17/04/2023 16:35

Whether or not you could buy both isn't really the point. Even if you could, wouldn't you think just a little bit about whether nearly £100 for a single meal of food that takes no skill, time, effort or specialist ingredients to make and doesn't involve any sort of hospitality, ie time in a restaurant, is value for money?

I understand why people pay for takeaways when it takes hours of cooking and chopping, or you need endless obscure spices, but Five Guys is just burgers and fries after all, hardly haute cuisine.

You could get the stuff from the supermarket in your normal weekly shop for maybe £20 and spend 10-15 minutes grilling burgers and cutting up salad and you have exactly the same thing.

You’d have to order a lot of Five Guys for it to cost £100 I imagine (although I’m not 100% as I’ve never had it).
Value for money means different things to different people. With a disabled child requiring round the clock care, sometimes not having to cook is worth the world to me.

IhearyouClemFandango · 17/04/2023 16:38

Agreed, there are a lot of things I wouldn't want from a takeaway or order in a restaurant because I can make them myself. I will never buy a lasagne in a restaurant for example because it will always be a disappointment!

IhearyouClemFandango · 17/04/2023 16:38

I do like a greasy 5 guys burger though, but wouldn't want it as a takeaway

LolaSmiles · 17/04/2023 16:39

The answer is obvious: some families have more money than others. What kind of a question is this, can you really not work it out?
I thought the same. It isn't rocket science.

Or if they don't have more money they have different budget priorities. (Eg happy to spend money on a family takeaway to enjoy together but don't spend money on cinema trips or lots of clothes).

Also I've always found that Indian takeaway is much more expensive than other types of takeaway so we don't have curries for takeaway. We have cheaper takeaway options.

Blaueblumen · 17/04/2023 16:42

With a disabled child requiring round the clock care, sometimes not having to cook is worth the world to me.

I completely agree. To save money you could order some ready meals from Asda or Sainsbury's and pop them into the microwave?

SuperGinger · 17/04/2023 16:44

My problem with takeaways is that they provide poor value for money, the ingredients are very rarely great quality, they are calorific and not that tasty and I live in an area with a wide variety of takeaways available.

I get that some days you don't fancy cooking but I have a few why bother meals, for example on Friday night, I did a crab linguine that was ready in 10 minutes. The ingredients probably cost a tenner but it was a treat good ingredients and very quick. Almost as easy as logging onto Uber eats.

IhearyouClemFandango · 17/04/2023 16:45

Ready meals are not great, emergency food only here.

Yes, Indians are birthday territory here. I make quite a good curry though so we tend to have that of a weekend

VincentVaguer · 17/04/2023 17:04

BarbaraofSeville · 17/04/2023 16:35

Whether or not you could buy both isn't really the point. Even if you could, wouldn't you think just a little bit about whether nearly £100 for a single meal of food that takes no skill, time, effort or specialist ingredients to make and doesn't involve any sort of hospitality, ie time in a restaurant, is value for money?

I understand why people pay for takeaways when it takes hours of cooking and chopping, or you need endless obscure spices, but Five Guys is just burgers and fries after all, hardly haute cuisine.

You could get the stuff from the supermarket in your normal weekly shop for maybe £20 and spend 10-15 minutes grilling burgers and cutting up salad and you have exactly the same thing.

I guess people must like branding.

DanceMonster · 17/04/2023 17:04

Blaueblumen · 17/04/2023 16:42

With a disabled child requiring round the clock care, sometimes not having to cook is worth the world to me.

I completely agree. To save money you could order some ready meals from Asda or Sainsbury's and pop them into the microwave?

I could (and sometimes do) but a) I have never found a ready meal I like and b) I don’t actually particularly need to save money. I’d rather order a nice Thai takeaway and it feel like an actual treat than microwave a supermarket Thai green curry.

GasPanic · 17/04/2023 17:07

Large fish and chips round my way is £8.60, and that feeds two, or one extremely hungry person.

I don't find fish and chips expensive.

doadeer · 17/04/2023 17:08

@DanceMonster exactly the same! I'm carer for my son who needs full time support. We can't ever go out as no-one could look after him, so when we get a takeaway it's restaurant food which I don't have to cook, bliss. My son eats seperate food so I usually make 6 meals a day (3 for him and 3 for me and his dad). Not cooking and not washing up is lovely.

VincentVaguer · 17/04/2023 17:09

doadeer · 17/04/2023 17:08

@DanceMonster exactly the same! I'm carer for my son who needs full time support. We can't ever go out as no-one could look after him, so when we get a takeaway it's restaurant food which I don't have to cook, bliss. My son eats seperate food so I usually make 6 meals a day (3 for him and 3 for me and his dad). Not cooking and not washing up is lovely.

Well obviously takeaways are perfect for you.

doadeer · 17/04/2023 17:11

We do Dishpatch for date nights which are from lovely restaurants and definately nothing I could cook myself!

coffeecupsandwaxmelts · 17/04/2023 17:16

BarbaraofSeville · 17/04/2023 16:35

Whether or not you could buy both isn't really the point. Even if you could, wouldn't you think just a little bit about whether nearly £100 for a single meal of food that takes no skill, time, effort or specialist ingredients to make and doesn't involve any sort of hospitality, ie time in a restaurant, is value for money?

I understand why people pay for takeaways when it takes hours of cooking and chopping, or you need endless obscure spices, but Five Guys is just burgers and fries after all, hardly haute cuisine.

You could get the stuff from the supermarket in your normal weekly shop for maybe £20 and spend 10-15 minutes grilling burgers and cutting up salad and you have exactly the same thing.

Clearly people do think takeaways are value for money though, or they wouldn't be anywhere near as popular as they are.

TBH, I don't really care that I could make a burger and chips in 20 minutes at home. I don't enjoy cooking so I'm more than happy to spend £15 on a takeaway once a week if it means I get a night off.

user1485851222 · 17/04/2023 17:31

We ordered a Chinese meal for 2 people, £34

fitzwilliamdarcy · 17/04/2023 17:42

As ever I remain astonished at what large families can spend on takeaways. Haven’t had one in months, but I’m single so have to budget.

Doodar · 17/04/2023 17:48

£76 for our last Indian, for 4

Blaueblumen · 17/04/2023 17:58

It's not so much about being able to afford it, but that so many people are finding takeaways good value for their money which I find perplexing.

DanceMonster · 17/04/2023 18:07

Blaueblumen · 17/04/2023 17:58

It's not so much about being able to afford it, but that so many people are finding takeaways good value for their money which I find perplexing.

They’re value for money to me, because I enjoy them and they save me time. I could have a ready meal instead, but I generally don’t like them, so that wouldn’t be value for money for me because I’d be eating something I don’t enjoy.

Comefromaway · 17/04/2023 18:12

They are good value to me because o a day when I don’t fancy cooking if I go out for a meal it’s approx £12-16 for just my meal and you get less food. Whereas a takeaway is £4-6 ish each and I enjoy it.

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