People Are Ordering Catering Instead of Groceries to Save Money. Is It Really Cheaper? (2024)

FAQs

People Are Ordering Catering Instead of Groceries to Save Money. Is It Really Cheaper? ›

Though it's virtually impossible to make an apples to apples comparison between home and restaurant meal prices without recipes, and our per week grocery spend data is based on household sizes instead of individual budgets, making your own food generally costs less than ordering catering.

Pro: The Cost

Regardless of your state, cooking and eating at home is significantly cheaper than eating out. Even in the bottom ten states, the cheapest cost for a meal at an inexpensive restaurant costs well over $12 compared to $3.78 made at home.

Pros: - Meal prep is the cheapest option because you can buy items seasonally or on sale. - It allows the most control of your ingredients; eat what you like. - You can weigh and measure everything so you control every macronutrient.

Taken at face value, individual prices for meal kits can be higher than what you'd spend at the grocery store. But factor in everything else (the price of gas, time spent shopping, food waste), and the answer ultimately boils down to personal preference.

Meal prepping with a caterer is much cheaper than preparing meals from scratch yourself. Not only do you save money on food, but you also save on time and energy. A catering meal prep service will take care of shopping for the freshest ingredients, prepping the foods, and delivering them right to your door.

Average grocery cost per month for 2 people in a household

Male and female living together: $514.09 to $819.26. Two adult females: $476.92 to $769.86.

According to a 2024 Popmenu study, families spend 10% less of their food budget on restaurants than they did in 2022. A year before the Popmenu study, a National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Association survey found that four out of five people eat at home for more than half their meals.

Though it's virtually impossible to make an apples to apples comparison between home and restaurant meal prices without recipes, and our per week grocery spend data is based on household sizes instead of individual budgets, making your own food generally costs less than ordering catering.

Yes, you can absolutely save money with meal prep. It can take some trial and error to master the process, but meal prepping is one of the best ways to save cash and fit healthy habits into your busy lifestyle.

For a month's worth of meal prep services, individuals can expect to spend anywhere from $200 to $600, depending on their dietary needs and service preferences.

Is blue apron more expensive than grocery shopping? ›

While most Blue Apron recipes are at least a smidge more expensive than buying the groceries yourself, some of them are actually cheaper than if you bought the groceries yourself. That's particularly true for seafood recipes such as the salmon, shrimp and trout offerings.

Key Takeaways. Canned fruits and vegetables are just as nutritious as the more expensive fresh fruits and vegetables. Buying cheap foods that you can add to other foods, like beans and lettuce, can help fill you up and save money. Heavily processed foods are often cheap but not very healthy.

The added cost is generally due to premium ingredients like grass-fed beef and organic produce. With those, you're going to find a bigger delta between the meal kit cost and what it would cost to make the meal at home.

Step 1: Organize Your Meals

Plan on eating about every three hours, with either six small meals a day or three main meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) and snacks in between.

From my years as a financial planner, most families in the Bay Area spend between $800-1,200 each month on groceries. Add to this the cost of eating out, coffee shops and convenience items; you are looking at an additional $250–$1,000 per month depending on your lifestyle.

It is definitely cheaper to eat at home. It is not just cheaper but more hygienic too. Sure, eating outside has a few advantages but financially, eating outside is an expensive affair compared to making the same dish at home. You will always need to pay for someone's labor if you're going out to eat.

Over the past 12 months, the cost of meals prepared outside the home have climbed 3.1% – while the cost of groceries rose only 1%. The average price per serving of home cooked meals is $4.31 – while the average cost of eating out is $20.37.