How does one affordably eat without cooking or cleaning?

1. You may be overestimating the time you save. Eating out may take more time than cooking and cleaning up when you factor in travel and waiting. A bowl of cereal, hot or cold, takes less than a minute to prepare and maybe a minute to clean up. Our family eats oatmeal most every morning. We use an instant pot: one cup of dried oats, two cups of water, put the lid on and press the porridge button. The instant pot beeps when it’s done. Washing up takes seconds with a brush and soapy water. It’s hard to imagine that eating out would be faster.

My brother makes big, hearty salads by mixing vegetables with canned corn and beans. Prep time and cleanup take less than 10 minutes.

Rice is very fast to prepare in a rice cooker. A topping of beans can come from a can.

Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are very quick to prepare.

There are many cold foods that are quick to make. Hot foods can also be fast especially if you use heaters that automatically turn themselves off so that they don’t have to be tended, e.g., rice cooker, instant pot, microwave, toaster.

2. Cooking yourself is probably far healthier that eating out. Your health is worth something.

3. The discipline and initiative it takes to plan and prepare meals yourself will likely help you in other areas of life, similar to making your bed, keeping a clean and tidy house, good grooming, regular exercise.

There are meal prep services [0] where a chef will come drop off food for you each week, it seems like the prices are fairly reasonable for the first service on Google [1]:

Average service cost: ($58/hour rate)

Week of meals for family of 4: $230 to $290, plus groceries

Three hour minimum.

So that seems like a pretty good deal to me, as the chefs themselves have multiple clients so the cost is cheaper than hiring an in-home personal chef full-time.

[0] https://www.google.com/search?q=hire+cook+to+meal+prep

[1] https://weeklymealprep.com/boston/

Get in touch with why you are doing what you are doing, and what you really want. If you want to save money, you definitely can. Maybe you could think about what that money could be used for. There are plenty of other benefits to preparing food at home, too, cooking or not. It's more convenient, and more under your direct control. If you don't really care about spending less money, or you aren't willing to change anything about what you eat (e.g. sushi for lunch, Chinese food for dinner, and so on), just keep doing what you're doing. There are lots of common ways that people get their nutrients, though, without spending a lot of money, or cooking elaborate gourmet meals.

Do you care about nutrition? Do you need every meal to be a hot meal? Do you mind eating the same thing every day? I'm not going to tell you to eat fast food, but restaurant options span a wide price range, and you could start by being more price-conscious about breakfast and lunch, for example. And there are lots of things you can prepare at home that don't require "cooking," like toast, cereal, a sandwich, or a salad. I know plenty of people who, when they hit on their perfect salad or sandwich, wanted to eat it every day, or at least a few times a week. There's also a lot you can microwave, and not just TV dinners, but also steam-in-the-bag veggies, rice, and proteins like hot dogs, bacon, sausage, meatballs, and so on.

I don't know how old you are, but it sounds like you are single; do you want to have a partner? Kids? You'll need to at least be willing to wash a plate or wipe down a counter. Can you cut up a piece of fruit or a vegetable? Make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich? Instead of thinking about cooking, maybe think about assembling foods that you like (which may be raw or microwaved) into a meal that you like. If you don't like going to the grocery store, go once a week on Sunday and stock up. Or have someone shop for you.

I pay a housekeeper who does the dishes three times a week (and laundry and other tasks). This same person can also shop, and even prepare meals for you, which can be kept in the fridge and reheated. Some housekeepers who do these sorts of tasks don't also want to scrub your bathrooms, so keep that in mind (there's a line between housekeeping and housecleaning, but it can be blurry). It can be better to get a cleaning service once a month for that. But you can go on Care.com and find someone who is offering the set of services you need.

But also, think about the skills you want to have in life and don't be entirely utilitarian about it.

I'm kinda with you, cooking brings me no enjoyment, every moment is a burden. But I can't justify eating out/delivery all the time.

Aggressive minimizing is the best I've found. Basically only 1 pot meals and a dishwasher (two for pasta or rice I guess, but those pots can go in the dishwasher, even if it's kitchen sins). You can buy precut veggies and ground meat, chuck it in a stir fry with spices, use a bowl, spoon, and spatula, call it a day. Really the only manual cleaning then is the one pot (cast iron is great here because you can hit it with a metal scrub, quick and no thought even with burnt on stuff).

I'd expect all the groceries can be delivered without much premium (though I can motivate to get to the store most of the time so I'm not sure): onions, peppers, carrots, mushrooms, meat of choice, spices, basic sauces is 90% of it.

Also, learn to fry eggs and flip them in the pan. Removes the need to wash a spatula. Toast bagel, and the only thing to wash is the pan, and while it's still hot it's basically a rinse. Great easy breakfast/lunch.

What I can say is any cooking tool you do actually use, get it quality. If I use I knife I want it to cut easily, if I have a pan I want it not to stick and be easy to clean, if I have a cast iron I want to abuse it without remorse.

> As far as I can tell it's the most economically rational thing for me to do, as my income is well into the six-figures and so as I don't particularly enjoy grocery shopping, cooking or cleaning it's a better use of my time to work and pay as much as I currently am ($2700 /month) to meet my daily nutritional needs.

Are you paid hourly? If not, your premise is flawed. Assuming you are in the US, you are generally expected to work around 40 hours per week. Any additional time spent working is free labor. You're on salary, and don't qualify for overtime, so you won't be paid more.

The most rational economic decision you can make is to learn how to cook, and shop for ingredients that can be used across multiple meals you like. Learning to cook has additional benefits:

- You can prepare your favorite meal(s) whenever you want without having to wait for the restaurant to open, or delivery driver to arrive. - You can host/impress friends, family, and potential partners.

> I'm open to any ideas or experiences people have navigating early adult life in this domain.

Stop working so much, and start living a little!

What about just eating simple things that don’t require much cooking? Like eggs - I eat so many poached eggs per year on salad. And I know this is a privilege for you to eat out etc, but I also think it’s not a good environmentally friendly plan either to have every meal brought by one person! I’m not judging you but overall it’s so wasteful; invest like 2000 a month more and cook simple simple food!

Are you keeping an eye on your blood test reports in annual exam? Eating out often can raise your cholesterol and perhaps seeing that aspect of your health gives you extra determination to change habits.

> $2700 /month

Holy... Whatever you do, you're being fleeced. That's easily $40k a year in pre-tax income, JUST FOR FOOD?

For reference, I'm spending around $100 per month (in Poland, where food is a cheaper than in the US, but not hugely). I cook all of my meals from a couple of staples, such as brown rice, legumes, lentils, chickpeas. I bought bulk amounts of them to save money and trips to store. Add veggies (onions, garlic, tomatoes from cans + whatever stuff is cheap at the moment) and lots of spices to that. I usually cook a batch that contains 8-10 of 800-900 kcal servings (which I freeze) to minimize workload. Such meals usually cost under a dollar per meal, even if you include electricity and water costs.

Not healthy, but filling and cheap with no cooking and almost no cleanup.

- Protein powder + peanut butter + whole milk + olive oil this can be half a day's calories for about a dollar maybe two. Most cleanup is a mixing cup.

- Peanut butter bars "Nutty Bars" (frozen they are great) These are super filling and you can add them to any meal or snack, they are cheap in bulk (.25 each / 250 cals)

- Meal cups These are normally noodle cups but they have many variations. Cheap and filling. Add frozen shrimp (cooked) or diced ham. $1-3 per meal. Add hot water.

- Tuna packets Bunch of flavors pre-made or can + crackers (your choice) + mayo/sriracha

- Cereal (your choice) + plain yogurt + protein powder You can save money buying bulk. Filling and cheap.

- Noodles (your choice) + Kraft Italian dressing It's one pot, but it will last all week and you can add different proteins (ham/turkey/chicken from deli counter) as you like or just have it alone.

- Kids meals Anything for kids is usually easy to make and clean up. Nuggets, PB&J, Mac/Z, Pizza-ish items. Go crazy. Can be costly, but there's bargains like pizza rolls which can be bought in bulk.

- Cashews & other nuts. This may seem like a luxury item, but it's easy to add to other meals for protein or flavor.

- Gatorade powder (the kind you mix up yourself) This is unhealthy, obviously. But it's a cheap drink and has lots of calories. This is a luxury item. Drink a lot of water too that's filling and free.

- Metamucil It's filling and all this other stuff is really bad so have some fiber. It will help.

- Eating out The 'dollar' menu at fast food places is actually very cost effective calorie intake. McDonald's is actually pretty decent at this price point. Lunch $3

- Ramen If you don't get the cup kind, you can doctor it up with egg, meats, etc...There's tons of recipes one pot clean up worst case. Base setup maybe 300 calories for a quarter. All in, maybe $1-2 per meal

Without cooking beyond a microwave, it's possible to eat 2000+ calories a day for about $3-$4. Be smart and add some veggies (even veggie chips or V8 drink).

It's not strictly answering your question, but there's a middle ground between "cooking for 2 hours and having to clean up a devastated kitchen" and "eating out for every meal."

I have trouble getting the motivation to cook food for myself, so what has helped me:

* Try dishes that only require assembly. I am a big fan of these as a lot of them are also hydrating and enjoyable in hot weather. My go-tos are turkish cacık, chinese smashed cucumber salad, caprese salad, cold cut sandwiches.

* Have a good dishwasher, and only buy dishwasher-safe dishware.

* Buy more premade dishes. Salads, soups, etc.

* Premade bread has the lowest prep requirements of any starch, so rely on it if you need that (though rice and pasta are hard to beat on price).

* Buy more freezer food. You can store it for months and most of it IMO is still quite good. Favorites here include dumplings, premade meat like pulled pork, berries, veggies.

* If you do have to clean, don't be super anal about it. A little bit of leftover oil on a pan won't kill you and you're going to heat it up anyway. If you are already spending $2700 a month on food, you can afford to cycle out cookware earlier if it gets too beaten up.

* Still let yourself eat out regularly, especially if it's at cheaper places.

I live in a way where I spend almost nothing, even on food, because I like to limit my footprint and waste, so I mostly eat raw vegetables at low price (some groceries do that for damaged or very ripe fruits) or free (at the end of markets, I give a quick help to merchants in exchange of vegetables (I got much greens, peppers, avocadoes, anything basically), or I also forage fruits (particularly figs & persimmons), also rice to fill the gaps, sometimes I buy fish at a local fishermonger

I live in south-east of France, where the cost of living is probably similar to your place, and earn around 4000€ net/mo, fully-remote work, my total expenses are easily less than 200€/mo (no car, and very few possessions, most important ones are my laptop + phone for tethering internet and my bike), I can save up money for a house one day

There are tons of premade, microwaveable foods at any US grocery store. I like frozen burritos, for example. Some are quite tasty, some quite healthy. Optimize to your preferences. Cooking/cleaning effort is similar to delivery. Price is maybe 30% (that's a guess)

Delivery services add so much cost that I never use them. With trivial effort, I can stop on the way home, and pick up from a restaurant on the way, for half the price, and fewer mistakes.

Consider long term health cost. Are you eating from healthy restaurants? The consequences of a bad diet dwarf all the other costs, which is why learning to meal prep efficiently is probably the best option, long term.

SE Asia is pretty good at providing affordable food options. It's cheaper to eat a hawker center (like a food court in the west...kinda) than to cook for yourself, particularly if you're using western brands or ingredients. I can get a lunch at a hawker ranging anywhere from $3 to $9 Singapore dollars. Tack another $1-2 SGD for a drink.

I think there's still room to lower food costs in the west if you're willing to give up your storefront, as well as potentially find ways to automate your business and cooking processes. The "cloud kitchen" concept is a very interesting one imo.

Almost without cooking or cleaning.

https://www.rogerebert.com/roger-ebert/the-pot-and-how-to-us...

- do cereal or bagel for breakfast (or something easy like that with essentially no cleanup) : ~$3

- go to a deli for lunch. No drink, no junk. Buy whatever drinks and snacks you want and keep them at home. It's really easy to double your lunch cost with drink, fries, side, dessert, etc. : ~$15 If you do this at home with Deli meat $5, and still very little effort or cleanup

- Do whatever you feel like for dinner $~35

This can be done for half of what you are spending anywhere in the world. I've done it in Tokyo, Switzerland, whatever. My daily food costs were closer to $1500 / month.

If you don't want to put any effort into your meals then $90 per day is not so high. It's not cheap but it's not out in crazy land. What's funny is that the net cost of food is a small part of the cost. The people part of the equation is the largest part of the $90. You can probably lower your over all cost by hiring someone to prep the meals for you. You may be able to hire someone to shop and cook for you 2 to 3 times a week.

Someone commented protein shakes, and that's what I do twice a day.

Whey isolate + Greek yogurt + mixed frozen berries + oats. Add in avocado oil for calories.

Get one of those NutriBullets for easiest cleaning.

Of course you still may have to chew something for dental integrity... I chewer gum and had one solid meal in between.

Edit: ah yeah someone mentioned Chipotle. Great idea. I'm too cheap for that but if you're spending $90 a day right now, it's a huge improvement.

Affordable eating without cooking?

Maybe you are missing the assumption of a healthy meal?

If not, fast food is probably enough. MacDonald’s?

Probably you don’t want the dollar menu everyday.

In Europe we have grocery delivery and healthy salads and fresh meals in the supermarket. Some require micro waving, other an oven. So if you do the bare minimum in cooking (ie pop it in the oven/microwave) you can have a meal for somewhere between 5-10 euro's. They are off course not perfectly healthy, just like restaurant food they are heavy on salt.

not answering the question, but comparing with my own situation:

I cook all my meals during the week, and clean up afterwards. On average I'm maybe spending $270 / month for groceries and maybe another $100 - $150 / month for a few cheap meals out each weekend. I spend 1 hour or less per day cooking and cleaning -- when I cook something on the stove in the evening it's usually a stir fry where I can go from raw ingredients to eating something in about 20 minutes. I spend 4 hours a week grocery shopping, but that's mainly because I use it as an excuse to get some exercise walking to the grocery store - that habit is a relic of two years of coronavirus lockdown.

Compared to spending $2700 / month on food, lets round up and say I spend $450 and 50 hours of my time each month. Compared to that $2700 / month figure, my 50 hours of shopping, cooking and cleaning work each month effectively pays me around $45 / hour tax free. It'd be closer to $75 / hour tax free ignoring the time spent walking to the grocery store and back again which provides light exercise.

I don't love cooking but I find cooking more intrinsically enjoyable than many aspects of my real job -- while cooking I have complete autonomy over the work and working conditions, produce something that gets used and that I can see the value in.

Another way to think about things is "how much cash would i need to invest in equities to generate income to cover my annual food expense?". For $2700 / month and 4% real return you'd need to invest about $810k in equities to generate a return to cover outsourced meal expenses. For my expenses I need to save about $135k in equities for the return to cover grocery spend and a few outsourced meals. Then the next step is maybe "how many years of my life do I need to work to accumulate a portfolio that large". If one really despises cooking and finds one's day job reasonably tolerable, maybe that's a fair trade!

I use Thrive ready made fresh meals (thrivemeals.com.au), I get one for lunch and one for dinner for 6 days a week delivered weekly.

It costs me about $13AUD / meal - so I could live off $26 a day, but I general have a banana / apple (70c) and a small handful of nuts (maybe $1-$2).

So for 6 out of 7 days of the week it costs me about $174/AUD.

I minimize these costs using microwave cooking. I cook my food with a MicroPro Grill. It takes very little time to make foods like chicken, eggs, roasts, cakes, casseroles, etc, and the surface is nonstick so you can clean up easily.

simple solution:

open face canned seafood cheddar melt sandwich seasoned with a dab of mayo and tomato sauce cooked in the microwave.

theres basically no cooking or cleaning involved and you can save on bread and cheddar by going off brand.

it easily works as a 3 meal a day solution, and if you want to get fancy, toast the bread first.

if you really need to, you could even strip the ingredients back even more and use strictly the cheapest stuff.

enough canned seafood for a 2 slice full meal is $1 at most general stores, and even just use american cheese or what have you if cheddar is too $$.

you can even make it without mayo and tomato sauce, if you dont even want to buy either of those every so often.

canned seafood, cheese, bread.

available. affordable.

thank me later.

:|

So you're saying you're spending $2700/month right now but cooking & cleaning for yourself would cost you more.

Assuming you are becoming more successful over time, eventually you will be able to afford it.

Move to Vietnam. The food is healthy and insanely cheap.

I know it's not a practical option but you could live like a king over there as a digital nomad.

Chipotle, In N Out, Chick fil A, taquerias, Wendys 4 for 4 and chili. 2 meals a day would run you like $15-$20 depending on locale.

Ive been eating quite often the shake from huel.com, it's been great

Lol, you really need to learn to cook man.

Marry a chef!!!