Is fast food killing your budget?

 Is Fast Food Killing Your Budget?

 

I recently asked on my Facebook page for suggestions as to what topics I should write about on this blog. In doing so, I received a topic request in regards to money spent on fast food. This person said that she found that her family most struggled in terms of sticking to a budget especially when it came to fast food.

 Convenience seems to play a huge factor in my opinion, as to why many people resort to fast food. Fast food is convenient, especially for busy families, young couples, and those who are constantly on the go. That being said fast food is a huge waste of money, unhealthy, and can destroy ones budget especially if purchased on a weekly basis.

In a few youtube videos I have mentioned that my husband and I rarely eat out and I mean rarely. We probably eat out at most a couple times a year. This generally occurs if one of our families comes to visit, we visit them, or someone takes us out to eat. Now the thing is when I say we do not eat out, that means fast food and sit down restaurants. Fast food however occurs extremely less then sit down resturants and for a few reasons which I will go over. 

Reason #1: Gluten Intolerance.... 

Ever since going gluten free eating at fast food restaurants has become extremely difficult. In college I used to eat McDonalds probably once a day, mainly late at night (I loved their milkshakes and fries) However, once going gluten free I could no longer do this. In most cases 90% of the food sold at fast food places contain gluten. So unless I want a milkshake, a salad or baked potato my options are extremely limited. Most fast food places the fries are not even safe due to cross contamination or even may contain wheat. This is the #1 reason why I stopped eating at fast food and when I stopped hubby stopped as well.

Reason #2: Health...

 I am not going to pretend that I am the healthiest eater because quite frankly I'm not and I have a long way to go in terms of my diet and how I eat. However, I do know that fast food is unhealthy and can lead to some serious health problems if consumed on a regular basis. Aside from weight gain, acne, and a possible increase risk for clogged arteries and heart problems, eating fast food can simply make you feel terrible. Go ahead, don't believe me...try eating a double cheeseburger, fries, and a milkshake every day for a week. You are not going to feel well and sadly many people do eat like that every day, or at least a couple times a week. Everyone knows fast food is bad for you but we still consume it. I honestly am glad that I stopped eating fast food though. Ever watch the video where they show what a year old McDonalds cheeseburger and fries look like? It looks exactly the same! After watching those videos and doing some research on my own I was literally disgusted by what I had been putting in my body. Why would I want to consume something that did not change or even grow moldy after a year of being left out...that can not be healthy! Now I am not saying fast food every now and then is a bad thing and by all means continue to eat it, but do so with caution and for your body's sake make it a rare occasion, not a daily occurrence. 

Reason #3: Money... 

 I don't know about you but money does not grow on trees in my household and I do not have an infinite amount to spend on whatever I want. Money is valuable, you work hard for your money and with the economy how it is money is something that should be budgeted and spent wisely. It is easy to pull up to a drive through and spend $5 here and $2 there and not realize how quickly those amounts can add up. If someone bought a cheeseburger, fries, and a soft drink off the dollar menu every single day for a week that would equal out to $3 and some change every day, that is $21 a week, $91 a month, and that my friends equals over $1k a year just on fast food for three things a day. I don't know about you, but for $21 I could buy 1lb of ground beef, a package of buns, a 10lb bag of potatoes, and a 12pk of soda and create my own version of "fast food" at home and I guarantee I could create more then 1 meal with those ingredients. 

Again convenience plays a factor here for most, it is so much easier to pick food up then it is to create it at home, but at what cost. In my opinion choosing fast food you are jeopardizing your health and wasting money that could be spent elsewhere. My advice if you are choosing fast food for convenience go grocery shopping buy items you can make at home that are similar to fast food items. Prep meals for the week...create burger patties and keep them in your fridge or freezer for quick meals. heck make the whole burger and freeze it and warm it up in the oven. There are plenty of "fast food" items that can be created at home that are healthier and more cost effective...and if you haven't ever made home made fries...do so NOW! I guarantee you will never want fast food fries again, nothing beats homemade fries.