Is fast food really cheaper than going to the grocery store and buying food that isn't junk food?
No, that is a very common lie told among many fat logicians.
I grew up really poor, I saw my mom going to the ethnic markets or local flea market with all the flies and stretch 20 dollars for 1 week+ of food. Going to Mcdonalds was considered a TREAT.
Then again, as a recent college graduate with $100k in debt. Crockpot, cheap cuts of meat, lentils, rice, beans, potatoes, carrots, and other vegetables. Lunch meats like hotdogs or bologna were considered a TREAT. There was no room for chips, soda, ice cream, cookies, crackers, and other useless matter people put in their mouth. Parents bought me a package of bacon every now and then, I was so happy. Boy, what a time in my life.
Yes, fast food is way cheaper. Sure, a bag of vegetables don't cost that much. But people forget to mention that eating just vegetables isn't healthy. I mean, you have to cook actual meals in order to be healthy. Things like red beans and rice and jambalaya cost way more when you buy the ingredients than when you pick up a bowl from a fast food place.
Fast food is cheaper.
No, you just have to spend your money wisely.
Fast food is generally more expensive than preparing a home-cooked meal, but it's also not that straight forward.
For example, I pass by a KFC on the way home... And I often consider that buying some chicken, breadcrumbs, seasoning, fries, gravy and corn on the cob from the supermarket might end up being just as expensive as getting some food from KFC.
But if I picked up those ingredients from the grocery store, I'd be able to get better quality chicken, I'd also have enough fries to use for 2 or 3 meals, and we'd have juicier and much larger corn.
On the downside, it'll probably take me 30-40 mins to get all that food ready, whereas with fast food I just get home and tuck in.
However, if you are smart about sourcing your ingredients, it's actually entirely possible to rustle up a very tasty meal without spending much money at all.
In fact, when money is tight, I kind of enjoy the challenge of going to the store and putting together something tasty to eat for the family while operating on a budget.