The Financial Aspects of Cooking for Yourself

In addition to the loss of control over freshness and your own nutrition, there is a financial downside to pre-prepared foods from the supermarket.  Convenience comes with costs, some obvious and some hidden.

Let’s consider the obvious first.  You are paying for the costs of processing, packaging, distribution and—in many cases—for an expensive advertising campaign.  This is in addition to the cost of the food ingredients themselves.  There is also the possibility that the store itself has a far higher markup on brand-name processed foods than on ingredients in the produce aisle.

The hidden costs can be even worse.  If the price seems cheap compared to purchasing the ingredients yourself, this may be due to lower-quality ingredients than you would knowingly choose for yourself and your family.  Of even more concern is the fact that the long time between production and consumption usually requires the addition of chemical preservatives to prolong shelf life.  Finally, taste may be augmented by the addition of fat, salt, and/or sugar in large amounts.  Your body pays these hidden costs, sometimes even more than your pocketbook

Do you really want to go on paying with your money and your body?

Steve Smith