What is the point of fast food anymore

[email protected]

Yeah, but the coke isn't car friendly, probably because you end up with white powder everywhere.

Porto881

Sorry, I'm more of a Michael Richards type myself

𝕾𝖕𝖎𝖈𝖞 𝕿𝖚𝖓𝖆

I'm a spreadsheet nerd. Not a guru by any stretch, but I love to make spreadsheets. They help me plan and organize things in a way nothing else does. Despite all the websites and apps out there that make budgeting simple, I do ALL of my budgeting and spend tracking in an odt file. I've built a whole custom spreadsheet for doing all of my budgeting.

I think what's really helping me stay on top of it this year is the fact that in December, I spent about a week planning the year in painstaking detail. I built a whole paycheck estimation tool that automatically calculates tax withholding. I cross-referenced employee handbooks to determine pre-tax withholdings like retirement and insurance. I found the 2025 tax brackets and standard deduction. I understand now how our taxes are withheld for the state side. I actually determined my wife is taking out way too little for tax. January is an awesome time to make that catch. By the time I was done, I determined four paycheck numbers we might experience in the year based on various circumstances. I planned out how much I think each of our 26 paychecks will be, when they will occur, and how we will spend them with a high degree of confidence. I gave us a set amount of fun money each time. Most importantly, I found a way for us to make regular deposits into our savings account. I have a plan in place to save $2,000 and pay off a couple of credit cards this year. It ain't much, but it'll be a start. And if something goes wrong, having some money stashed away will be a huge help.

So far, I've squirrelled away 300 bucks. I feel really good about that.

[email protected]

In-n-out is mid and their fries are like cardboard.

[email protected]

Meat is actually the easiest one because you can just freeze it like you said.

But for example, the recipe I tried called for...

Jasmine rice - could only find it in a whopping 5 lb bag which was ridiculous for a solo person who rarely ears rice. I know rice keeps, but since I don't at all like to cook, it was very excessive. Even if I were to have made a larger quantity of the meal or make it multiple times, I still would have an insane amount left over.

A clove of fresh garlic - I know you can get powdered garlic or garlic in a jar, but people seem to say that it doesn't at all work the same, so I wanted to try it the way the recipe wanted you to. So I had a shitton of cut up garlic left over. Can you even freeze that?

A portion of whole fresh ginger - again same issue as the above problem I had with fresh garlic. Only this one was even worse because ginger rarely present in any of the foods I eat

Yes, I get that you can do some complex puzzles and math to figure out how to use all of these ingredients in different meals without wasting the excess, but that is absolutely NOT for me. That's a whole additional ordeal and one of the many reasons I hate cooking. I don't want to have to perform an elaborate game of ingredient to avoid significant food waste when I'm grocery shopping.

[email protected]

That's an impressive level of financial responsibility, nice job

[email protected]

I switched to mostly cooking for myself sometime last year, really just trying to save money, but I feel significantly less fatigued day to day and more focused and don't wake up with random stomach pain anymore.

[email protected]

It's actually because most rear view mirrors aren't detachable.

[email protected]

Around these parts we have a couple of more affordable options but most of the big fast food chains have become $10+ meal bullshits. If the meal is over $10 I might as well go pay the same in a non-fast-food restaurant with a pick up order. But Jack's (burger/chicken store) and Taco Bell still have meal deals for $7 or less.

Fountain drinks are a big ripoff, so you can save a bit by not ordering a drink if you have your own already.

Instead of a burger meal for $11 from bullshit fast food places I can buy a large entree of Mexican food for $8 to $9 before tax from a real restaurant. Chinese restaurants locally are similarly priced. I can get Mexican or Chinese takeout to feed the whole family for under $50

[email protected]

No, it's still possible to get that for under $50 in my part of the US

[email protected]

Bump up your employer's withholding by 5%
Get that overpayment back from the IRS
Immediately dump that into a retirement thing that reduces taxable income; like, same-day
Next year you have another 5% windfall and a little more back from the retirement contribution. Put both back into same deal
Repeat forever
Slow win

FlashMobOfOne

Oh yeah.

It's become prohibitively expensive, so I only have it occasionally. My parents made the unfortunate choice to raise me on McDonald's, so unfortunately, I happen to like it a fair bit. For me it's just a treat, or if I mess up cooking my dinner I might order some to replace that, but it's pretty rare as I can cook up some delicious chicken and veggies, or if I really want fries/tots, pop some in the air fryer, and it's infinitely cheaper and just as good as ordering fast food. (And healthier.)

Then there's the calories. That alone is enough reason for me to only have it occasionally.

[email protected]

In my industry, there's a saying along the lines of "Good, fast, cheap. Pick two."

I think the fast food industry version is "Good, fast, cheap? No, no. And believe it or not, also no."

I don't eat fast food very often, so this is entirely anecdotal. Of the fast food chains I've eaten at in recent history, Taco Bell is by far the worst. Against my better judgment, I even broke down and gave them a second chance at a different location thinking maybe my first terrible experience was a fluke. Didn't work out. Makes me think it's bad everywhere. Wendy's has held up the best of the places I've eaten. It's definitely not cheap anymore, fast depends on the location as well as other factors, and good is relative, but overall it hasn't gone down hill as bad as the others.

[email protected]

Fast food is insanely declasse. Stop eating it ffs.

jawa21

Panda Express is actually awesome for this. $10 for huge plates of food with 2 entrees.

[email protected]

taco bell definitely has one of the widest ranges in quality. one near my house is fucking awful and never gets the substitutions right, but the one 20 minutes away is great

Flamekebab

I'm well aware that there are many different ways to format numbers and currencies - that's why I asked specifically about those that use the dollar sign.

Flamekebab

Hah, that makes sense.

[email protected]

It’s been a long time since fast food was any good. It’s addictive, maybe comfortable, but definitely not good. Break your addiction, especially now that you could save so much money

[email protected]

Name better fast food at a comparative price.