Meal prep in general is a long-term time saver AND cost saver when compared to the accumulation of standing in takeaway lines and/or purchasing from restaurants.
However, within meal prep there are also time-saving options… although you can expect to pay a price for the added convenience.
To make things clear, let’s provide some numbers for context! Iimagine that you habitual consume the following foods on a daily basis:
200g yogurt, 100g banana, and 100g oats with your breakfast/snacks
100g chicken, 100g brown rice, and 200g sweet potatoes with your lunch/dinner
If you were to opt for the most convenient shopping and preparation option these foods could total to be $16.33 per day, which is $114.31 per week.
On the contrary, if you were to opt for the slightly less convenient preparation option these foods could total to be $4.48 per day, which is $31.36 per week.
The difference here is $82.95 per week, and given that the average Australian hourly wage is $35.47 per hour, this equates to ~2 hours and 20 minutes of work per week.
Is this worth the price for the few minutes of extra food preparation time per day? That’s up to the meal prepper’ to decide!
Also, bear in mind that this is simply the cost of these six foods alone, and does not near take into account the other food and beverage purchases someone could make on a daily/weekly basis…
So what’s it going to be? Is your time worth the extra $$$ ? Let us know where you draw the line!