Unless you have a Blue Apron subscription, the idea of having regular, home-cooked meals is probably more nostalgic than realistic. It’s tough to get motivated to pack a lunch every day when you work across the street from Panera. But you may be surprised to learn just how much you’re spending on meals out, and how that’s influencing your health.
From June 2014 to July 2015, the average American household spent about $6,887 on food, according to household data from the United States Department of Labor Consumer Expenditure Survey. Of that amount, they spent about $3,983 on food for eating-in and another $2,904 on dining out at restaurants and takeout joints. That means the typical household is spending a whopping 42% of its food budget in restaurants.
Now compare that to stats from the 1972-1973 Consumer Expenditure Survey, when Americans were spending a total of $1,154 a year on food, but only $422 (or 37%) eating out.
I -Word Understanding
Blue Apron – a company that delivers recipe cards with ingredients ready to cook
Panera – chain of bakery-café fast casual restaurants
Whopping – very large
II – Have Your Say
1.How often do you dine out? Do you have any favorite restaurants?
2.Why do you think Americans love dining out and takeouts?
3.According to the study, where we eat matters the most. Let’s compare home cooking vs. eating out:
– Cost
– Time
– Ambiance / atmosphere
– Nutrition
– Effect on health
548 Americans Spend Half Of Their Food Budgets At Restaurants
