Thinking about takeout tonight? You might want to think again, as new research reveals Americans spend an incredible $70,000 on takeout and delivery in their lifetimes.
A study into the eating habits and diets of 2,000 Americans calculated how much respondents’ typically spend on ordering out – with as many as 82 per cent doing so at least once every two weeks.
Just four per cent of respondents said they never get takeout, but those who do spend nearly $100 on food delivery in a typical month – $1,175 on takeout meals every year.
Say what? Americans spend $70,000 on takeout and delivery in their lifetimes, according to a new study commissioned by Home Chef
When projected across the typical 60-year adult lifespan (18 to 78) that equates to an incredible $70,500 dished out in the name of takeout.
The research, commissioned by Home Chef, found that 47 per cent of respondents feel they spend too much money on takeout and more than half are often hit by guilt after doing so.
Unsurprisingly, greasy foods such as pizza, French fries, and cheeseburgers are the most common take-out options, and people often experience a sap in energy thanks to the inevitable post-take out ‘slump’ that six in ten Americans say they get regularly after eating takeout.
So what prompts so many deliveries? The top reasons for reluctantly ordering takeout are cravings, being too lazy, and not having time to cook.
It all adds up: People surveyed spend about $100 on food delivery in a typical month
‘It’s interesting to see that a lot of people rely on takeout to form a big part of their diet and that this often comes down to a lack of time to cook or faith in their culinary ability,’ said Rich DeNardis, a spokesperson from Home Chef.
‘Alongside the financial cost of ordering large amounts of takeout, many reported feeling a negative effect in terms of the guilt they feel and subsequent energy saps.
‘Exploring ways of making home cooking easier and less time-consuming is important in people eating the way they’d ideally like to be able to.’
Although many Americans rely on take-out, three quarters do still prefer home cooked meals to the faster options.
Can’t do it: Four in ten people surveyed insisted they barely have any time to prepare home-cooked meals
But it’s not always easy to bring it all together – more than half of those polled said they have groceries expire to the point they can’t use them every month, while 17 per cent claim they throw stuff out every week.
Even when the ingredients aren’t expired, time is a big factor and 44 per cent of respondents say they find themselves having little to no time to prepare a meal.
Four in ten people report they have little to no time to prepare a home-cooked meal from scratch, as nearly 60 per cent of survey respondents say they spend over an hour to make their meals on their own.
In fact, the average person spends a labor-intensive 92 minutes creating a home-cooked meal from scratch.
Guilty pleasures: Pizza, French fries, and cheeseburgers top the list of most popular takeout foods people like to order
Millennials are more likely to struggle to find time to cook. Over a third of young Americans say they reluctantly order takeout because they don’t have time to cook.
A quarter of respondents aged 18 to 24 feel like ordering delivery and/or takeout has prevented them from enhancing their cooking abilities, and they aren’t the only ones struggling in the kitchen.
Nearly a fifth of the Americans surveyed feel their cooking skills have actually declined due to the volume of takeout they order.
But there is hope as four in ten people admit they would be more encouraged to cook at home if there were better offers on groceries, while 29 per cent say easy to follow recipes would help them spend more time in the kitchen.
‘Meal kits, like Home Chef, make it easy for people to select, cook and enjoy home-cooked meals,’ the spokesperson for the company said. ‘It’s the convenience of ordering food, with the satisfaction of cooking your own dinners.’