In today’s society many people are busy with work, school, extracurricular activities, day-to-day tasks, and whatever challenges the day brings. Some people are home long enough to sleep, get ready for the next day, and go again. With being so busy, there are hardly ever times to slow down, relax, and spend time at home with family. Many people do not think about it, but individuals also need to eat sometime throughout the day. No matter if they go through a drive through, sit down restaurant, snack all day, or make meals at home. Whether it is pre-made and they heat it up, or they make it from scratch.

There are many reasons that individuals choose to go out to restaurants over staying home to eat. One reason could be that they don’t cook, and yes this is a true statement. There are people out there that can’t even cook pasta or make grilled cheese sandwiches without burning it. Some individuals do not have skills in cooking, so it is easier, and saves times of cleaning up a mess if they just go somewhere and pay for food to be made for them. Additionally, some may decide to eat out on occasions. Which could be birthdays, anniversaries, a certain day of the week that one decides not to cook, meeting up with friends for lunch, etc. Lastly, some people may not have the time to make meals during a busy week, so to make life easier they stop and attain some lunch from a restaurant. Instead of going to a restaurant it’s also a common option for individuals to get frozen/premade items such as Hamburger Helper, DiGiorno pizza, and Campbell’s soup that just needs to be heated up. It is still a quicker option then making food from scratch, but it also can be more cost effective than going to a restaurant.

On the other hand, there are some people that choose not to eat out at restaurants and would rather have home-cooked meals. There are various reasons why people are turned away form eating out. One reason could be that it is a healthier to make your own food. At restaurants especially fast food sell items that are full of sodium, and preservatives. However, getting ingredients and fresh, good quality food items have little if any preservatives. Another reason is that making meals is cheaper than going to a restaurant in the long run. The average cost of a meal per person at a restaurant is around $7-10 per person without drinks. Drinks can cost anything from $1.50 to almost $3. Let’s say there is a family of five who went out once a week for a dinner. If the food costed $8 per person, and drinks $1.75 per person, that would be a bill of $48.75 to feed the family.

After reviewing the benefits and downfalls of eating home-cooked meals versus going to restaurants, many people can have strong opinions on what they prefer. Everyone lives a different lifestyle, and it is ultimately their own decision on how they live their life.