In the US, probably some people might think fast food is cheaper than groceries. However, though, obviously, fast food is generally bad for your health - in most cases, with the exception being Subway etc. Anyway, it could be possible to pick healthy food from various fast food places - as an attempt to dodge the unhealthy nature of things.
In my country, Malaysia, fast food is quite expensive too, so eating our own food is always the better way to either save money or good for our health. Moreover, we can always buy the cheaper vegetables and less expensive raw food, so each meal will not be too expensive. We always try to eat at home. It might not be as tasty as the food outside, as I am not a good cook, it is definitely much healthier.
Really it depends on how much you are spending on groceries. If you look for saving online and off then you will have an easy time saving a little extra money. When it comes to eating fast food, a more ideal and cheap plan would be to eat it through the week from Monday to Thursday. Then see if you can stock up on groceries for the month on Friday or Saturday and eat your own meals.
Fast food in India is quite expensive and it is a thing of fashion to eat at fast food chain stores on weekdays and holidays. I tried burger from McDonalds' once or twice at the insistence of my son and did not like it at all. It was too dry! I would much prefer to eat healthy or make burgers and pizzas at home myself using better ingredients. It costs so much lesser than when bought readymade.
It depends on the country, we have fast foods joints that are selling nutritious foods. By the way, I just want clarify your post. Is this a comparison of their cost, their accessibility, their service for we couldn't compare them based on foods. Groceries never sell hot foods. They do sell packed, ready made cook foods. As to cost, groceries have so many things to select for better prices. Fast food joints are easy to access with only limited number of people.
I am able to save money from groceries because of farmer's market, Hungry Produce and most of the meat I eat are offal. I am also homesteading so I have free sources of food. I have a slower lifestyle and I am not to busy so I don't mind waiting for food or preparing food.
There is no doubt that the source of certain fast food is creepy. Does that deter you all from eating it? Also, and I consider it a bigger concern, the source is often animal cruelty. I mean, I hate the idea of pigs and chickens being pinned up unnaturally.
Well now food can be bought on sale, so you get a bag of frozen peas at Walmart, 12 oz. for 1.08, get some a bag of spaghetti for 1.12, and a bottle of pasta sauce, for 2.89, then you'll have dinner and then some. Frozen veggies are just as good as fresh. I find prices at Walmart is very good for frozen foods. I like frozen for it keeps. Meals, can be very inexpensive when you buy on sale. Watching for sales at Safeway.com, CVS.com or other stores ads online can give you a very good meal, for less than what you'd have to pay for at fast food or other eateries you might want to visit. Home you'd have to wash the dishes, but you'll have good company with your meals.
Your right, things in the USA are bad and for the most part its 100x cheaper to go to the get fast food vs making your own food. You can go to Mcdonalds and get two McDoubles and a large Coke for $3.50. And there is no way you're going to be able to go to the grocery store and make your self 2 double cheeseburgers and a 32oz Coke for $3.50. But eating a lot of fast food is not good for you because its all processed.
The fact that the fast food will be cooking the food for you, it is definitely expensive than the raw ingredients that you buy in the grocery. I’m not a frugality guru but I would rather cook my food than buy cooked food as much as possible. I only eat in fast food outlets when my schedule disallows me to cook. But when there is time, I will exert the effort to buy ingredients in the market and cook our food. That is definitely cheaper and also healthier especially with the fresh vegetables.
In my country, cooked healthy foods are expensive in restaurants and some hotels. Grocery stores sell them cheap but the food can't be better than the one you cook at home. So it is better to cook your own food here. Cooking at home is cheaper. Fast foods are cheaper in restaurants than cooked healthy foods. I buy fast food once in while or just to spoil myself.
Over here, groceries are quite cheaper and they are preferred by the masses too than fast food. Fast food over here is mostly unhealthy and will cost more than groceries. I actually rarely buy fast food.
These days even fast food is not that cheap if we go to certain places. Lol. I mean prices drastically change place wise. So it depends on place. Surely fast foods are not good for health, but they tastes really good. Ha ha. So sometimes going for fast food is not bad, surely one should not go for it frequently.
Some people here seem to live on fast food regardless of the cost .. it is more expensive to buy and definitely not healthy to eat them on a regular basis.I will buy them as a treat if we are out or sometimes if I am tired and don't feel like cooking but I would never exist on them. I know they taste good but I am lucky in that I love fruit and veg so would rather eat them than buy fast food.
Although fast food is so much cheaper than the foods in the grocery store, I still prefer to eat foods in the grocery. Health is more important. What's the point of going cheaper for foods when you'll pay a bigger bill in the hospital for not being healthy? We should look out for our health more than anything else.
Honestly, a lot of the McDonald's food isn't so hot anyway. As @Alexandoy noted, there is a longing for fresh vegetables and often they don't provide it. I mean, even at Wendys or Burger King there is at least, more vegetables on the burger.
I love fast food, but in my country its actually pretty expensive. Considering that the fast food is not exactly healthy, I buy groceries and cook my own food most of the time, and only eat fast food occasionally. McDonalds fast food is so expensive in my country that for the price of a good meal there I might as well go eat at a decent restaurant, so i haven't actually tried any of their stuff and I don't intend to.
I think we can get groceries and prepare a meal for the same price as McDonalds. The issue is that it's a lot more hard work, to look for the cheaper ingredients, purchase them, cook, and so on. We have just became too lazy.
If you calculate cooking and cleaning time, fast food is definately cheaper than the food you buy from the grocery and make it at home. However, fast food can never be a subtitute for home made food. The fast food does not have nutrition value, it only provides calories.
I don't like to eat fast food a lot since not only does it contain a lot of chemicals they use a lot of sodium which is very unhealthy.