The [grocery / food bill] is Too Damn High! Bulk Beef,where are you?!?

[GodisanAtheist]

Don't try to tell me what I can or can't eat or cook with. 🖕 What part of - I like this particular plant based ground beef substitute is confusing you? I listed some dishes I use it in. How the fuck do actual plants work in those? That's right, they work really poorly. No other plant or plant based product works as well for my or my family's tastes.

It's dopey how you assholes around here go after meat substitutes. Yet you'll have 10 pages about your favorite doritos or some shit. Or long running reviews of fast food. It's fucking bizarre.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

View attachment 87678

 

[Torn Mind]

Don't confuse OCD and hyperfixation.

Don't confuse application what was learned in school to other subjects to any sort of mental disorder. If I am nerdy and wordy...there's a bit of a genetic component to that....

It's nothing more than identifying variables and understand what they are.

 

[dank69]

I creamed the shortening but I wasn't so hungry after that.

Weird. Creaming just makes me hungrier.

 

[Iron Woode]

I hate cooking, and I'm not good at it, and I just never really know what to make. Reading a recipe book is like Chinese to me, I end up having to research almost every ingredient just so I know what it is. Or I can just pickup the phone and order pizza.

So I'm fairly guilty of eating lots of take out and prepared meals, and it's probably not good for me. I need to really do something about it but it requires a lot of work and research. Even gadgets like instant pot etc you still need to actually do a lot of prep work and follow recipes etc and it's just a lot of work all for something that takes 15 minutes to eat. It just feels like wasted effort that I could be using towards doing something else instead.

I was actually looking at Factor since it looks kind of intriguing but it's kind of expensive for what is basically a TV dinner. Although if you go with the biggest package it's cheaper per meal, I can't see why these can't be frozen but I'd have to check with them as it would be an option to get the subscription for a few months at a time and put what I don't eat in the freezer, then pause it when I have too many. Ideally these type of services are probably better to do in winter when it's cold out so the food stays fresh longer while it's being delivered and sitting overnight in warehouses or trucks etc.

cooking meals for one is pretty easy. There are a couple threads in OT like mine about meals during the covid crisis and the instapot thread that have loads of easy recipes to make.

make enough for several days, freeze some for later on, etc...

 

[nakedfrog]

Don't confuse application what was learned in school to other subjects to any sort of mental disorder. If I am nerdy and wordy...there's a bit of a genetic component to that....

It's nothing more than identifying variables and understand what they are.

Is hyperfixation a mental disorder?

 

[dave_the_nerd]

As long as I've been alive, stuff never gets cheaper.

 

[nakedfrog]

As long as I've been alive, stuff never gets cheaper.

TVs did 😋
Paid $550 in 2000 for a 27" Sony Wega CRT.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

TVs did 😋
Paid $550 in 2000 for a 27" Sony Wega CRT.

That was a high-end TV at the time. You could get a $150 13" TV/VCR combo back then too.

 

[nakedfrog]

That was a high-end TV at the time. You could get a $150 13" TV/VCR combo back then too.

And what does $150 or $550 get you in a TV now? Looks like a 43" 4K smart TV on Best Buy for $150, or a 70" 4K smart TV for $550.

 

[MrSquished]

I want to propose single payer healthcare, but if you use the phrase 'soy boy' unironically more than 3 times and think eating meat is manly, you don't get covered for high cholesterol or heart issues. You waive your rights lolol

If you can read, you can cook. But start with simple recipes - there are tons out there. NYTimes Cooking is good, if you have a subscription, or just find something online. You can even wing-it with sauteed vegetables of nearly any variety (and a protein) with a little salt and pepper, then toss them on a little bit of pasta or rice with [name a sauce] for a simple meal. Tastes great, easy to make, and very healthy

second the NYT Cooking app. I upgraded from the regular news to the everything digital package on a promo, and that came with NYT Cooking and the app. It's phenomenal. That app is great too. there are some good free apps too and sites. seriouseats!

Yeah, I think it's a cop-out for someone in a technical role like he is to say "I can't follow recipes". You can't read and follow simple directions? Mr. Self-sufficiency over here gonna live off-grid and raise his own food and still not be able to cook for himself...

I'm telling you, gotta put his off-grid experiment on youtube. The guy finally went to clear a tree or two, out of a shit ton, and hurt himself already. on Job #1. And he can't cook shit! The guy is going to be living off canned food and frozen tv dinners for awhile and then try to order a pizza, and delivery is gonna cost $200 lolol I need to see this shit unfold on the Youtubie!



Tonights dinner. Quick and pretty easy. Vegetable dish, but since it's asian, those are usually also vegan. Have no interest in being vegan, but this is going to be a good healthy dinner. These ingredients will turn into something delicious in 30 min. I used all my mushrooms the other night and forgot to grab some on my dog walk, or they'd be in there too.

 

[[DHT]Osiris]

And what does $150 or $550 get you in a TV now? Looks like a 43" 4K smart TV on Best Buy for $150, or a 70" 4K smart TV for $550.

Exactly, you can get a 43" 4k smart TV for like 4 days worth of groceries. That's insane.

 

[Red Squirrel]

But just look at the wall of text above...that's why people don't want to get into cooking, because it seems like such a big hassle! If you have the energy to do it, it's not a problem, but if you're even a little bit too tired on a regular basis, it just feels like a draining chore to have to think about, plan for, shop for, cook for, and clean for, as opposed to just hitting up the drive-thru, eating consistently tasty food, and throwing the trash away when done. That's the cost tradeoff...money, time, and effort!

That's 100% me. I really really need to force myself to just do it, but I just don't have the will power or energy so keep putting off. There is literally anything else I rather do during the day when I'm off. There are a few recipes I do once in a while and prep and freeze but I'd say I cook like 5% of my meals.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

And what does $150 or $550 get you in a TV now? Looks like a 43" 4K smart TV on Best Buy for $150, or a 70" 4K smart TV for $550.

Those didn't exist in 2000. The fact that they cost a certain amount of money, and are, relatively speaking and after adjusting for inflation, cheaper than the products they supplanted, doesn't disprove the assertion.

And, to be fair, between shrinkflation, GMOs, new varieties of certain crops, and fun food chemistry, the groceries we buy today aren't, strictly speaking, an "apples to apples" comparison either. ;-)

 

[VirtualLarry]

And, to be fair, between shrinkflation, GMOs, new varieties of certain crops, and fun food chemistry, the groceries we buy today aren't, strictly speaking, an "apples to apples" comparison either. ;-)

 

[WelshBloke]

I can't take anyone seriously who complains about the price of groceries and just "doesn't want to deal with leftovers". Especially if they're complaining about it taking too long to cook meals. How is it difficult to take food you didn't eat, put it into a storage container, refrigerate it, and then heat it up later?

Who the hell doesn't like leftovers?!
If I get the munchies at 3am and stick my head in the fridge and there's a bowl of leftover chilli, some corn tortillas and some cheddar it's like a gift from the gods!

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Not a punny guy, Larry?

 

[VirtualLarry]

Not a punny guy, Larry?

Knot With Fuud.

 

[MrSquished]

Who the hell doesn't like leftovers?!
If I get the munchies at 3am and stick my head in the fridge and there's a bowl of leftover chilli, some corn tortillas and some cheddar it's like a gift from the gods!

Those edibles be making you munchy hungry!

 

[allisolm]

Those didn't exist in 2000. The fact that they cost a certain amount of money, and are, relatively speaking and after adjusting for inflation, cheaper than the products they supplanted, doesn't disprove the assertion.

A more apples to apples situation might be I bought a Vizio 60" semi-smart (compared with smart functions of today's tvs) HDTV in 2012 on Black Friday for $688 and was thrilled with the low price. Did not see better price for a long time. Amazon's pre-black friday price was $949. Today a 65" Vizio 4K UHD smart tv goes for $398 and a 55" for $314. BIG drop.

 

[Brainonska511]

A more apples to apples situation might be I bought a Vizio 60" semi-smart (compared with smart functions of today's tvs) HDTV in 2012 on Black Friday for $688 and was thrilled with the low price. Did not see better price for a long time. Amazon's pre-black friday price was $949. Today a 65" Vizio 4K UHD smart tv goes for $398 and a 55" for $314. BIG drop.

Objectively, electronics and other consumer goods have gotten substantially cheaper. I would guess that this could also play a big role in why so many things don't get repaired anymore - the prices of new items has fallen so much that the labor to diagnose and repair is more expensive than just getting something new.

 

[GodisanAtheist]

Yeah, inflation isn't some universal constant, different things experience different levels of inflation and things like consumer electronics, which really lend themselves well to mass production, rapid tech development, and shipping from overseas, have generally been an extreme deflationary market.

The general, averaged, CPI style inflation is an important indicator, but not the be-all-end-all to the inflation discussion.

 

[Red Squirrel]

The thing with consumer electronics is that you don't NEED them, so if they charge too much, people just won't buy them. But they can charge what they want for utilities, food, property tax etc because people need to pay it no matter what.

 

[Torn Mind]

Yeah, inflation isn't some universal constant, different things experience different levels of inflation and things like consumer electronics, which really lend themselves well to mass production, rapid tech development, and shipping from overseas, have generally been an extreme deflationary market.

The general, averaged, CPI style inflation is an important indicator, but not the be-all-end-all to the inflation discussion.

Economic productivity can counterbalance inflationary pressures on the variable that is price.

Employing productivity principles on food...can lead to some rather questionable-at-best results due to such practices. Also, the "most efficient" things have been jacked up in price, like conventional ground beef.

 

[Torn Mind]

Is hyperfixation a mental disorder?

My actual problem is procrastination and sloth.

I don't do shit unless inflamed into action.