At what income would you hire a weekly chef to prepare meals?
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Anonymous
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I'm getting a promotion at work, and one of the things I've learned is that I have to plan out how I'll spend at least a portion of the raise to make it worth the stress that comes with a step up. For most of my career up until last year, I just saved every raise, which served me well, but it was getting to the point where I was imbalanced between saving & enjoying - not enough enjoying. Outsourcing has made my life much better in other areas (cleaning, lawn care, vacation planning, home improvements). I'm considering spending the bulk of this raise on chef services to prepare our dinners, which also would leave leftovers for lunches.
Seems like cost would be about $1200/month above what we currently spend on groceries. Definitely spendy. But I also value having healthy balanced "home cooked" meals versus Costco prepared stuff and eating out. I've been doing some of the Plated/Hello Fresh boxes and also have done bulk meal prep in the past -- I just get so sick of the time invested in menu planning, shopping, and a whole weekend spent prepping & freezing. And I'd much rather be able to go workout after work versus spending my time cooking to get dinner ready by a reasonable hour. HHI is $240K ($150K me, $90K DH) + potential bonuses of $35K (me). Not a huge income by DCUM standards, but very comfortable for our area, which is much lower COL than DC. For reference, the "rich" suburbs near us have a median HHI of around $105K and median home prices around $400K. Everything else is in order financially and our annual living expenses are about $60K and that's with good vacations and pretty much spending however we want. No debt, our house is paid off, $80K in cash savings, retirement is more than on track plus investments outside retirement, no children/no plans for kids. It makes me a little sick to think about what that $$ spent on a chef could turn into if invested, but what's the point if you're never willing to spend it? But then I also think, if something happens to one of us or our jobs, I'll regret I don't have that money stashed away. When would you be comfortable spending an extra, unnecessary $1200/month to outsource a service that you could do yourself but are just totally sick of? |
Anonymous
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No kids, and you / your DH can't handle throwing two salmon filets and some asparagus on a sheet pan with olive oil and throw it in the oven for half an hour? Drink a glass of wine while you're waiting.
It's your money. Give someone a job, I guess. |
Anonymous
I's more the always coming up with a rotation of things to cook (salmon & asparagus wouldn't be enjoyable every night, and I prefer more flavor than just a hunk of meat and plain veg), the dishes associated with cooking every night, and the timing. I work until 5:30 or 6, and then if I want to go to a gym class at 6, I'm not home until 7 and am sweaty from the gym, want to change, etc. -- either I have to prep the pan to go into the oven ahead of time, or DH will start dinner when he gets home around 6:30, but bare minimum we aren't eating until at least 7:30, clean up isn't done until after 8. I go to bed around 9:30 and hate eating that late. And I don't drink  (Can shower while food is in the oven but it just feels like a constant rush)
So I guess your answer to the question would be... at no income level would you hire a chef? |
Anonymous
You've already made your decision. You have all the excuses down. Now you just want validation. |
Anonymous
| Forget that snarky PP. It sounds like this is something that would have value to you and you would enjoy it. You have the money and it isn't cutting into responsible savings. I wouldn't do it because I like to cook, but if you don't really like to it seems like a good time/ money trade off. |
Anonymous
| I have to think you can do it for less than that. I hear you, I'm soooo tired of being responsible for what our family eats every single night. I think it's worth looking into some sort of service (I've also done Home Chef/Plated - they save on decisions and shopping but I agree they are a lot of prep). See if Munchery is in your area (food comes ready to heat), or look into other prepared meal services. I think you can get what you want without paying that much. |
Anonymous
| If it's important to you, give it a try, if you feel you can afford it. Everyone has their area they feel it's worth spending money on services, whether it's cleaners, spa/nails/massage, personal trainer, or a cook. You don't need to look for a gourmet cook, if you really just want a nice variety of healthy, quality meals. I think the field is full of people who love to cook, have their repertoire and basic experience, and are itching to get paid to do what they love. |
Anonymous
I don't think that anyone who has kids is going to think that this schedule is so pressed that you can no longer cook dinner--it looks like you have a life of leisure to me. But, it's your money, so if you want to spend a significant chunk of your income on this, do so--just don't sit around whining about how much it's costing you. |
Anonymous
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We did it for several years.
Cost us around $900 per month for the two of us and while we don't track grocery spending, it definitely lowered it. Had four meals cooked once a week in our kitchen, everything cleaned, stored and put away. Nice part was that we could choose anything - tear out an article from a magazine, leave it on the counter and it was in the refrigerator the following week. It is a luxury, no doubt and at the time, we were around $600K I guess. |
Anonymous
| Since you don't have kids/are never having them, you hadn't have the extra expenses many people your age have (like saving for college - ugh). I say try it for a few months and see how it goes and if it feels worth it to you. |
Anonymous
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I think this would be a good investment in your health as it would steer you away from unhealthy eating -----> healthy eating.
Also it would alleviate stress in your life. And yes, we ALL have our guilty pleasures in life. Let this be yours. Enjoy. Or as the French say, "bon appetit." |
Anonymous
| I think you should try it and report back. I like to cook but also feel ready for a meal planning break. If it works for you, that's all that counts. |
Anonymous
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If it fits into your budget, then go for it. It's not how I would spend my money, but that's just me. I would cook simple meals daily and use the extra for nice meals out on weekends.
If my income doubled right now, and if kids were not a factor, the only upgrade my life would get would be more travel, longer trips, not necessarily with first class type upgrades, just to more exotic places. |
Anonymous
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You're trying to be something you're not.
You don't earn enough for a personal chef, but you really want to convince yourself that you do. Let me make another guess: you've vacationed in Davos within the last 5 years, too, haven't you? Stop. This is a silly waste of money that you need to be putting towards your future. Your HH earns enough to be somewhat comfortable, yes, what you're proposing is just another version of someone making working class wages who chooses to live in a cheap apartment so they can drive a car that is otherwise beyond their means. Not everyone can be wealthy, and it's a waste when people who aren't, try to appear as though they are. |
Anonymous
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How about trying sunbasket or blue apron or one of the almost prepped meal services. No shopping, no planning. Most dinners take 20 mins. I found sunbasket to be the best of the bunch in terms of recipes.
We have a similar hhi but spending something like 2200 month on childcare so not in our budget. |