Anonymous
Post 02/26/2026 09:24     Subject: Alternative to food delivery

OP - I've been where you are in terms of high demand jobs. That plus a young child is really tough. However, you said originally you wanted to save money, thus these suggestions that probably made you feel more tired.

What I ended up doing is hiring someone that did day care, housecleaning and meal prep. It. was worth my sanity. If you don't need that much help, what about a student or retired person for a few hours that afternoon to cook or pick up/errands for you?
Anonymous
Post 02/26/2026 06:39     Subject: Alternative to food delivery

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:So just for Friday nights? Ordering direct from restaurant and picking up does help.

We have tried several options but always resort to just delivery on our nights off from cooking. It's actually easier and more pleasant to find cost savings elsewhere.


Most restaurants don't have a direct way to order and divert to other sites. Where possible we do pick ups thanks


lol this is the most millennial thing ever. “I need to order the food without actually speaking to anyone and it’s impossible without the app.”
The answer is to call whatever place you want, order the food, and then go get it yourself. Saves a ton of money and they will always take your order.
Restaurant owners strongly prefer you do this. They hate handing over food knowing it will be sitting in some dank uber eats car assuming room temperature before it gets to its destination.


This. I've never understood the appeal of going through a third party and having someone else pick up your food unless you are sick or disabled.

It adds a huge amount of cost to the order and lots of potential mistakes. Consider calling the restaurant directly and / or using their online ordering system (many have this now) and having one parent go pick up the food on the way home from work. You get the same food, the restaurant makes more money directly from you, and you save money.


The appeal is time, Karen.


And convenience.


And some of us live in the city? It's a major pain in the ass to take out the car from the garage and spend god knows how long fighting Friday evening traffic across the city and scouring for parking or spending 30 bucks in Ubers each way from Dupont to Capital Hill during rush hour. I mean, you can, but not exactly a time or money saver if you value your time at all. You can pay 5 bucks in fees and a tip and not make procuring dinner your entire evening's activity .


If you live in the city, doesn't your neighborhood have local restaurants that would be easier to grab food from? I agree, I don't drive across the city unless I have to at that time of the day. I would just think having Uber bring your food on that kind of journey woild mean it arrived cold and probably late. But we never Uber Eats anymore- I'm the lady who said I will just cook and get what I want minus the fees and car smells.
Anonymous
Post 02/26/2026 00:11     Subject: Alternative to food delivery

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:OP, I know you said no meal planning, so not sure this counts. But occasionally make a big batch of chili or soup or whatever on the weekends and freeze half so you build up a stash.

I’ve got half a dozen kinds in my freezer that I can pull out on nights with no time to cook. Bonus that it’s healthy.


What’s the best way to freeze chili/meal?


I use Souper cubes for soups/stews. Once frozen, wrap in parchment then place in freezer bags.

Im still using my Rubbermaid plastic brilliance containers for meals. I line them with parchment before placing the meal within.


Thank you !
Anonymous
Post 02/26/2026 00:09     Subject: Alternative to food delivery

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:So just for Friday nights? Ordering direct from restaurant and picking up does help.

We have tried several options but always resort to just delivery on our nights off from cooking. It's actually easier and more pleasant to find cost savings elsewhere.


Most restaurants don't have a direct way to order and divert to other sites. Where possible we do pick ups thanks


lol this is the most millennial thing ever. “I need to order the food without actually speaking to anyone and it’s impossible without the app.”
The answer is to call whatever place you want, order the food, and then go get it yourself. Saves a ton of money and they will always take your order.
Restaurant owners strongly prefer you do this. They hate handing over food knowing it will be sitting in some dank uber eats car assuming room temperature before it gets to its destination.


This. I've never understood the appeal of going through a third party and having someone else pick up your food unless you are sick or disabled.

It adds a huge amount of cost to the order and lots of potential mistakes. Consider calling the restaurant directly and / or using their online ordering system (many have this now) and having one parent go pick up the food on the way home from work. You get the same food, the restaurant makes more money directly from you, and you save money.


The appeal is time, Karen.


And convenience.


And some of us live in the city? It's a major pain in the ass to take out the car from the garage and spend god knows how long fighting Friday evening traffic across the city and scouring for parking or spending 30 bucks in Ubers each way from Dupont to Capital Hill during rush hour. I mean, you can, but not exactly a time or money saver if you value your time at all. You can pay 5 bucks in fees and a tip and not make procuring dinner your entire evening's activity .
Anonymous
Post 02/25/2026 23:46     Subject: Alternative to food delivery

Soon your kid will be big enough to have fun with this.

Like Taco Fridays—just have rotisserie chicken, black or refried beans, lettuce, salsa, sour cream, cheese and cilantro in the house. Another option will be make your own pizzas: again, offer topping options. It can turn into your Friday night entertainment/party.
Anonymous
Post 02/25/2026 18:16     Subject: Alternative to food delivery

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Why does dining out and food delivery suddenly make everyone absurdly self-righteous and judgmental?


Because people have become lazy and entitled. Cook some food like humans have been doing for centuries- when life was much, much harder.


Ah yeah, so lazy to pay someone else to make food for my family while my spouse and I each bill over 2,500 a year. Why won’t we just work harder?


Oh my. You think you're bragging. LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL.

I'm sorry. That sounds like a really shitty life.


Yeah, Veronica. You're right, it really sucks! But we have some massive expenses to pay and want to get those out of the way before transitioning to lower stress jobs. For now, I have around 2 hours per day of non-work time, including showering and getting dressed. So in the meantime, we're going to continue working really hard while using Uber Eats, since Uber Eats costs a lot less than what I make per hour. I'm not wasting the precious free time I have cooking or picking up food.

No. We're not lazy. We're making a rational choice about how to spend our limited time.


I had a really crap low paying job for a couple of years. I had to work 7 days a week just to keep a roof over our heads. I was constantly driving my kids around, too. We ate A LOT of take out and pizza and other easy meals just so I could feed my kids and keep going. It meant we were constantly on the very edge of going under but there was no other choice. Just chiming in to say people do what they have to to survive in this world. Don't let anyone make you feel bad PP.
Anonymous
Post 02/25/2026 18:15     Subject: Alternative to food delivery

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Why does dining out and food delivery suddenly make everyone absurdly self-righteous and judgmental?


Because people have become lazy and entitled. Cook some food like humans have been doing for centuries- when life was much, much harder.


Ah yeah, so lazy to pay someone else to make food for my family while my spouse and I each bill over 2,500 a year. Why won’t we just work harder?


Oh my. You think you're bragging. LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL.

I'm sorry. That sounds like a really shitty life.


Doesn't sound like bragging lol.
Anonymous
Post 02/25/2026 18:11     Subject: Alternative to food delivery

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Why does dining out and food delivery suddenly make everyone absurdly self-righteous and judgmental?


Because people have become lazy and entitled. Cook some food like humans have been doing for centuries- when life was much, much harder.


Ah yeah, so lazy to pay someone else to make food for my family while my spouse and I each bill over 2,500 a year. Why won’t we just work harder?


Oh my. You think you're bragging. LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL.

I'm sorry. That sounds like a really shitty life.


Yeah, Veronica. You're right, it really sucks! But we have some massive expenses to pay and want to get those out of the way before transitioning to lower stress jobs. For now, I have around 2 hours per day of non-work time, including showering and getting dressed. So in the meantime, we're going to continue working really hard while using Uber Eats, since Uber Eats costs a lot less than what I make per hour. I'm not wasting the precious free time I have cooking or picking up food.

No. We're not lazy. We're making a rational choice about how to spend our limited time.
Anonymous
Post 02/25/2026 17:54     Subject: Alternative to food delivery

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Why does dining out and food delivery suddenly make everyone absurdly self-righteous and judgmental?


Because people have become lazy and entitled. Cook some food like humans have been doing for centuries- when life was much, much harder.

You mean when families could comfortably live on one breadwinner’s income, the majority of women didn’t work outside the home, and domestic
help was more affordable?

That was a very short time (few decades) in white peoples reality after world war 2 when the rest of the world was decimated. Before that most women worked either on the farm, raising home animals for food, taking in laundry etc etc.


The rest of the world was reduced by 10%? What are you on about now?


No, that was tips. Tips were 10% then, in the good old days. Now they're 20% PLUS the extra "service fee" etc. It's enough to make you take in laundry just to pay the tips.
Anonymous
Post 02/25/2026 16:20     Subject: Alternative to food delivery

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Why does dining out and food delivery suddenly make everyone absurdly self-righteous and judgmental?


Because people have become lazy and entitled. Cook some food like humans have been doing for centuries- when life was much, much harder.

You mean when families could comfortably live on one breadwinner’s income, the majority of women didn’t work outside the home, and domestic
help was more affordable?

That was a very short time (few decades) in white peoples reality after world war 2 when the rest of the world was decimated. Before that most women worked either on the farm, raising home animals for food, taking in laundry etc etc.


The rest of the world was reduced by 10%? What are you on about now?
Anonymous
Post 02/25/2026 16:20     Subject: Alternative to food delivery

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Why does dining out and food delivery suddenly make everyone absurdly self-righteous and judgmental?


Because people have become lazy and entitled. Cook some food like humans have been doing for centuries- when life was much, much harder.


Ah yeah, so lazy to pay someone else to make food for my family while my spouse and I each bill over 2,500 a year. Why won’t we just work harder?


Oh my. You think you're bragging. LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL.

I'm sorry. That sounds like a really shitty life.
Anonymous
Post 02/25/2026 16:18     Subject: Alternative to food delivery

Delivered meals.
Anonymous
Post 02/25/2026 16:15     Subject: Alternative to food delivery

Anonymous wrote:Folks, how did you survive before “Uber eats”?

You would pick up or get delivery directly from the restaurant.

Or cook yourself.


LOL +1 What a quandary. The businesses that reinvented carryout are so ridiculous.
Anonymous
Post 02/25/2026 13:28     Subject: Alternative to food delivery

We did Vegetable and Butcher for a while.
Anonymous
Post 02/25/2026 13:11     Subject: Alternative to food delivery

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:So just for Friday nights? Ordering direct from restaurant and picking up does help.

We have tried several options but always resort to just delivery on our nights off from cooking. It's actually easier and more pleasant to find cost savings elsewhere.


Most restaurants don't have a direct way to order and divert to other sites. Where possible we do pick ups thanks


lol this is the most millennial thing ever. “I need to order the food without actually speaking to anyone and it’s impossible without the app.”
The answer is to call whatever place you want, order the food, and then go get it yourself. Saves a ton of money and they will always take your order.
Restaurant owners strongly prefer you do this. They hate handing over food knowing it will be sitting in some dank uber eats car assuming room temperature before it gets to its destination.


This. I've never understood the appeal of going through a third party and having someone else pick up your food unless you are sick or disabled.

It adds a huge amount of cost to the order and lots of potential mistakes. Consider calling the restaurant directly and / or using their online ordering system (many have this now) and having one parent go pick up the food on the way home from work. You get the same food, the restaurant makes more money directly from you, and you save money.


The appeal is time, Karen.


And convenience.