7 Reasons to Order Takeout Instead of Cooking Tonight
If your life is anything like mine, you’re insanely busy and there’s never enough time in the day. Coming home from a long day of work and class feels like the end of the holiday season, where you are completely drained of energy.
All too often, I walk in the door to the happiest pup you’ve ever seen, and nothing in my head to cook for dinner. There’s always rice and some Pop-Tarts in my pantry, along with other various foods. But what can you cook with such little options?!
My fridge is typically full of orange juice and yogurt, but ew, who wants to eat that for dinner? I’m always struggling to come up with things I like, have a recipe for, and will ever feel like cooking. Every time this happens to me, I think about the people who “food prep” on Sundays. Those people are insanely disciplined. That’s not something I feel like doing, either. I get stuck in the mentality of what I’m going to do for dinner and then I just avoid it altogether.
But about an hour after getting home, I’m so hungry that I have to make a decision. Am I going to find something to cook? Or am I going to order some takeout? Here are seven reasons why choosing food delivery tonight will make your life a lot easier.
1. Enjoy the comfort of your home
The absolute worst thing is coming home to my very happy puppy and then having to leave him again. Sometimes it’s errands, sometimes it’s dinner with friends, sometimes it’s back to work. I know he hates it when I only come home for his pee breaks. When it’s nighttime, I just want to hang out with him.
Running to get takeout down the street doesn’t even make me feel guilty. And I get to come back and eat it on the couch with my absolute best friend while I watch my favorite nightly shows. It’s quick, easy, and worth it.
2. Opportunity cost
Do you have things left on your to-do list? Are you in the middle of laundry and cleaning, and reorganizing? Grabbing takeout or having food delivered is a lot faster than having to come up with something to cook. The 45 minutes you’ll spend preparing and cooking a meal for one is nothing compared to the 10 minutes it’ll take to grab some takeout.
Think about what you’re giving up in order to cook some food. Think about all the time you could have to yourself to get the things done that you need to.
Yeah, go get some takeout.
3. Easy cleanup
Just throw it out! It’s way easier to clean up after a takeout run than all those pots and pans you’ll be stuck scrubbing if you decided to cook tonight. Styrofoam and plastic utensils: easy peasy cleanup, my friend.
4. Multiple dinners
I am rarely able to finish an entire entree from a restaurant. And if you’re concerned about calorie counting and watching your weight, you should know that a typical American portion is way out of whack with what you should be eating. If you get takeout tonight, chances are you can package it up for lunch or dinner tomorrow. Look at that. Two birds. One stone.
5. It’ll taste like heaven
Most of the time, when I cook, it never comes out tasting like I want it to taste. But when I go get my favorite takeout, I can count on it being just as delicious as the time before. I never have to add extra seasoning and it’s always grilled to perfection. Getting takeout is worth it to just not have to worry about the final product after 45 minutes of hoping it tastes okay.
And then when you’re finally done cooking (after 45 minutes) and it doesn’t taste good, that’s when it stinks that you didn’t just go get takeout in the first place. Save yourself now.
6. Convenience, convenience, convenience
Call it in on your way out the door from work. Pick it up before you get home or have it delivered. Walk in the door with delicious smelling food already ready to be consumed. It’s the equivalent of marrying someone who strongly believes dinner should be on the table already when you come in every day.
7. You’ll be glad you did it
When you’re kicked back and relaxing on your couch with some of your favorite takeout, you’ll be glad you took my advice. You’ll be comfortable in your own home, with the food from the take out gods in front of you. What more could you ask for?