[dpatru]

1. You may be overestimating the time you save. Eating out may take more time than cooking and cleaning up when you factor in travel and waiting. A bowl of cereal, hot or cold, takes less than a minute to prepare and maybe a minute to clean up. Our family eats oatmeal most every morning. We use an instant pot: one cup of dried oats, two cups of water, put the lid on and press the porridge button. The instant pot beeps when it’s done. Washing up takes seconds with a brush and soapy water. It’s hard to imagine that eating out would be faster.

My brother makes big, hearty salads by mixing vegetables with canned corn and beans. Prep time and cleanup take less than 10 minutes.

Rice is very fast to prepare in a rice cooker. A topping of beans can come from a can.

Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are very quick to prepare.

There are many cold foods that are quick to make. Hot foods can also be fast especially if you use heaters that automatically turn themselves off so that they don’t have to be tended, e.g., rice cooker, instant pot, microwave, toaster.

2. Cooking yourself is probably far healthier that eating out. Your health is worth something.

3. The discipline and initiative it takes to plan and prepare meals yourself will likely help you in other areas of life, similar to making your bed, keeping a clean and tidy house, good grooming, regular exercise.