cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/8485106
Definitely has nothing to do with sky-rocketing food prices in our capitalist hellscape.
Looking for the original link still.....
Edit, found it:
https://www.businessinsider.com/millennials-gen-z-splurge-groceries-spending-inflation-gen-z-boomers-2024-4
Another title could be "McKinsey & Company asks tone-deaf question and fails to recognize Millennial sarcasm."
Love how even the examples make no sense, Like $130 for a week and a half is what like $12 a day? Like what even is a fancy soda or drink in this example? and for a 10 or 11 day stretch $35 on protein bars is the cost of a coffee a day. Hell I wish I could feed myself for only $12 a day.
"Gen Z, meanwhile, said they often choose high-quality snacks and beverages, which makes for expensive grocery bills.
One 23-year-old Gen Zer told Business Insider by text that he spends about $130 on groceries for a week and a half. "Fancy sodas and drinks" and "random snacks at Trader Joe's" account for the bulk of the bill. He also said he spends about $35 on protein bars."
so, somebody lives with their parents and spends their cash on snacks. Makes sense.
If they don't pay for actual groceries then 12$ a day sounds like a lot for snacks.
And if they do pay for groceries $12 a day is not abnormal, $4 a meal (assuming they are having 3 a day) is not some highfalutin lifestyle.
From the article it doesn't seem like anyone failed to recognize sarcasm. It mentions how times are tough so the "splurge" target is much more mundane and low-cost.
"What do you splurge on?"
"Splurge? If I feel really wealthy, I let myself have a more expensive snack."
Seems you missed it, too.
It comes with bitter humour for sure but the whole thing isn't some sarcastic joke. And the article and surveyors understood it as what it is. Kids are poor as shit so can't splurge on almost anything. One thing people spend more than necessary are fancier snacks but that's about it.
The article is outrage baiting though which is a tactic that always works.
Ah, I see. You aren't actually arguing with me. Got it.
The author of this article would just love my friend. Total trendsetter. Last I saw her, she had this bald look going, looked sick af. But I guess it's super trendy to splurge on drugs now. How last month she spent like 90% of her paycheck on some new type of chemotherapy pills? Like whoa, bitch, leave some for the rest of us. You know? Typical Cancer.
What do I splurge on?
Food, clothing, shelter.
I, too, enjoy eating to survive. Sorry for the gluttony, everyone. Bootstraps are a little tough on my teeth. I'll try to do better.
I bet you are enjoying breathing too, you filthy hedonist.
“Younger generations spend more on groceries than on other categories”
Maybe because the price of groceries and rent has gone up so much that there’s nothing left for anything else? I thought when the price of foods starts going up, that’s when societies typically start seeing riots as people are basically at the end of their rope at that point.
Man they really tried telling us that rent or mortgage should only be 30% of your monthly income if you have a really nice place and then turned around and got confused that we are complaining that even if you make $100,000 in most cities that still puts rent near 50% of your take home paycheck.
And now food is taking up more of the rest of a paycheck. But hey we just complain to much as the younger generations I guess because there is never anything to fix. It's all perfect except for brown people or lesbians or some shit.
But the prices aren't impossible yet and people aren't starving just not eating well.
"A mckinsey report says"
Full stop. A consulting group that's responsible for price hikes, layoffs and bad faith tactics should 100% be ignored.
A consulting group that’s responsible for price hikes, layoffs and bad faith tactics should 100% be ignored.
I agree with the sentiment but have to say ignoring it is not the way to go, it should be ridiculed and used to show what should not be done.
I splurged on spring onions last week even though I knew I was only going to use half of them before they started withering and turning slimy. I know I am a typical wasteful millennial, and promise not to buy any more spring onions until next month.
Get a jar and put the spring onions bottom down and add a little bit of water every couple of days dumping any left as needed and they should last for weeks.
That or you could wrap them in paper towel and a plastic bag. I also don't cook with them often enough but make a couple dishes that really need them.
You can also chop them up and put them in an ice cube tray, cover with water and freeze. They won't be crunchy, but they're fine for cooking (if you don't cover with water they turn black and dehydrated and are gross when thawed).
Yeah they desperately need water and I think it's an easy miss when trying to store them in any way. I find the freezing route only works for soups and the like and take up space in my freezer.
But if it helps someone avoid wasting money and food a little bit more it's probably worth it.
Yea I guess I "splurge" on food that doesn't have traces of lead or other disgusting things that shouldn't be in food.
ಠ_ಠ
oh wow what a time to be alive, we are truly blessed
My grocery bill for only myself is more than what my parents rent was when they were my age
The only dystopian is business insider, yet people still feast and share the bait.
With the cost of groceries these days this is the only feasting many can afford. (And I would say there are a lot more dystopian concerns then business insider)
People, learn from your ancestors.
I know this sucks, it really does, but our cooks from 100+ years ago had figured depression era cooking in a food scarce world and it does help to add those skills and recipes to your ammo against starvation.
Every country has truly poor cuisine too so there's something for everyone. And potato flakes sold in the box should be your friend.
Mexican: try chilaquiles and enchiladas can be made with lots of different ingredients for cheap
European: Eggs tomatoes and cheese (it's polish depression dish and one of my favorites), shepherds pie, and potato cakes (can stuff them or add chicken and peppers)
Pasta: imitation crab and veggies white wine pasta. Trust me it's delicious and cheap as hell, I recommend as a splurge get raviolis to serve on.
Soups: egg drop, bean, heck a nice pumpkin stout stew can be cheap and let you use cheap beef.
Rice: I mean base staple by nature but cook it with broth or spices, fry an omelette for on top like in Japan and add garlic and carrot. Don't be afraid of pokebowl type meals of just what you have in the fridge thrown on top like shredded chicken and cabbage but try to save some budget for nice soy sauce or garlic chili oil.
I am also a huge proponent of quick risotto since it also uses lots of cheap ingredients well. Mushroom and miso is amazing.
Good luck out there, and if you struggle with cooking it's ok. We all do and we all ruin a dish eventually.
P.S. buy rotisserie chickens and use the whole thing by after cutting off the meat throw it in a pot with celery carrots and onion, salt pepper, bay leaf, cover with enough water to submerge it all and you have chicken broth for a week and meat for a couple days. My grocery store even sells the day old ones for half price in a cooler next to the fried chicken.
rotisserie chickens
These have tripled in cost in the last 5 years here. I can cook (enjoy it as well) and I think a lot of people commenting can as well. The issue is the tips you are giving don't change the base cost of ingredients. Rice and beans for example have doubled in price here, flour went from $2 to $12, Veg of any sort has at least doubled and eggs are no longer cheap. This year they are calling for a drought and I don't know if I will be able to grow as much veg in my garden.
The example in the "article" is a bit over $10 a day, that is not eating out or over spending. The only food still cheap is junk.
Yup. It's bad and you have to work with less ingredients. It doesn't change my tips just makes it harder to buy then on a whim and you really need to stretch them.
Eggs are cheap compared to other ingredients still. Even if they are not dirt cheap. I don't think I can get that much weight of protein for a similar price in anything else other than tofu. And I leave out telling people what veggies to use because honestly it's whatever is in season and cheap cause it's bad and gonna likely get worse.
They are suggestions of dishes that can be made with few ingredients for those that have to get calories and with the knowledge that unfortunately premade food is often even more outrageous. And even inflated costs comes out cheaper.
I'm aware of how much the price went up cause I have been making these dishes the whole time and what was once just general frugality has become necessary cost savings but it works.
The article is bullshit and from a stupid perspective, but also breaking down pricing from the whole dish to per person serving is very different. And you can stretch more filling foods into more servings.
Oh no. I provided thoughtful tips and recipe suggestions in a place where people are complaining about finding ways to afford dinners.
but people just want to be mad so downvote the also poor person trying to help.
Man I like Lemmy more than reddit but it's still filled with some of the most irrational emotional people.
I know people just want to feel seen and seen as hurting but walk and talk. Do 2 things at once and stop punching each other because it feels good, you'll end up alone.
Why are you replying to your own comment? Why are you upset people want a discourse anyway? I doubt not thanking you for your pandering tone deaf comments would be considered the actions of "irrational emotional people".
Because no one else was replying. There isn't discourse if people just down vote and walk away because they don't like how a comment makes them feel.
I am trying to offer good faith suggestions for cheap meals to those that might end up here and aren't you, and don't brag about how well they cook. You say tone deaf but it's deaf on your ears as you already feel you know things that others may not.
Sonder. Everyone is having a different experience than you even if we share reality. Help where you can and don't be a dick to others. That's the best we can hope for.
Also "pandering tone deaf comment" kinda implies you are being emotional, which is fine, people are but it does nothing to prove your point that you aren't.
Oh odd, there was like 3 replies here.
Also “pandering tone deaf comment” kinda implies you are being emotional, which is fine, people are but it does nothing to prove your point that you aren’t.
Sorry this slipped past but the crux of this is that the article is blaming people for spending money on food, I will make no illusions to how that makes people feel. You giving "advice" on how to eat for less is pandering on almost the same level as the "article". I am sick of people telling me and others to just "get gud" at life, when we did not ask and are doing as well as we can.
And imitation crab meat? Really I can't afford butter and you expect me to spend a whole days budget on pressed minced fish?
And imitation crab meat? Really I can't afford butter and you expect me to spend a whole days budget on pressed minced fish?
Just saw your edit. Woah what???? Sorry the pack I buy is the expensive stuff and it's still on like 2 bucks. The like stringed tofu soaked in fish juice you buy in the freezer section?
Damn if that is expensive where you live you absolutely have problems with cost.
But again not meant to be pandering just meant to be suggestions for things I make that are tastier than hotdogs and Mac and cheese for close to the same price even.
If you are absolutely poor and can't afford shit finding a nice recipe that you can make for still cheap feels like heaven. I think I have just been poor longer than you.
I am sick of people telling me and others to just "get gud" at life, when we did not ask and are doing as well as we can.
You are projecting on me because you are upset and that's fine. It's hard to see others doing great and feel like you are missing out on the secret that is "just have more money".
I'm saying, finding out you can make a nice dish using the bare bones of what you got can feel nice.
I like food, it's one of the few things that helps me get through my shitty existence as well, so in the same vain that I suggest keeping green onions fresh by putting them in a jar on your windowsill I suggest to people that there is a dish called Chilaquiles that most don't know of because it's considered poor food but is really tasty and just salsa, chicken stock and tortillas, (heck I like to use the ones from my rare visit to a Mexican restaurant and ask if I can take extra home with me because they are thicker).
It's because I hope they have a nice meal too.
Humans are supposed to share knowledge. It's what got us here. I'm just trying to do that.
Hmmm maybe I'm not federated with those. Honestly I just see you replying.
There are comments of course but my comment looks like down votes and you and me.
And people tend to vote with the herd so I wanted to invite people to at least try and say something as to why they would so that it wasn't just blind herd voting and I could see the discourse and learn if there was something to learn.
I don't wish to be a dick but I don't want to just be a blind punching bag either l, you know?
Ah, well it looked like you where unhappy down votes happen and it came off weird. Makes more sense that it is more odd lemmy stuff. No hard feelings from me.
Pictures, Videos, Articles showing just how boring it is to live in a dystopic society, or with signs of a dystopic society.
Rules (Subject to Change)
--Be a Decent Human Being
--Posting news articles: include the source name and exact title from article in your post title
--Posts must have something to do with the topic
--Zero tolerance for Racism/Sexism/Ableism/etc.
--No NSFW content
--Abide by the rules of lemmy.world