Dear readers,

I just faced facts: I had an awful food delivery problem. A friend kept insisting I was using UberEats and Postmates way too much, and I kept making excuses.

Then two things happened: I ate some rice and beans and did a little calculating, on the advice of my colleague Ann. By deleting UberEats and Postmates from my phone — and subbing a satisfying rice and beans bowl when I’d otherwise order delivery — I may save as much as $4,212 in 2018. No wonder 2017 was tight! I can’t hemorrhage that much money.

For one thing, delivery charges were piling up higher than I realized. The $4.99 fee to have hot food driven to my door didn’t sound that bad on a per-order basis. But then I tallied my orders from the first 22 days of December. I had spent $287.61 on 13 meals via app, paying $70.88 for fees including a prorated monthly membership at Postmates. (That membership, by the way, only waives the company’s delivery fees when I order at least $20 of food each time. Terrible choices all around.) I was ordering delivery more than usual during this period, but not by much.

I also calculated that it only costs me an average of $3.18 to toss together a good rice bowl, with very little food waste. I cook a pot of rice—I snagged a 15-pound bag for $16.99; each serving only costs 11 cents—then divide it into 4-5 containers to keep ready in the fridge, doing the same with a can of black beans (if you demand a more gourmet bean, here you go). I add pre-cooked chicken, shrimp or fish that I keep in the freezer, or buy a rotisserie chicken, or grab a veggie like pre-cubed butternut squash to roast for the week. A little fresh salsa in the beans, a little queso fresco, cilantro when I have it, and voila! There’s little work aside from using the microwave, and a bowl is $19.53 cheaper than my average delivery order. That’s gonna add up fast.

Of course, my ultimate savings tally depends on how long I can keep delivery apps off my phone—or limit their use—and at what point I tire of the likes of rice and beans when I’d rather someone bike me a burger. The lesson, obviously, is that paying for convenience is overpaying for convenience, and delivery is a drain. And always listen to your friends.

Love,
Janie

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