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Assuming you are single, you can cook at at home during the week. Every day. Please do not develop habit of eating left overs or doing bulk cooking. Cooking everyday will give you a break from work. For weekends, you can set a day and time to buy groceries for the week (not online). And also have a schedule to socialize with people.
Money wise, I find eating out and cooking at home at par (depends on kind of restaurants you visit). However, quality wise, it may be better since you have control over raw materials. Also, if you are good cook, you might end up eating better tasting food and might even start enjoying cookery.
Time wise, if you stick to a schedule, there should be any problems. Western food in my opinion is quick to cook in comparison to Indian food. I would assume 20 minutes would be good enough to cook for one (?). In that case, you are spending 40 minutes cooking and might end up reducing your break times (if you take any) by at least some margin if not 40 minutes.
Here is a routine I would suggest:
1. Sunday morning: Buy groceries in person from nearby store.
2. Monday through Friday: Work with cooking lunch for yourself. I was flexible with cooking dinners and would aim to get it from a local cafe rather than a fast food place.
3. Saturday morning: Go out and do something that you like.
4. Saturday evening: Socialize.
I used to live like this and it was optimal for me.
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d@nish wrote: In that case, you are spending 40 minutes cooking
Way underestimated, big time. I'm thinking that you and I may have different ideas on dishes, kitchen, etc.
Perhaps you have a glass-top stove, in which case I'm highway green with jealousy.
I have one of those electric eye things; the fire hazard kind which attracts a mess as a result of one use.
It's generally 20 to 30 to prepare the meal, and 30 to 45 to clean up after it. Actually more, as the plates must come out of the dishwasher, the plastic stuff must be set out to dry off, etc., etc..
90 minutes is not out of the ballpark at all, and that really hits home; what with all the other thoughts folks here have tossed into the mix of thoughts. (Thanks, both you, d@nish, and a dozen others here)
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I'm the master of the 20 minute meal (cook time). During cooking I normally have time to empty the dishwasher from the previous day and clean up any prep work mess. Now in fairness that's a two course meal. A meat and a vegetable and sometimes a starch. Maybe look to the crock pot meals and see if that helps. From my experience, it's cheaper to eat at home and much healthier. I don't know how it is for you, but I do find cooking cathartic, especially once you learn technique and throw away recipe cards. 
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I am also not living with my family and doing a job in a city which is not my hometown. For food i mostly go outside. I have tried to cook food by myself for a month in the past but do not continue as i do not find it worth. i keep some packed food at home every time in case i can't go out due to weather or some other reason. Money wise you can say if you prepare a food at home you can save 20% as compare to eating food outside but at the same time you have to compromise with the time factor which you give to prepare the food.
Ravi Khoda
Humanity is the best religion and smile is the best medicine.
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ravikhoda wrote: you have to compromise with the time factor which you give to prepare the food.
Small comment, huge implications.
You nailed a big one.
Thank you.
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If you're just making the same quick stuff when you cook at home, then maybe you're better off going out as at least you get to meet people; even if they all think of you as the 'sad loner guy'.
If you use the opportunity to experiment and try out new things, then go for it. I find cooking very therapeutic.
All that said, get out of the frigging house! Walk / run / cycle / swim. Just get out and use your body to match up the use of your mind.
veni bibi saltavi
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Nagy Vilmos wrote: Just get out and use your body
Correct. I heard a piece of advice given by a guy speaking in public: You are not what you produce.
Totally agreed; but, fact is that most of us refuse to believe that and act accordingly (as you have suggested).
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I eat out...well, pretty much never these days.
The main reason is that we stopped when Herself was diagnosed with high blood pressure, and we needed to drastically control her sodium intake. When you eat out, you can't do that - you have no idea how much salt, MSG, and other nasties are in the food you eat.
Now that's all under control - she's off the pills and "sensible" diet keeps it reasonable - it's a habit. And I found I like to know what the heck I am eating! 
It's certainly cheaper: if you plan the meal and the shopping, go with a list, know where everything is, and don't take Herself the actual shopping part is pretty quick and painless. Plus I tend to cook in bulk and freeze stuff so I can grab a good-quality "ready meal" from the freezer and spend minutes finishing it when I want to eat about three or four times a week.
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
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If you work from home you HAVE to do something outside your home each time you're not in your working hours.
I'd really like to be able to work from home (but then not for other reasons) because commuting costs me 2000€ / year, which is about 10% of my wage. Plus eating out is way too costly and my company doesn't give lunch tickets - in fact I often bring food from home.
Also I spend circa 3 hours a day commuting, which drastically reduce my free time and the quality of it - and with that my working hours too are lower quality, arriving at work after 90 minutes of drive - wait train - delay (Italian trains are ALWAYS late or cancelled) - hop on - delay - hop off - wait bus - hop on bus - delay - walk to the office means arriving already sick and tired. Double that for the return and the day is done.
Being able to work from home I'd spend much of my day doing stuff outside.
Geek code v 3.12 {
GCS d--- s-/++ a- C++++ U+++ P- L- E-- W++ N++ o+ K- w+++ O? M-- V? PS+ PE- Y+ PGP t++ 5? X R++ tv-- b+ DI+++ D++ G e++>+++ h--- r++>+++ y+++*
Weapons extension: ma- k++ F+2 X
}
If you think 'goto' is evil, try writing an Assembly program without JMP. -- TNCaver
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OriginalGriff wrote: It's certainly cheaper:
I do wonder.
I made some coleslaw Sunday. Mine is way better than most I've tried.
I'm watching that entire head of shredded cabbage slowly turn from the nice stuff to inedible.
From that large head, and the 30 minutes to fix the dressing, I have had two servings.
As the rest goes to waste, the unit cost of those two servings (which, yes, were better, way better) goes up to the point that it may not be less expensive, on dollar accounting alone.
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While it's still fresh, shred it, blanch it, vacuum pack it, freeze it and use it as a cooking vegetable with winter meals. Lovely lightly boiled with butter and black pepper.
If it's vac-packed and frozen it'll last a year or so in the freezer because you are seriously inhibiting bacterial growth.
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
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Cooking in bulk is really the way to go. You get the food preparation dishes out of the way in one morning, and have prepared food that only requires a quick reheat through the rest of the week. I've used this method on occasion while my family is out traveling and I stay home to work. I used Saturday morning to cook up everything, cleaned up, and the rest of the week I only needed to clean the dishes I ate from.
It does take discipline to set that time aside and you have to anticipate what your tastes will be during the week, but it is quite effective. Salads can also be filling, are (potentially) healthier than burgers and fries (depending on the amount of dressing, cheese, and bacon present) and don't take a great deal of time to make fresh.
With that said, and to echo other comments above, there's plenty of merit to stepping away from where you work-- be it home or a corporate building-- on occasion. I tend to build in at least one restaurant meal on weeks where I use this technique.
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I work at home, and love it.
Calculate how much money you used to spend in gas costs and use that as your meal funds, never dining out more than the cost of gas/petrol for a month.
Treat your day at home, just like you did at the office.
I shave in the morning, and put on day clothes (not dress and not PJs, either). I take 2 breaks and a lunch break. I work 9-10 hours a day, starting at 5 or 6am every morning. This gives me plenty of family time in the evening.
I try not to work more hours or on the weekends.
YOU MUST HAVE A DESIGNATED OFFICE at the home, or it can be very hard in regards to sleeping, etc...
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C-P-User-3 wrote: I have spent as many as 60 hours without opening the door.
Only three days? Amateur! 
"These people looked deep within my soul and assigned me a number based on the order in which I joined."
- Homer
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smirk.
Next horror movie from Hollywood: The Thing From Seven Houses Down The Block
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I was also bachelor for a couple of years in my life. What I found was that eating out and cooking dinner was both equally expensive. Being a bachelor is expensive in that regard. I don't have any children yet so being with a partner for me is actually very cheap. I now live with a partner and her dad (wife passed) and the cost of everything have been divided by three and there is hardly any waist (on the food side). I have to admit that at first it was a little expensive as I didn't have a flat or any home appliances. So scraped through for a year or two but eventually it paid off.
"Program testing can be used to show the presence of bugs, but never to show their absence."
<< please vote!! >></div>
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I suggest making it at home where you can watch the calories better. Eating out will eventually translate into extra pounds.
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This is actually a catch 22 for me. Because nothing is in single serving sizes, I make food I love then end up overeating. To top that off, where I live in the Midwest portion sizes at restaurants are crazy large so I end up overeating if I go out.
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As I typically do, I would change the question.
I work out of the house, and have for years. It takes a while to get used to.
The challenge is that we get paid so well for our time, that economic decisions are skewed!
I have a screen door to re-screen. I could buy 2 new ones for what it will cost me in lost time to re-screen it!
But I have learned if I go that route, eventually, I will be paying someone to hug my daughter and say good night.
So, I want you to consider changing the question. What other fulfilling things do you want to do in your life? How much would you like to socialize? How much exercise are you getting?
Consider getting a gym membership. Get up in the morning, go to the gym, get a LIGHT workout in. Buy a heartrate monitor. Choose a NICE and CLEAN gym. One that has a Sauna and Hot Tub.
The trick to going to the gym is GETTING to the gym. Everyday I would get up, and go to the gym. My "agreement" with myself was that if I did not feel like working out, I would have an "Executive Workout" (Hot Tub and Sauna), which I deserved from whatever work I did that had me so tired I did not feel like going. IT Works. The heart rate monitor was great too because I noticed when I was run down, my heart rate was running higher than usual (meaning, I should not put too much stress on myself).
But I got out every day, and paid myself, first thing in the morning. I felt better all day. I slept better.
Finally, we should WORK for a living, not LIVE to work. I still have a tough time with this, so schedule everything that is important to you. I have a standing Tuesday night hangout with some friends (the group varies), but we get together because life is short (I lost my brother to cancer,
a good friend to MS, flying home to see my mother in hospice tomorrow. I imagine over the next couple of years, I will be burying my father).
Get a hobby, even if it is hiring chefs to come in and cook for you, and showing you how to make your favorite meals. I dont think you would ever regret learning how to cook amazing things.
Remember, our code will accrue technical debt on its own. We will accrue Social Debt on our own!
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It seems to me that you are actually treating two subjects as if they are one. There are two very different things here that should be considered separately.
The first is social interaction. You mention going 60 hours without opening the door. This most definitely is not a good thing. You should get some real interaction with people nearly every day. You should get very regular meaningful interaction (beyond what a typical server will give you). For this perhaps join a club.
The second thing is the cost of eating. Quite simply you can eat in for less than eating out. If it is about the pure cost scale, then eat in and eat leftovers. But ... if you wish to use this for interaction of some sort and can afford it then eat out.
Personally, I would recommend trying to get some sort of balance in life having regular interaction with friends. Along with the balance I would aim to have some meals at home, and others at a restaurant.
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I've worked from home for years. Here is what I found to work for me:
I make the week's sandwiches on Sunday for my me and my husband and put them in the freezer. Each evening I take one out for each of us and it's thawed in plenty of time for lunch the next day. I also make up yogurts and buy fruit. We shop once a week. Sometimes I will make extra food and have that for lunch instead. I only take 1/2 hour for lunch (I could take more but then would have to work later) and find making it during that time to take up too much of the time. We try to watch our money too but we buy good bread and sandwich fillings. I do have to keep regular hours as I also do phone support as well as develop.
As for the other concerns, I find going to the grocery store once a week a night out (big whoop). I'm also involved in church activities during the week which helps with the interaction.
As for exercise, I have a standing desk. I have a treadmill. We have parks nearby. So I get to stand or walk. You just have to decide to do it. Sleeping habits I'm still working on as I have a hard time falling asleep.
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I would recommend walking more. That gets you in touch with your neighborhood, out of the house, and can lead to social interactions that a WFH person needs. Driving is not only bad for the environment - it does nothing for your health either. If you live in an area that requires driving I'd consider moving to a walkable/city area - sounds drastic (to suggest moving when you're asking about food) but there is a reason people pay more to live in such places.
I carry my groceries, a half-mile walk each way. This means nearly everything I eat has been carried a mile...good for my health, and keeps me from overeating (supplemented by high exercise levels). I'll take exercise breaks during the day, my condo has a pool and I consistently visit there too. I'm only WFH a couple days a week but still find these steps vital to enjoying life and staying healthy. Food for thought.
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I work from home. The beauty of it is... you have full control over your time. The bad part is... you have full control over your time. So, embrace the guilt.
First, you have to figure out if its about the money or about the eating habbits. Mine is the later. If you're an average developer or if you're older than 30 then you're likely over weight. So, do yourself a favor and rotate your life around excercise... not around food.
The best thing I did for myself is decide that my day revolves around excercise. So half way through my day, I walk to the gym (2+ miles), do a workout, and walk back from the gym. My plan is to do this daily. I then EAT only when my body demands it instead of on a schedule. I also try to limit my portions and eating out does not promote limiting portions.
Getting out of the house is important so go out... but not for food.
Good luck,
Joel
Joel Palmer
Data Integration Engineer
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There's some great advice in the previous comments to your post.
My only suggestion relates to cooking at home. If you need to learn more about cooking, I have two words for you. Actually a pair sets word pairs:
1. Alton Brown
2. Good Eats
If you don't know who Alton Brown is then you've never seen "Good Eats" either. Do yourself a favor, Google him and check out his YouTube channel and watch the episodes of "Good Eats." You'll learn to cook for yourself (and others) and love the science he brings to the kitchen.
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