Dining out or Cooking at Home?

Having both a busy schedule and a tight budget can create a dilemma when it comes to eating right: do I go out to eat or cook at home? As I started to make a comparison between dining in and dining out, I compared the time, cost, and effort needed to eat right and stay healthy. Having to hop on the train and head to work after class as part of a daily routine can prevent you from taking care of basic needs such as cooking, which might take you from 90 to 120 minutes everyday. Plus you'll be stuck for another 30 minutes doing the hardest part: washing the dishes. If you don't have the time, then you might want to try dining out. Finding restaurants along your daily route can be practical and save time. You won't have to go back home to eat, and you can use your cooking time as study time. One thing you won't save, however, is money. Cooking at home is definitely cheaper since you don't have to tip yourself and you're not paying a cook. Dining out can be quite expensive and even more if you do it everyday. You find yourself in certain moods for certain foods, but those milkshakes add up. On the other hand, when cooking at home you have to plan what you want to cook and shop to fit your mood. You have to put forth a lot more effort to go to the grocery store, plan ahead, predict your moods, cook, and clean up whereas if you dine out you have the choice of many different types of food. Then you can put all your effort into interacting with different people instead of staying home alone scrubbing your plates.
Rafael Garcia