One of the comments I get the most from people I talk to is "I really wish I could afford a personal chef!" They have this idea that a personal chef is a luxury only the rich can afford. Well, I'm here to burst your bubble. It may be costing you more to NOT have a personal chef!
Let's take a look at the numbers here. Get out a pen and paper, and your calculator. Got it? Let's begin. . .
How much time do you spend doing the following:
Figuring out your meals for the week (this includes finding recipes, checking your pantry supplies, and making a grocery list)?
Shopping for groceries (both time in the store, and travel time)?
Preparing meals?
Cleaning up the kitchen after meals?
Eating out (this includes travel time, waiting for your table, waiting for food, eating, and waiting to pay)?
Picking up take out (travel time, and wait time)?
Total this up. Got it? Now, how much is your time worth per hour? If you are a doctor or a lawyer, or even in sales this number can be pretty high. But what if you're not? What if you only make $10 an hour? Even if we take a conservative 12 hours (yes. . . 12 hours), that's $120 for the week that you are spending on food prep alone! And with the average of 300 hours per year spent in the kitchen (not to mention grocery shopping or dining out), that's nearly $3,000!
Now let's take a deeper look at what you're spending. Put away that shocked face, and take out your pen and calculator again. How much do you spend a week on:
Groceries for meals?
Restaurants, INCLUDING tax and tip?
Carry out or delivery (including tax and tip)?
Add this up, and add it to your initial total.
I bet you had no idea you were spending this much money on food and prep. And you don't even have your own personal chef.
Let's say you are investing that $120 a week in a personal chef. Now you have an extra 12 hours to do whatever you want! Maybe you want a part time job, or more time with your family. Maybe you want some extra time to make sales calls or you want to start a business. Or maybe you just want some time to relax. Plus, you still get healthy, tasty home cooked meals. It's the quality of restaurant food, without the wait, without wondering if your meal is really healthy, at just a fraction of the time and cost you were giving it before.
I challange you to hire a chef for one month. See if your life doesn't change!