Aubrey

just saw a guy do 1 set of every machine at the gym then walk out

If Gen Z took 100% of their food delivery budget, shifted it to the cheapest foods possible and used the rest for home purchases, it would shift housing prices up because the savings wouldn't create new housing.

Gen Z pessimism is so widespread and deep across the generation I really doubt it can be easily attributed to “colleges have too many amenities” or “rent is too expensive in NYC.” If that were the case, you would see obvious differences across demographics, which we don’t see!

POV: Trying to get a job in 2026

It's honestly a massive market failure if a person producing their own food at home can achieve a lower marginal cost than a competative market of firms solely dedicated to producing hot meals. Can't understand why you would support free markets if they can't even deliver lunch.

Probably because a single alcoholic beverage in any bar or restaurant costs more than they make in an hour of work

Agree with this, younger gen food spending habits are pretty absurd in comparison. It’s just supply and demand — there wouldn’t be so many good restaurants if consumption habits hadn’t changed dramatically. Just look at Cracker Barrel’s downward spiral, what could they possibly do to compete with modern kitchens? Delivery is mostly unfathomable to me (as I’ve ranted about many times), and if you’re not working very long hours at a glued-to-your-desk job, I don’t see why advice to save money preparing food is so controversial, especially with how prevalent meal prep culture is. One can admit that going out for lunch to take a break from a screen job is a sort of luxury without having to apologize for things. It’s genuinely nice to eat prepared food and get out of the office, but it isn’t anywhere close to necessary spending.