🎯 The Goal: The average Gen Z adult burns $250+ a month on delivery apps, and every DoorDash order carries a 40-70% markup after fees and tips. One 90-minute Sunday cooking session can feed you all week for less than the cost of two delivered meals.
🛒 Step 1: Shop the 'Cheap Protein Triangle'. Build your entire week around three items: a whole rotisserie chicken (~$5), a dozen eggs (~$3), and a 1lb bag of dried lentils or black beans (~$1.50). Add a 2lb bag of rice, frozen mixed vegetables (~$2/bag), onions, and one sauce you love (soy, salsa, or hot sauce). Total: under $30 at Aldi, Walmart, or Costco.
🍳 Step 2: Master the 'Base + Rotation' formula. Cook one giant pot of rice and one tray of roasted vegetables (425°F, 25 minutes, olive oil + salt). That's your base for every meal. Rotate the topping daily—shredded chicken Monday, fried eggs Tuesday, seasoned beans Wednesday—so it never feels like eating leftovers.
🧊 Step 3: Portion like a prepper. Buy 5 matching meal-prep containers ($8 once at any dollar store). Portion everything immediately after cooking—if it goes into the fridge as 'a big pot', you will get lazy and order out. Meals stay safe in the fridge for 4 days; freeze anything meant for day 5 and beyond.
📋 The Cheat Sheet: Screenshot this $30 list: 1 rotisserie chicken, 12 eggs, 1lb dried beans or lentils, 2lb rice, 2 bags frozen veggies, 3 onions, 1 head garlic, 1 sauce of choice, 1 block cheese. Formula for every meal: Base (rice) + Veg (roasted) + Protein (rotate daily) + Sauce. Cook once on Sunday, eat until Friday.