Even 15 years ago we would not believe someone who told you that that you could order from an app and have the food of your choice delivered home. But with Swiggy and Zomato, if you have a craving for a pizza at 2 am, all you need to do is order a pizza and it is delivered to your doorstep.
Since it is convenient, we tend to order food very frequently, sometimes several times a week. This could be a problem on two fronts- first, outside food is never as healthy as food cooked at home. So it is not a good idea health-wise. It also wreaks havoc on one’s budget.
The Mistake Of Overordering
Food delivery apps like Zomato and Swiggy along with their quick commerce counterparts like Blinkit and Instamart have altered much more than the budgets of common Indian households by influencing their buying habits. People now get a wide variety of grocery, food, and electronic items on their platter as purchase options and delivered in double quick time at the convenience of their homes.
“Since the number of dishes on the platter is huge, people end up ordering more than what they end up consuming. The combination of impulse purchases, stealth product placement, and lucrative deals ensure that consumers are unable to resist the temptation to splurge more than what they planned for in their monthly budget. This pinches the pockets of consumers more than they end up realizing. What looks like harmless small ticket purchases end up in large monthly outflows from the earnings,” says Gaurav Goel, entrepreneur and Sebi-registered investment advisor.
Spend Smartly
The most important thing to curb this splurge is to remain disciplined. Sticking to product purchases that were in mind while opening the application and not falling prey to the temptations of offers and combination discounts is one good way of controlling expenses.
“Multiple orders should also be avoided as small ticket sizes on each order lead to higher delivery and platform costs with each order. Sometimes impatience and the lure of quick delivery prevents best bargain hunts and should be avoided,” says Goel.
Have A Budget
Consumers can also practice limits to weekly or monthly “food from outside”. Or it can be clubbed with the expense of eating out. If that is capped at Rs 10,000 a month and you stick to it, then you do not have a chance of overspending.
Or, you may have a rule that you will not order outside food more than twice a week. Let us say that sudden guests arrive and you order three times a week, you should order only once next week, and so on.
If you limit your eating out expenses, both your body and your budget will thank you.
