Dallas resident Mary MacArthur is trying to stretch her family’s money as far as she can when it comes to eating during these tough economic times. Unfortunately, she fears her waistband may be stretching along with it.
MacArthur’s family was used to telling the waiter what they wanted off a menu, now they are going through the drive-thru ordering off the dollar menu.
“When you are unsure of your income in the future you really have to be careful spending,” MacArthur said. “It might not be as healthy but you can get a lot of food for not a lot off the dollar menu.”
MacArthur and her family are part of a growing trend of American families feeling the effects of the current recession on their pocketbooks and waistlines, by dining out more often at fast food restaurants, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture survey released in March.
“With less confidence during a recession, families are trying to tighten their belt during tough times but probably loosen it right back up after eating a few Big Macs,” SMU economics professor Thomas Osang said.
The survey shows that families who live in low-income homes, families that have experienced a lay off or families that have experienced an income-cut are more likely to turn to drive-thrus to satisfy family hunger needs.
Fast food restaurants are reporting larger profits and higher same store sales in these tough economic times. McDonalds reported for the month of March that same store sales, or sales at stores that have been open for a year, increased 6.8 percent. The fast food giant also reported a four percent raise in profit for the first quarter year over year.
Joseph Hardy and his wife, a former loan analyst for Bank of America who was laid off at the end of last year, have turned to more drive-thru options, and are feeling the effects.
“I’m not embarrassed or anything but I definitely have about five pounds that came out of nowhere,” Hardy said. “And it looks like it all went to one place.”
Hardy says with the loss of his wife’s income most of their “fun money” got taken away and they really have to stretch their money where they can.
“Dollar menus at McDonalds, value menus at Wendy’s, you name it you are getting a good value,” Hardy said. “You can feed my family of four for fifteen bucks.”
He added it was mostly he and his wife feeling the effects.
“The kids, you know, they could eat anything and not gain an ounce, but my wife and I have to step up the work outs, too bad we had to cancel the gym membership though,” He said. “I guess recessions just make you fat.”
A study in the January issue of Public Health Nutrition shows that recessionary eating habits can have long lasting effects on families.
The study found that families that ate fast food for dinner three or four – or more – times per week were more likely to have a home food environment that consisted more of salty and sweet snacks and soda rather than healthier fruits and vegetables.
“It becomes a psychological thing,” Knoxville said. “You eat all that fatty fast food and your body starts to crave it, so that’s what you snack on, not healthy fruits and vegetables.”
The study was a part of Project EAT: Eating Among Teens. It was designed to see the relationship between fast food families and eating habits of the family’s children and teens. In addition to eating fewer fruits and vegetables and drinking less milk, the study showed that parents of fast food families were significantly more likely to be obese.
Knoxville suggested that rather than eating out at fast food places it can be just as cost effective to make home cooked meals. Buying foods in bulk can also help he said. You can get large quantities of frozen vegetables and frozen meat like chicken breast for near pocket change at a wholesaler like Sam’s Club.
“It is possible to eat healthy even when money is tight,” Knoxville said. “You are probably already sacrificing a lot, don’t sacrifice your health also.”
