why do i spend so much money on postmates?

hint: it's not about "discipline"

Hello to the 1,065 hotties who subscribe to this newsletter! Thank you for being here.

I’m Leo, a financial educator, coach, and independent journalist here at Queer & Trans Wealth.

A lot of my clients believe they’re overspending on food. Some are worried about going $25 over budget on groceries, which is valid, but not as worrisome. Most of my clients who are concerned about overspending on food don’t realize they spend up to 23% of their monthly income on food delivery apps, like Postmates, GrubHub, and Uber Eats.

Naturally, my clients will first ask, “But how much money should I be spending on food?” Before I can answer that question, I help them understand why they overspend on food in the first place.

A lot of my clients who overspend on food delivery apps are in a similar position: They make a decent salary — sometimes, the most money they’ve ever made — yet they can’t seem to save a single cent. They work stressful, demanding jobs that disregard their boundaries. They’re working long 10- to 14-hour days and they’re proud of their work ethic and professional success.

After a long day of being stressed out, they experience decision fatigue, difficulty making basic decisions because their mental and emotional capacity is depleted. These basic decisions include:

• buying groceries

• selecting meals to prep for the week

• figuring out what order to cook things in

• finding the best food storage containers for a specific dish, like soup or salad

• calculating how long it will take for vegetables to go bad

After hearing the same stories from workers ordering comfort meals over and over again, I realized that overspending on food is not about one person’s lack of discipline.

It’s about our collective capacity being drained and exploited by jobs we hate under capitalism.

Here’s an example:

Udita* works 70 hours a week at a demanding job that pays $90,000 a year. After taxes and benefits, they make $7,000 per month. *Udita is a fictional character based on a combination of clients who have the same concerns. I’m using this fictional character to protect my clients’ privacy.

I audited their food delivery spending and found that they spend $1,600 per month on Postmates. They typically order a $35 lunch to their desk because they don’t have time to meal prep. After a long work day, they spend another $45 on dinner as a “reward” for surviving a 10- to 14-hour workday.

$80/day x 5 days/week = $1,600 per month

$1,600 is 23% of their take-home pay spent just on Postmates.

For context, here’s 23% of different monthly income amounts after taxes:

• $575 is 23% of $2,500

• $690 is 23% of $3,000

• $805 is 23% of $3,500

• $920 is 23% of $4,000

• $1,035 is 23% of $4,500

• $1,150 is 23% of $5,000

• $1,265 is 23% of $5,500

• $1,380 is $23% of 6,000

• $1,725 is 23% of $6,500

I see clients under the same amount of stress spending up to 23% of their income on dining out, regardless of how much they earn. Some people with lower salaries than $90k flat-out can’t afford that, and end up going into debt for food.

Your need to be fed is valid.

Let me preface this by saying: There is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting food prepared for you at the end of a long, stressful workday. That need is valid, and no good will come from you denying your body what it needs.

But the habit of ordering food to soothe decision fatigue may be stopping you from saving enough money to leave your toxic workplace.

There are other ways to meet your need to be fed without sacrificing your ability to save.

Here’s the hard math I show my clients:

Udita makes $25/hour ($90,000 at 70 hours per week) and they spend an average of $80 on takeout each day.

It costs 3.2 hours of exploited labor per day ($80 divided by $25/hour) just to feed themselves. That’s 16 hours per week.

This awareness is the first step to breaking the habit of relying on food delivery apps for nourishment & self-soothing your decision fatigue.

3 solutions for overworked people who overspend on food

Now, here’s the part where people typically panic. With a newfound awareness on how much of their labor must be exploited just to feed themselves, some of my clients want to go to the opposite extreme and spend as little as possible on food.

This is not sustainable, and I do not recommend it.

Someone who spends $1,600 on Postmates isn’t just going to change that habit overnight. But I believe they can spend $1,200 instead of $1,600. And after 3 months of spending $1,200, I believe they can cut down to $950. And they can keep cutting costs gradually until they find the right balance.

Here are some ways to make gradual cuts:

1. Replace food delivery with meal prep services, like Blue Apron or Hello Fresh, where the ingredients are packaged and pre-portioned for you
   
   First, let me clarify that this is 100% not an ad lol. While I think services like Blue Apron or Hello Fresh are a bit overpriced and harmful to the environment, using a meal prep service has reignited folx’ love of cooking. It makes it easier for them to transition from ordering out all the time to cooking for themselves more often. The pre-portioned ingredients and easy-to-read instructions also helps soothe decision fatigue.
   If you don’t want to use a meal delivery service forever, just keep your long-term goal in mind: One day, you’ll cook more and meal-prep regularly for yourself as an act of self-love and kindness.
   

2. Stock your freezer with frozen meals.
   
   If you’re overspending on Postmates, you are trying to meet one basic need: Food, right now, that you know will be good and comforting. Plan ahead by stocking your freezer with food that you can easily heat up in the microwave.
   If you’re feeling like a measly little chicken pot pie won’t be enough, at least line your stomach with some food. Let it settle for 10-15 minutes before completing your Uber Eats order. You don’t make good decisions when you’re hangry, babe, trust me.
   

3. Show this math to your employer and ask them to pay for your meals when you’re forced to work late.
   

   The company who is forcing you to work 70 hours is the real villain here. It is inhumane to ask someone to work this much and keep them in fear of losing their housing and basic necessities without a steady paycheck. Show them how much of your own wages are spent trying to keep up with this unrealistic pace of work — and demand more.

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My dear hotties, I am notoriously bad at syncing my Instagram presence with my writing here on Substack — but I’m working on it!

Recently, I reintroduced myself & the origin story of Queer & Trans Wealth through this Instagram post. I’m still taking 1:1 clients, and I’ll be announcing a new round of group coaching + packages for those who need to see me more than once. Stay tuned <3

Leo