I found out a pack of ramen costs more to boil than the noodles themselves

Was bored last night and did the math on my electric kettle. Turns out boiling water for ramen costs about 12 cents in electricity where I live in Phoenix, but the noodles themselves are only 15 cents at the dollar store. Anyone else ever calculate the hidden costs of a 'cheap' meal?

3 comments

3 Comments

ramirez.vera2d ago

Idk, maybe it's just me but that 12 cents feels like a stretch. Electric kettles aren't that inefficient, and most people boil water on a stove where the cost is way less if you use a lid. I live in an apartment with crap insulation and my electric bill barely budges when I make ramen a few times a week. Plus, you're counting the water cost separately when tap water is basically free. Feels like splitting hairs over pennies.

fionafoster2d ago

Used to think the same way honestly. I figured a few cents here and there was nothing to worry about. But then I added up what I spend on coffee, tea, and ramen over a full month and it was like fifteen bucks just for heating water. That surprised me enough to check my electric bill more carefully. Dripping pennies or not, it adds up faster than you'd expect.

phoenix_grant2d ago

Jump right into noticing how this whole penny-pinching thing is just a symptom of something bigger. People love to call small savings "nickel and diming" but then turn around and drop forty bucks on delivery fees without blinking. It's like we've trained ourselves to ignore the steady leaks while fixating on the big splashes. The electric kettle thing is the same deal - yeah, twelve cents is nothing by itself, but combine it with the daily coffee pour, the phone charger that stays plugged in, the extra few minutes of shower water and suddenly you're looking at a whole different number. I've seen friends mock the coupon clippers while paying for convenience fees that add up to way more. It's just shortsightedness dressed up as practicality.