Cooking Co-op

[kimmieg]

Have any of you participated in a cooking co-op? I have a friend who's trying to get one going and has asked me to participate. I'm hesitant to commit because between working full-time, children's activities, etc. I don't know if it would be feasible for my family. If you've been a part of a group, what were your experiences? Thanks for your imput.
Kim

[Whisker]

I started a cooking co-op back in Dallas with two other ladies and absolutely loved it! My family moved over a year ago, and I have finally found two ladies here to participate. We just finished our first week with great results.

We sat down and planned out everything from who was cooking which day of the week to when the meals would be delivered. I cook on Mondays and another lady on Wednesdays and another on Thursdays. One lady still works full time, but has one day off during the week, which she uses to cook. Back in Dallas, one lady that participated worked full time, but she cooked and delivered on Mondays so that she could do most everything on Sundays. Sometimes she even just delivered on Sundays.

I think this is a great way to get meals on the table and to eat consistently good meals as well. It saves money in the budget, which is a huge plus!! It's so nice to not have to worry about what to make atleast two nights out of the week, sometimes even more since we have leftovers from the meals.

If you want more info on how our group is organized, I'll be glad to share!

[dorothyntototoo]

I'm curious how you handle the financial end of this. Does each person pay for the ingredients for their dinner, or do you split the total cost of all three dinners?

[Whisker]

We've planned which meat each family will use each week and then rotate. For example, I did beef last week and poultry this week and next week will be pork. We pay for what we make, it's up to the individual what they want to spend on the ingredients. We try to be fair and not always make a super cheap meal, but mix in some more time consuming, expensive meals as well.