How To Share The Cost Of Almost Anything

Co-ops Allow Friends To Save Money And Time On Shopping, Cooking,babysitting, And More. No Wonder They’re Catching On.

- Jessica Thomas

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Alex Davis was at book club 12 years ago in Boise, Idaho, when she overheard two members discussing a meal share they belonged to: “I was nursing a newborn and had a toddler at home, and I was like, Wait, what? There’s a way that you would cook me something and bring it to my house? I turned to my friends and said, ‘Guys, we have to try this.’ ” Before long, a group of three families had formed their own dinner co-op. Once a week, they each cooked enough for the whole group, divided it into family-size portions, and walked the freshly made food to one another’s houses. Just like that, everyone’s meal planning, cooking, and the bulk of the kitchen cleanup were done.

The benefits were immediate: Their reliance on spendy takeout plummeted, food waste dropped, and dining quality improved. Instead of having to shop for multiple meals in a week, “you take one recipe and you go for it,” Davis says. Some members loved the money savings these efforts brought to their bottom line, but for Davis, it was the quality of the meals she received and the care and preparation she was able to devote to the recipes she contributed that were most valuable. “With the money I saved in not wasting food, I could get better ingredients,” she says.

A cooperative is an organization that is owned and run by its members, who share the profits or benefits generated. Natural-food stores, financial credit unions, and even some large retailers like REI are familiar examples of co-ops that share profits with their membership. But co-ops can also be run by small groups of individuals like Davis and her friends.