Now that the Fourth of July has come and gone, it’s time to start our series on cooking.

Today’s installment is quite basic: Why cook? In most communities, ready-made food is easily accessible – from fast food places and restaurants, grocery stores, even corner markets. A variety of apps will have your choices delivered right to your house. Add to that things you just need to heat in the oven or nuke on the stove and you can easily get away with never cooking.

So, why should you cook anyway? Here are some pretty good reasons:

You’ll save money. With few exceptions (hello, $5 rotisserie chicken), it’s a lot cheaper to make your own food than it is to buy it already made. The difference only grows when delivery fees are added. Last week, I had a simple lunch out – a cup of soup, a small salad, and a beverage. The total came to $12. For $12, I could have bought the fixings for a week’s worth of sandwiches, plus fruit.

It’s healthier. When you do your own cooking, you know exactly what you put in a dish. You can minimize processed foods and eat more whole foods. You control the added salt, sugar, and fat.

It’s creative. Cooking lets you exercise a different part of your brain and try new things.

It builds community. Cooking is something you can do with family and friends. People always seem to end up in the kitchen, so why not use it.

Why do you or don’t you cook?