Cheaper To Eat In

Like you, we don't tend to eat out much as a family because of the cost. It is usually a treat in the school holidays. Fortunately, both my partner and I are really good at cooking and we make some excellent meals. I also save money on food by budgeting carefully, choosing the cheaper ingredients, using a lot of vegetables in my cooking and by using coupons.

 

It's been a while since I ate out. Part of the reason is leaving a distance away from town, and our restaurants don't make the best meals. Mostly they cater to the traveler or tourist who's passing through. They take a taste and vow never to eat in such a restaurant again but since they're one time customers . . .

Anyway, I think eating out does make a dent in the wallet of anyone who makes it a habit. It's cheaper to cook your own meals or eat out less often because some consider it a treat.

 

I don't eat out nearly as much as I used to. Several years ago I had much more "disposable" income, and my friends loved to go out to eat for dinner when we got off work, so I was going out to eat probably around 3 times a week, which really added up - especially since we would order wine with our meals. Now I hardly go out at all, and spend a lot more time cooking at home as well. I love cooking so it's not really a chore or something I dread at all. I do miss the socializing though, so I try to make plans with my friends where we take turns inviting each other over for dinner.

As far as veggies vs. meats though, you need to be careful, because veggies can add up quickly too, sometimes more than meats. For example, in our area, a little pack of fresh herbs is like $4. A red bell pepper is like $2-$3, hot peppers are $4 a pound, even a small head of radicchio is like $5-6. If you are making something like a pasta primavera with a bunch of fresh herbs and veggies, that can wind up costing more than a meat based meal.

The other cool thing about cooking at home though instead of eating out, is it's a great opportunity to sharpen your cooking skills and learn how to re-create those dishes at home. I used to always order stuff like Chicken Marsala, or Chicken Picatta when I would go out to eat, but now I can make them just as good if not better at home. Of course if there is a certain special someone you are trying to impress, knowing how to cook really comes in handy (as well as saves you money).

 

I have also cut back on eating out. While the majority of the time, it is much less expensive to cook than to eat out, I've found that there are certain circumstances where it is cheaper to grab something out than to cook at home. I am vegetarian and my significant other is a meat eater, so our costs may be a bit different than other couples. When we cook at home, we have to get two types of protein. For example, if we eat burritos made at home, we need soy crumbles, hamburger meat, cheese, sour cream, lettuce, and veggies. Or, we could just go to Chipotle for about the same price. Also, time is money. If I am buying restaurant food because I am busy working, the money I spend on having someone else do the cooking is offset by the money made by working.

 

I try to cook at home to save money and eat healthy. I also enjoy cooking so that helps. I like knowing what ingredients go into my food. That being said, I do enjoy eating out every once in a while.

I don't use coupons for food often because I don't eat most of the products they advertise for. I don't want to buy something I wasn't planning on getting just to save money. If I find a coupon I will use it though.

 

At least once per week we go out and eat - nothing fancy, just a local fast-food or restaurant that serves cheap food. While this habit is something I can do without it's a necessary evil since it brings a little diversity in our lives. For our other meals, we cook a lot. In the weekend we shop for food, buy enough to last for a week then get cooking. Anyway, I feel that once we advance in age we stop eating out and cooking our food becomes the norm.