But the takeaways from the challenge below are still relevant. There are health benefits and obvious money-saving advantages, but these weren't the real reasons for doing this. Mostly, I just wanted to see if I could implement a change in my life to both be healthier and spend more mindfully.

So, how much should people spend on eating out? Really, it depends on your budget. Failing to make a grocery run could lead to three additional meals out. I see now eating out isn't a weeknight necessity, but rather a treat to be enjoyed.

For example: I just returned from 3 days at the beach with my family. I must've done a really bad job of ordering at every place we went, because for the exception of one restaurant, I hated every single meal we had out. And for the most part, I'm right. It was lovingly updated in Jan.

Lauren Bowling is the creator of Financial Best Life. After selling the site to a division of The Motley Fool in , Bowling is now back as the owner and primary voice behind FBL and is excited to continue educating elder millennials everywhere about how to afford their best life.

Skip to content This post may contain affiliate links. But how? How does one go from a scatter-brained, grocery store avoider to savvy chef? The Kitchn Guide to Meal Planning [Kitchn. com] 11 Meal Planning Apps [DevelopGoodHabits.

Cooking nights each week helped me practice and I could feel myself becoming a better, more mindful cook each week. Stop Avoiding the Grocery Store For the longest time, the grocery store was my enemy. If you can swing it, go really early on the weekends or on a weekday to avoid the crowds at the grocery store.

Outsource if you can. While this may seem super decadent, I do both: one big grocery shop once a month for my basics and items we need and then deliveries on a weekly basis for perishables. Again, the cost of the monthly subscription is well worth it to me if it keeps me out of the store an hour each week!

Keep items on hand for super quick meals. When there is a debate over whether to go out or eat in, knowing I can cook something faster than we could go and order helps to settle the debate. Want to take your money management to the next level in ?

Learn more about The Financial Best Life Blueprint , our digital product that comes with e-books, excel spreadsheets and more to help you take control of your finances, eliminate the overwhelm that comes with managing money, and achieve your money goals faster.

Click here to explore. Lauren Bowling. Timing is everything for spending less at restaurants. Shifting when you go out to eat by just a little bit could cook up savings. Feed your brain. Fund your future. Subscribe now. Hit up happy hour Saving money might make you happy.

BYOB If dinner also involves drinks, see if there are any local restaurants that allow you to bring your own bottle. Be careful on self-service tablets and apps Self-ordering kiosks and apps might encourage you to order more.

Eat at restaurants-in-training Fine dining usually comes with a fine price tag. Join restaurant loyalty programs More than half of US restaurants have loyalty programs that give you rewards, such as free food or drinks, for being a regular customer.

Check out kids-eat-free days Feeding a family can mean a big bill, even if kids order off their own menu with smaller portions and lower prices. Get organized, hit your goals.

Get started. More to explore. Visit the Fidelity Learning Center Get recent market insights, read in-depth articles or watch videos to learn more.

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17 Easy Ways to Cut the Cost of Eating Out · 1. Special menu. Many restaurants offer a reduced-price menu for seniors How to save money on dining out · 1. Hit up happy hour · 2. Share your plate · 3. BYOB · 4. Be careful on self-service The average commercially-prepared meal, by our estimates, costs around $ Even if you rarely spend this much money at

Savings on dining out - Make “less but often” your motto · Treat yourself, by yourself · Limit your alcohol intake rather than cutting booze out 17 Easy Ways to Cut the Cost of Eating Out · 1. Special menu. Many restaurants offer a reduced-price menu for seniors How to save money on dining out · 1. Hit up happy hour · 2. Share your plate · 3. BYOB · 4. Be careful on self-service The average commercially-prepared meal, by our estimates, costs around $ Even if you rarely spend this much money at

God bless you both for everything. I have found that by not taking any kind of money checkbook, debit card, cash, etc with me to work, I have saved an incredible amount by taking my lunch, a snack for break and drinking ice water.

It took discipline, but I learned to plan ahead and be sensible and honest about my finances or lack of. Thanks for the wonderful articles. Thank you for the article and encouragement.

Eating at home more and dinners out are once a month instead of every weekend. I grew up in the restaurant business many years ago and know how overly-processed the food is and how it is prepared. We as adults need to set a good example for our children and show them that healthy home-cooked food is the best way to live for the long haul.

Kids learn from their parents so why are we so surprised to see one generation after another getting fatter and fatter? Obesity in this country is mainly caused from eating too much and restaurants serve way too much! Our healthcare costs in this country are out of sight often due to the bad eating habits of our citizens.

Great advise. If even one person is helped you have done an excellent job of telling the truth. Telling it like it is, not sugar coated. Love your comments. Keep up the good work.

Tawra— I enjoy your newsletter very much. I like the way you intertwine bible stories with your message. Jesus will provide when a person stops whining, uses the brain they were blessed with and gets to work.

Thanks for all the hard work that goes into creating such a useful website. YOU ARE SO RIGHT! I mean, if we are not smart with the little we have now, why would God give us more money to just waste?

Thank you Joseph for your comment and to all who are being responsible people, YOU ROCK!!! By the time I purchase all the necessary ingredients for Mexican food especially I have spent much more than we spend grabbing a couple of entrees at our favorite place.

Yes, SOME of the ingredients could be used in other dishes and that is a consideration BUT we live in a small travel trailer and storage space is also a major consideration. Our refrigerator space is very small and freezer space is almost none. I home can and dehydrate as much as possible to save space in the refrigerator and freezer.

Things like chunks of roast beef, chunks of chicken, etc are canned so that they do not take up space in the refrigerator but are readily available for meals. We would eat very poorly if not for the crock pot especially when we are working at campgrounds etc.

Our hours vary and it is so easy and efficient to put something into the crockpot and have it available whenever we get off and area able to eat. Eating out constantly would quickly use up our soc sec income so it is VERY limited. With children I can readily understand how eating out would put a major drain on your finances.

Especially considering that many children would leave a lot uneaten. I have a BA with a family finance emphasis, you hit things right on, the one thing I saw when doing my internship and counseling families was that they wanted their debt reduced or to have the ability to pay their monthly bills but…were not willing to do what it takes to do that.

They wanted it to be easy and quick but…the debt they got into took time and changing spending habits. I love it when someone, like yourself, actually puts the responsibility on people with the habits that are detrimental to their families or their welfare.

What a great read! was a real treat! Also to get a turkey dinner at a time other then Thanksgiving was a treat. We just have too many things available at all seasons of the year. I have been guilty of too much eating out and seeing the waste and feeling the boredom of another meal out!

You just go out, order the meal, stuff the food in your face and then pay the bill and leave. It was nothing more then an act of boredom! I have used menu plans and will again get back to doing it.

It did save money and especially time. Also you could easily figure out what to do with what was left of the roast in the next few days.

I will get back to making the weekly menu AND get the crock pot out and use it! for the kids and your SO vs. buying them. Even bake bread! The main one is that the house wife or house husband needs to take pride in what they do.

They make life possible and better for everyone in the house. A clean house, a home cooked meal, clean clothes and etc. Maybe it is time to slow down a bit and live simpler lives. Paet, it is funny you should mention this. I took the thing home.

Made me a cup of coffee, put my feet up and took a big bite of my dough nut. Boy was that good. I savored every single bite slowly chewing then sipping some coffee.

I thought I was eating manna from heaven it tasted so good. As I did that I realized part of our problem is we have so much and get what ever we want when we want it so often that nothing is a real treat for us. I spent 15 mins. enjoying that silly dough nut but many of us gulp down or something similar a day without even realizing we ate them.

I feel especially sorry for our children who are being robbed of so much pleasure. Paet, I was thinking the same thing. I remembered when eating out was a special treat. In my household we decided to put the breaks on and become more self-sufficient.

We are also trying to make new traditions and try to focus more on family. They had THE best strawberry pie in the world. As always Jill, this is a great article.

I used to love eating out instead of cooking. hee hee. I agree totally with you!!! Cooking at home is so much better for the budget and our health!!!!

You can have the children get involved by setting the table or depending on their age, even planning and cooking dinner one night a week. I did this with my daughter from a young age.

We began with her setting the table and helping to clear it after dinner and then when she got older she would plan one dinner a week and with my help she would make that dinner, She was very proud of her accomplishment too!!! She is now grown and out on her own, but I can rest assured that she does know how to cook!

Thank-you for telling it like it is!!! I eat at home the majority of the time and only very occasionally eat out and although I have at least six cookbooks I still find that yours is the best!!! My sister is constantly eating out yet when she lost her job she was relied on several family members to pay her bills because she had no emergency fund.

I wish she would wise up as well as all those people who complain about their debt as they are driving thru a drive thru or headed to a restaurant. Love it! I am so amazed at the packed parking lots of ALL the restaurants in town ALL the time!

You go girl. I would like to say how very true it is that many of us do not realize just how much we spend eating out. Since the beginning of the year, we have been tracking every reciept for all purchases in a notebook under a category.

We add them up at the end of each month. We were surprised to see even though we eat out less than once a week on average, we were spending at least a couple of hundred dollars for our family of four to eat out each month!

Keep all the receipts in a shoe box till you record them and see for yourself what you are really spending. It puts it into perspective when you have to face the numbers on the page. We rarely and I mean rarely go out to eat. We cook very simply but eat very well and we always wonder why so many people eat out for almost every meal of the day!

If remember correctly the man who wanted to be healed had to be the first person to touch the water and there was always someone who touched the water before him. The water only moved at certain times and only the first person to touch the water got healed. I think you are correct but after all those years I think I would have scooted myself to the edge and kept trying to be the first.

Very Well Said!!!!! I could see that this was becoming a debt issue and told him, as much fun as it is, it has to stop. I am partly to blame as I was forgetting to take something out or would be too busy on weekends to cook when we would get hungry. Planning my weekly meals has helped tremendously and now its a treat to go out, not an every weekend thing, and we pay cash instead of using a credit card.

Loved this message.. hope lots take your advise.. we eat out very little. But when I worked it was hard to take a lunch everyday.. It is a treat when we do now.. thanks for all the info..

We eat out rarely but with our life style it is so tempting to do so. We leave in the morning go out boating and only eat crackers and cheese or finger bun sandwiches during the day. We get home about 9pm exhausted. I now keep a box of egg rolls, chinese appetizers, fish sticks and french fries in the freezer.

We get home and while we shower the oven is pre-heating. Put pans into the oven and go relax while dinner is cooking. Going for take out we wait 15 min. take it home let it get cold while we shower and it loses its appeal if not piping hot.

But I still get to relax before and during the meal. Your remark about how your grandson can boil a hotdog made me smile. The eggs were hard, the toast burnt, and the coffee full of grounds. She ate it anyway — what love!

A year later, I was able to cook meals for the whole famly. If a ten year old can cook meat, mashed potatoes Real ones, not instant and vegetables, any adult ought to be able to do it with little trouble. BTW, that family was Mum, Dad, and the five of us kids. Later, my elder sister moved home with her baby son.

I just peeled an extra potato, and served homemade muffins for dessert. I had to laugh — at myself. To shorten a long story, 25 minutes later I finally got my food, and I was very hot, very sweaty sorry, ladies , and really pretty aggravated at myself.

NO, it did not. Boy, did I learn a lesson there. but there are times I just want to eat and not have to clean up. I am definitely learning that cleaning up a bit definitely pays in the long run!

Love this! Our favourite: A rotisserie deli chicken leftovers become sandwiches , a bag of those 5-minute quick-cooking shoestring fries, a bag of salad and a tomato, cuke, etc that can be tossed in leftover salad with chicken on top for someone.

We would have some rolls too if we could eat wheat. Rotisserie chicken are a life saver I agree, I just wish they did not have so much sodium the one at wall mart have mg of sodium. There is always a trade-off, Chris. Great article! We only eat out for special occasions.

I cook dinner for us every night and spend roughly an hour as well as cooking breakfast and lunch for our family of 7 and packing a lunch for my husband. Thanks for your time! Elizabeth Gregg. Elizabeth, if you go to the home page of the web site and type in 30 minute meals in the search box you will come up with a whole bunch of menus ideas we have on there.

Tawra is wanting us to do a quick and easy menus book soon but until then this should help you. We also are having a sale on our grocery saving e book next week, I think, which is really good because it teaches how to not only make your own menus up but so many other ways to get in and out of the grocery store and kitchen fast and with less work.

My husband and I cook for four hours in one go on the weekend. Last weekend we added hand-held meat pies store bought pie shells stuffed with ground beef, potatoes, onions, and carrots and then individually wrapped in foil for quick grab and go.

Brown rice, ground turkey, onion, peanuts, and cilantro medley to eat warm or cold. Six individual tossed salads put into snap and seal and they stay fresh for five days. Roasted carrots, beets, and onions — just pop into the oven.

Steamed two bags of spinach and two heads of cauliflower. Microwaved four sweet potatoes, peeled, and mashed with butter and walnuts. Boiled and peeled six eggs. Homemade mac and cheese with jalapenos. Used about 1.

All reheat well or are eaten cold or at room temp. We find it much more time efficient to multitask — there are, after all, four burners, and two oven racks. Doing once a week takes 8 hrs that is the hours total for 2 of you of cooking time.

a week when you do the meals each evening. Just so you would know. Eating out was a major obstacle on our path to getting our finances under control. How ridiculous that sounds now, treating ourselves to more debt! The one major thing that has helped us go from eating out a week to eating out only a month is planning our menus.

I can not stress how much this has helped us!!! Also, I love my crockpot, literally, LOVE IT!! THANK YOU!!!!!! I have been following you for a year now. Between you and Hillbilly Housewife. Good job Becky! People think we are crazy when we say it can be done but you are the perfect example it can.

Do you feel like you have really suffered or is it better? Well said! My husband and I when we started out family made the decision to cook more homecooked meals. Dinner has always been an open invitation with friends and family so we quite often have last minute guests at our table, which is easily accomidated for.

We made an 8 week meal plan, and a master grocery list of all the ingredients needed for all the dishes. The master grocery list also acts as a price book so if something is on sale, we know if its worth stocking up. This passed Easter, our extended family wanted to go out to a restaurant for brunch.

Instead, my husband and I invited everyone over, and we cooked. Best part: I spent 30 minutes in the kitchen to make all that food. Simple things like a little bit or garnish, folded cloth napkins, fresh bread and a simple salad gave the meal a gourmet feel. It was hard to give up our fast food diet, but now when we do treat ourselves to it, we pay for it, and not just financially.

I WAS JUST THINKING-WAIT-I ATE LUNCH OUT TODAY AND NOW I AM ORDERING DINNER-WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE!!!!! I can justify- a lunch date with a friend, planned so that felt o.

k- then visiting a sick relative.. DEAD tired as my busy season just ended BUT whne I add it up- OUCH!!!!! I am re-committing to a certain dollar amount in a envelope a week and when that is gone- no excuses!!!!!!!!!! THANKS for the kick in the butt!!!!

Congratulations on your always wise and practical advice! You are people that really make a difference in this world! Hope your site gets known more and more internationally. You had some good points. I especially liked the idea to just take some hotdogs in the thermos for the kids.

Dinners or lunches do not have to be fancy all the time. I think for myself, I tend to get the pizzas or grab take-out when I am tired. Some days getting a take-out pizza is a big help. I know it is quick and easy and may not be and all the time thing but really there are plenty of other quick and easy that are healthy.

One thing I always say is that if you worry too much about every little bite you put in your mouth and stress if this has too much of that or too little of this that you are causing more damage to your health by all the stress and worry and not being able to relax and eat a simple hot dog once in awhile.

Not only are people stressing themselves out but causing their families a lot of stress. If a person is always worrying about something all that good food you ate this morning is almost canceled out by all the worry, fear and negative thinking done that morning.

You are preaching to the choir here! We ate out just last night. We could talk about anything we wanted without eaves droppers.

No line, no waiter, no tip… It was great! The windows were open and the breeze blew through the house. I think we will repeat this. Meanwhile, my son took his wife out to eat. I carry emergency rations in the car or bring the lunch box depending on what our plans are.

If I ever consider going to fast food, I chicken out really quick! It costs too much! Like someone else said, the food costs way more than what I can do at home. Going out to breakfast? One fried egg costs more than the whole carton of eggs! Why should I pay for that? Thank you for sharing of yourself as you share your points and ideas.

I have been reading your newsletters for YEARS and enjoy it every single time. Not many resources are written in such a friendly, frank way that I each time I see it, I am eager to read.

About time someone speaks out. And one if my pet peeves is so many people have no money for food,but are constantly talking on a cell phone,which i feel is not a necessary item.

Now i feel better. Thank you. There was a sort of funny but very sad email that went around for a while a year ago.

Why was she at a soup kitchen if she could afford a cell phone for that price? Excellent post! Thanks for all the great advice! Great article — and great website in general! I just discovered Living on a Dime and am having a wonderful time going through all of the articles. This one in particular I love — I have a baaaaad habit of going out for lunch, but have been working on breaking it.

I am saving SO much money! They are wonderful. Now, if only I can tear myself away from Living on a Dime, I can go start peeling potatoes for dinner… ; hehehe.

Loved your comment Kristi — especially the last part about tearing yourself away. Too funny. I am a recently divorced mom. I had to learn to not go out to lunch. I often did times a week. I enjoy getting your emails, I have really enjoyed this article. I am a rural mail carrier, and alot of times get in late off the rt.

get home help feed the cattle, come in start dinner, try to clean part of the house. Now that the kids are grown and gone I have done it more. Ouch on the ck book! I am trying really hard to figure out how to do a budget.

Anyway, I have your Dining On A Dime and bought my daughter and my daughter in law one also. I got some of you ebooks also. There is sooooooooooo much more love in every bite of a homecooked meal.

There is a certain satisfaction of performing such a loving act for your family. Eating out should be for a special event or celebration. Not the other way around. Bring your family together for dinner. Wait a minute!!!! Every thing is backwards nowadays. How sad. And you are soooo right.

It does not have to be gourmet or fancy. Just go cook already. I just got this newsletter in my inbox today and am so thankful for the information.

I honestly have been so encouraged to change these bad habits because I have this information and support available and I think about it constantly. Now when my husband and I leave the house around a mealtime, go out for the day or could end up in a situation far from home for an extended period of time, I pack his lunch bag with some water, a flavored beverage of sorts, some healthy snacks or a homemade treat that I store in the freezer and a cold pack.

We then have an alternative to buying more food and insentive to plan ahead and eat what we brought. Thank you SO much for the article on eating out. Having lived quite a few years abundantly on less, I was beginning to wonder if anyone out there had a grip on reality.

Thank You for your wise words; I pray they are a blessing to someone. I love this article. We added up about Even when you are tired after work, the kids can help and fix a quick meal and they can also help clean up! They have a lot more energy than we do!

Did you have an article last year about growing a plant in a planter made of an upside down hanging bottle?

If so could you send me a copy. I think it was in one of your newsletters, but I may be mistaken. Your newsletter is really great. It is a home economics class extroidenare! Thank you, thank you. I pass this along to many of my friends. The only thing you left out was what we pay for water each day.

If only I would have thought of it first. Ann I know what you mean about the water thing. One of my pet peeves. I wrote a big section on it in our Grocery Shopping on a Budget e course. You throw in bottled water and it can go up even more. I needed a few groceries and while at the grocery store remembered that advice.

I went to the deli and bought our favorite rare roast beef sandwich meat, which usually is not on the list because of the cost. Make enough for Saturday lunch and a Sunday lunch. Some fresh biscuits or toast on the side is a wonderful addition. So all we have to do when we get home from church is warm up the soup!

It has saved us so much money because we never go out to eat for Sunday lunch anymore. We used to go out probably at least once per month. I had a teen-aged student male who complained about his stomach hurting. I asked what he had had for breakfast since I thought that might be the cause of the pain.

I told him how to cook oatmeal and gave him a few suggestions for other things. Several weeks later he proudly told me that he was cooking breakfast for himself and his younger sister every day.

Such a small thing to make a difference for two people! As a recently divorced mother of 3, I am completely budget run. During the work week, I can very easily bring my own lunch, but as crazy as it sounds— I feel bad when my coworker who is a batcheor and rarely buys groceries and eats out all the time but it financially stable has to go out to eat alone!

Maybe I will start bringing in lunch for him, too! My coworker and I used to spend lunchtime going over to our cafeteria and having lunch and talking. We decided, after many stomach aches, and other problems, that we would start cooking at home for 2 and sharing lunch.

We not only had much better food but save tons of money. Amen to every word you said! You are so right! I wish you and your family well. Will you continue the web site?

Sure hope so. Thank you, Anne. Anne, Tawra and her family is moving to Colorado and for the moment I am staying here in Kansas. I hope to move there eventually too.

Nothing will change at all on the web site. We can run the web site the same way from any where. Even with us living in the same town Tawra and I do most of the web site stuff on the phone with each other which we will still do. I laugh because when they moved to kansas and I was still in Idaho by myself I averaged plus calls a month between the grown kids and grandkids.

It was a good thing we had free calling. The grandkids are dying for me to get a web phone this move. Not too sure about that one. But it might be fun. I will get to visit them often anyway. Interesting about the man at the pool. When we say there is not time to do—we are telling God He messed up—He should have created more time for us.

Appreciate the info you give—God bless on your move. Everyone has a bad day or two, but and please do not take offense as none is intended, just an honest inquiry it sounds from the tone of your most recent newsletter that you may be experiencing a touch of burn-out.

I see my husband going through burn-out at work and suggested that he take a few days off, and he is doing much better and regaining his perspective. It is difficult, day in and day out, to help people with the same type of troubles, but your patience and persistence in doing so for years has made a lovely website that we refer to frequently, thank you for all you do!

I seem to recall your having an ebook on dealing with chronic illness in home responsibilities? Also, speaking for myself alone, it takes me at least 30 minutes to get a roast in the oven — I cannot peel and chop taters and carrots and celery fast enough and brown the roast enough to do a meal in 5 minutes.

I think it may perhaps be more realistic for some people to suggest that the time is necessary but worthwhile for your family, because even with cleaning up while I go and chopping vegetables the day or night beforehand, everything just takes longer right now.

Thank you for all you do, and your many great articles and insights,. CJ it is called Common Cents When You are Sick scroll down the page a bit and you will find it.

It covers all kinds to things on what to do when you are sick and we try to encourage those who are. You are an amazing gal, and you probably do take 5 minutes only!

Thanks, C. I love your articles and look forward to them all the time. Sometimes I even save them in a special folder to go back and remind me. I am not good with archives ;- So I have to admit that when I read the articles it reminds me of my preacher preaching to me and stepping on my toes.

Can I get an Amen!!! I realize I truly need to implement the advice from you all along with my pastor. Thank you once again for a wonderful read! I love these words of wisdom because they are truly nuggets of truth. As an older single man, who has always cooked for the family, and now finds himself alone and still cooking like I had teens in the house, I need help.

I find I keep saying that I will eat the left overs, and then wind up throwing much of it in the trash. The practical tips of eating at home are good, but what about us that need help with eating for one or two. I have found that my budget has gone down some but still remains higher than I would like.

Would you consider addressing these issues. Keep up the great advice. BTW, I now make my own pizza dough thanks to Living on a Dime. Jim I get asked this question often. I have even written an big section in our e book Grocery Saving on a budget e course to cover this whole subject.

I mention many tips and ideas on how singles can save. One thing I think you have already figured out what part of what you need to do and that is to cut back on the amounts. I make up 2 potatoes to mash instead of the 6 I use to cook.

One for dinner that evening and the other I use for potato pancakes the next day. The better buy per oz. would be the 30 oz jar. Hope that makes sense.

There are many little tricks you can learn. I am as guilty as anyone with eating out and rather than quit cold turkey with eating out, we have made a set of rules to help us step-down from eating out so much.

And last but not least 3: We put a set amount of cash in a cookie jar once a month for eating out and when it is gone, it is gone. I find that my kids love to help me in the kitchen, especially since it is grilling season.

If the boys have sports practice after school, I keep a supply of turkey or ham, their favorite cheese, bread or wraps in my office fridge and make them sandwiches or wraps for snacks to eat on their way to practice. It sure helps to not have to hit the fast food restaurant or the gas station quick counter.

Good ideas Brenda. Jill, I hope the new books you are writing will be in real book form. I love real books. Ebooks are okay, but not the same.

I reread and reread the books I have of yours that are real books in the evening while relaxing and I look forward to that many times. I love all your books. Saves calories and choc chips for future baking. After all who made up the rule that a person has to use a whole bag of choc chips for one batch of cookies?

The manufacturers get rich that way. HA HA. Yes, Bea we are working on getting new covers and re-typesetting right now. We hope to be releasing a new print book once a month of our e-books toward the end of the summer…I hope. I have always loved to cook and have been cooking since I was about 8 years old, but when I went back to work full time, we slipped into going out not for dinner, but lunch every day.

I read your advie to stop eating out and stopped, cold turkey no pun intended! we now have taken the money that we would have spent on food and invested it in a gym where we go 3X a week and of course even though the gym is an expense, it is so much less than the daily cost of going out to eat and we are so much better off for it.

Fishing is also an option, but we need a boat and with all of the money that we have saved from not going out to eat, we are planning on buying one in July, cash of course!

Thanks for your advice and keep up the good work. ya know what i just noticed? they do not eat out in that movie not sure of the others … the wife fixes the meals and when they have guests, she makes the vegi plate..

most of the movies that i have seen and can recall.. all of them have a restaurant scene in it.. just wanted to share.. i have thru lots of trial and error.. the tea that comes to the closest in that taste.. its louisianne tea..

it is really good.. i asked our server and she said they made the iced tea with louisianne tea … i did manage to get some lipton cold brew for my hubby … and normally he is fine with anything i give him.. any kind of tea he will drink and not sure if had an upset tummy or if they use different types of tea blends so u can make the cold brew..

or it was bc of the leukemia he has and the meds.. or whatever.. and his tummy doesnt seem to bother him with this blend.. normally he can only handle one pot of the others but with this one he is fine.. i take one tea bag and brew for the coffee pot 12 cup pot and then tell him to water it down for each glass … so its like half tea and half water in the glass he cant handle ice cubes,, why?

not sure but his dr said it was a side effect of the leukemia.. not sure if this is really true but it is with hubby.. just wanted to share :D. Hi Tawra! Just a quick hello from Sydney Austalia. I love getting your newsletters into my inbox at work. You are a blessing to us here in Oz! Bless you so much Izzi Sydney Australia.

Thanks Izzi. As I have said before we love hearing from our readers who are outside of the US. Have a super day — night???? and very pertinent i think for me at this time.. we nickel and dime ourselves into debt…and usually its a mcDEBT!

Hi Celina. Thank you for these great reminders! They help me out of the cooking slumps I get into sometimes. Your simple suggestions definately make daily cooking easier. I especially appreciate your personal experiences, and never do you sound sanctimonious!

Love your spot! I AGREE!!!! Most times I just put leftovers in a plastic container in which I heat up in the microwave at work the next day. For that SAME price I could have gotten a couple of packs of luncheon meat and several bottles of soda not to mention a couple of whole loaves of bread!

AH live and learn!!! Next time I will bring the oatmeal to work!!!!! I just found your website and I dont sugar coat anything either. I just wanted to say this post really opend my eyes to ALOT of things I could and should be doing differently.

My sweet man is such a great cook that we rarely go out to eat. the hard part is slowing us down so that the leftovers are eaten before the next feast… He sometimes has a vision of a new meal before we have cleared the last out of the fridge….

Tonight, we ate mostly leftovers and when we were done, he sadly said that he would do the dishes in the morning.

However, I got the dishes done in about 7 minutes, and tomorrow the counters will beckon for another great meal. I have found that we cannot purchase a meal at a restaurant that comes close to what we can do at home, and the quality at home is under my control — fresh, local, no additives, seasonal….

I just found your website and I love it! Do you have any suggestions on saving money while doing your own cooking? We very rarely eat out, but my food expenses are almost equal to our mortgage I have 6 children, including 4 teens.

Thank you for all your do. Jackie just keep checking out the web site. We have articles about saving juice, pop etc.

We also have a Grocery Shopping on a Budget e course which is packed full. I like it the best of all the books for having tons of info and different info on saving when buying groceries.

It and like with most of our books we find most people get back the money they paid for it by using even one or two tips from it.

But like I said just keep looking at the different articles. A quick tip for those days when ball practice is eating up all your time. Heat canned chili and put it into indidual packs of fritos, throw some grated cheese on top and give the kids a spoon.

Quick easy and no cleanup, just throw the bag away. Also good with doritos and leftover taco meat! Wow, that was a long post today…but really, really GOOD and very necessary : : My dad and I used to eat a lot of processed food, and eat out, too.

Although for us, what got us to stop doing that was our health. Our food bill has drastically increased simply because we had to go gluten free. One of our children has been diagnosed with celiac disease and I have since been diagnosed as highly gluten intolerant.

Eating out is not usually an option. Gluten-free bread is expensive. So stop eating bread, or at least drastically reduce it. Eat more fruit, veggies, rice, different GF grains, meats, eggs, etc. We still do some breads, cakes, etc, but they are treats not staples. Also, know which popular brands are generally gluten-free and will label allergens.

Kraft in Canada will ALWAYS label gluten and gluten cross-contamination. I can buy their stuff fairly confidently. I hit up people I know that are traveling to the US to bring me back a bottle or two.

My local grocery store will happily provide a list of gluten-free in-house products like sausage on demand, or wil make to order for no extra charge. You just have to ask. We buy organic meat and eggs directly from the farm, get a garden share in the summer plus our our garden, can and dry our food when we can.

We are also gluten-free. We spend less money than most families in our area on food. So, went home and said, dinner is scrambled eggs, bacon and toast with apple slices.

Hubby likes this meal and it cost me nothing more since all the ingredients were at home. It only took about 15 min to make microwaved the bacon while the eggs were cooking and only a few minutes to clean up after dinner.

I bring my lunch and breakfast every day to work and like that I can buy a whole package of English muffins for the price of one muffin at our deli here in the building.

I think only having cash to spend works well for me. Not tempted to spend more than I can afford. One more note. This reduces the cost of the items I buy at the grocery store and I like purchasing local items and keeping our local farms still going.

Sometimes their costs are a little more but you cannot deny the freshness. Agree wholeheartedly with everything in your great article! My husband works 55 hrs. a week physical work at age 59 and even though we could afford it, he takes his lunch every day except Friday.

For many years, he has even had the exact same lunch every day! Nice to have an outing, though. When I was a kid it was a real treat to eat in a restaurant since it was so rare. My siblings and I still joke about how our road trip meals were a loaf of bread and pkg.

of baloney along the way. The recipes are straightforward and simple. The book is from so it is current. Ordered it from the library first to try it out and it is so worth it. Except for a couple of ingredient they use everyday stuff.

Baked goods,pasta,desserts,mains etc. Lots of good ideas to bring gluten free products back into line with a normal budget!

Good luck with it. My family only goes out to eat once a year. That is all we can afford. It makes it a special event.

I think once people make a certain meal a few times, it will get easier and easier. I try to have something a little more special on Fridays I call them Friday Fun Meals like pizza, tacos, fahitas, etc.

Not being in debt is much more fun than going out to eat!!! Besides, no list of arguments against eating out would be complete without Grover guess who! I have had to be frugal for quite some time and know how to stretch the old dollar that is having a hard time because everything has gone up that is the standard expenses like electricity and then should I say the 8.

Oh boy! My dollar has really had a hard time stretching these days like it used to even a year ago. So when I read about stopping going out to eat which we do once a month anyway I thought of the reasons that I do go. Here they are: 1. Someone else is cooking than me 2.

I have to eat anyway so I guess I could say food is something not so evil as buying a product in the store would be. They can cook what I am craving better than my Husband on the BBQ can. And the one that really is not mentioned above in your comments is 4.

So thank you for letting me process the reason that I will still probably eat out once a month and continue to drink water and not order a desert because the benefits out weigh for me at the moment.

I just wanted to say most of our meals are made at home and it has saved us a huge amount. One thing I do with a friend.

When we go to town to do a grocery shopping, pay bills, doctors visits, eye spcalist and any thing else that we can fit in that day, often one of us will have fasting blood sugars to be taken and we will be ready to eat when done.

We have a 34 kilometer round trip so plan our trips to town. We go to a nice resturant, order their soup and sandwich special and an extra cup of soup and a plate. we split the sandwich and each have a cup of soup. We take our time and enjoy our coffee and lunch out.

Other times we get our groceries, and find a nice picnic spot. Make a sandwich from what we just bought, and a piece of fruit. Most of the time we just go to town and home, but these other times are the ones we remember and enjoy. Plan your meals around these offers to take advantage of free appetizers, entrees or desserts.

Stay tuned to social media for promotional details. Restaurants like to hear about your experience at their establishment, so if they ask you to complete a survey, take them up on the offer. Similarly, SurveyMini is a free app that unlocks discounts when you complete questionnaires about restaurants.

Don't forget to factor in a tip for your server. For easy ways to incorporate needs and wants into your spending plan, see our advice on how to budget for both. On a similar note Personal Finance. How to Eat Out on a Budget. Follow the writer. MORE LIKE THIS Personal Finance.

Buy gift cards below face value. Ask for a discount. Join the club. Make wise menu choices. Dine on national days. Take a survey. Leave room in your budget.

Big.kim › Money In terms of numbers, Singletary says people who stop eating out saved an average of $ to $ per month. The normal 12 Simple Tricks for Saving Money When You're Out at a Restaurant · Like 'em · Celebrate good times · Avoid holiday: Savings on dining out

I just Savlngs your our Economical meal packages I dont sugar Bargain-priced office catering anything either. I love all your books. Click here to our Instacart Express for FREE for 14 days. Ebooks are okay, but not the same. The one major thing that has helped us go from eating out a week to eating out only a month is planning our menus. Take 5 Expenses Off the Chopping Block.	October 03, by Olivia Lin. Check out kids-eat-free days Feeding a family can mean a big bill, even if kids order off their own menu with smaller portions and lower prices. Fixed-price menus are becoming super popular for major holidays. Learning how to budget might seem overwhelming, but hear this: You can do it. Dine on national days. With an AARP membership you get a percentage off at a slew of restaurants across the country.	17 Easy Ways to Cut the Cost of Eating Out · 1. Special menu. Many restaurants offer a reduced-price menu for seniors How to save money on dining out · 1. Hit up happy hour · 2. Share your plate · 3. BYOB · 4. Be careful on self-service The average commercially-prepared meal, by our estimates, costs around $ Even if you rarely spend this much money at	5 restaurant tricks that will save you money · 1. Do your homework. Almost every restaurant's menu is available online big.kim › Money Even with food prices soaring you can save on restaurant meals · 1. Timing is everything · 2. Show your loyalty to save	How to Save Money at Restaurants · 1. Save half of your meal. Before your food arrives, ask for a to-go box. · 2. Use 26 Ways to Save Money Eating Out at Restaurants · 1. Take Advantage of Military or Veteran Discounts · 2. Bring Coupons Make “less but often” your motto · Treat yourself, by yourself · Limit your alcohol intake rather than cutting booze out
Shifting when you go out to eat by Economical grocery items Bargain-priced office catering little bit Economical meal packages cook up Savibgs. It and like Economical meal packages most of our books we find most Saivngs get back Savings on dining out diinng they paid for it by using even one or two tips from it. All sat down at night for supper around a table and ate ONE meal, the same food for everyone. My family only goes out to eat once a year. i asked our server and she said they made the iced tea with louisianne tea … i did manage to get some lipton cold brew for my hubby … and normally he is fine with anything i give him.	most of the movies that i have seen and can recall.. I am not good with archives ;- So I have to admit that when I read the articles it reminds me of my preacher preaching to me and stepping on my toes. Of course I would love for him to be able to eat at home, but the drive is more than an hour. You commit to cooking meals at home for that period, and to not spend a dime on restaurants and takeout. She also challenges families to use all those extra food items they have lying around, like canned food in the pantries and chicken in the back of the freezer.	17 Easy Ways to Cut the Cost of Eating Out · 1. Special menu. Many restaurants offer a reduced-price menu for seniors How to save money on dining out · 1. Hit up happy hour · 2. Share your plate · 3. BYOB · 4. Be careful on self-service The average commercially-prepared meal, by our estimates, costs around $ Even if you rarely spend this much money at	Make “less but often” your motto · Treat yourself, by yourself · Limit your alcohol intake rather than cutting booze out Missing 17 Easy Ways to Cut the Cost of Eating Out · 1. Special menu. Many restaurants offer a reduced-price menu for seniors	17 Easy Ways to Cut the Cost of Eating Out · 1. Special menu. Many restaurants offer a reduced-price menu for seniors How to save money on dining out · 1. Hit up happy hour · 2. Share your plate · 3. BYOB · 4. Be careful on self-service The average commercially-prepared meal, by our estimates, costs around $ Even if you rarely spend this much money at
Doning have been following Exclusive brand samples for a Savinbs now. the Bargain-priced office catering part is slowing us down so that the Savins are eaten before the next feast… He sometimes has a vision of a new meal before we have cleared the last out of the fridge…. As a recently divorced mother of 3, I am completely budget run. Apps including Hooch, OpenTable, Restaurant. Any words of wisdom?	I make him two meals a day to take with him. Then maybe try having 3 meals at home and start using plates. It was fun for them and we could afford that so we did it. Between the coupons and the selection and checking melons and sell by dates and ugh…all the people. We repeat this cycle, until we have our annual 8 to 10 cord of wood for the year. I wish she would wise up as well as all those people who complain about their debt as they are driving thru a drive thru or headed to a restaurant. Instead, pick your favorites while keeping within your budget.	17 Easy Ways to Cut the Cost of Eating Out · 1. Special menu. Many restaurants offer a reduced-price menu for seniors How to save money on dining out · 1. Hit up happy hour · 2. Share your plate · 3. BYOB · 4. Be careful on self-service The average commercially-prepared meal, by our estimates, costs around $ Even if you rarely spend this much money at	big.kim › Money How to Save Money at Restaurants · 1. Save half of your meal. Before your food arrives, ask for a to-go box. · 2. Use 50 Ways to Spend Less When Eating Out · Eat Out for Less · Order Online and Pick Up · Take Advantage of Free Meals for	It depends on what food you like but try for restaurants where you get enough for the next day. If going to a place big.kim › Money 12 Simple Tricks for Saving Money When You're Out at a Restaurant · Like 'em · Celebrate good times · Avoid holiday

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Savings on dining out - Make “less but often” your motto · Treat yourself, by yourself · Limit your alcohol intake rather than cutting booze out 17 Easy Ways to Cut the Cost of Eating Out · 1. Special menu. Many restaurants offer a reduced-price menu for seniors How to save money on dining out · 1. Hit up happy hour · 2. Share your plate · 3. BYOB · 4. Be careful on self-service The average commercially-prepared meal, by our estimates, costs around $ Even if you rarely spend this much money at

Plus, like I said before- cooking goes so much faster if you have an extra set of hands in the kitchen. Pro tip: Want to kick it up a notch? Head out to your favorite bookstore and pick out a cookbook.

Then, open up to a random page. If cooking all three meals every single day is a little bit much for your schedule, you can always try intermittent fasting. Then, you eat more substantial meals during that smaller time frame.

This can be helpful if you prefer to eat bigger meals less often, but be sure to do your own research, and always do what is best for your own body.

Think sandwiches, salads and wraps. Meal prepping is when you batch cook a large amount of food in one go and eat it throughout the week.

For example, on Sunday evening, you could prepare lunches and dinners for the entire work week, saving you loads of time and usually quite a bit of money too! If your daily routine is eating out, try to challenge yourself to just reduce the amount of times you go out in every given week.

For example, if you usually eat out 5x per week, can you get it down to only 3x? You get to design your own no eating out challenge — so make the goal realistic.

Of course, a no eating out challenge comes with great benefits for your wallet! But it also comes with some serious lifestyle upgrades as well. Here are just a few reasons why YOU should take this challenge on.

No mysteries, no surprises. It makes for easier portion control! If you want to help your friends or set up your kids to live a healthier and more frugal lifestyle, why not lead by example? And this is the most fun part of the whole challenge. Ooh la la! Going to restaurants and getting takeout can be a super fun way to treat yourself.

Doing it in excess can take a toll on your health and your savings. A no eating out challenge can help to jump start a healthier lifestyle and help you get used to cooking more at home.

Save on clothing, gifts, beauty and other everyday shopping needs. Many restaurants and quick-serve establishments will help you celebrate your birthday by giving you a discount on menu items, a free drink or even a birthday dessert.

Most restaurants require you to sign up for their loyalty program to get the celebratory kickback. These deals tend to be good for a few days after your birthday, which means you can spread out the savings. If you are asked to take a survey at the end of the meal, do it, says Dvorkin.

Sometimes restaurants will reward you with a coupon or discount for sharing your thoughts on your experience. She has spent over two decades writing and covering news for several national publications including The Wall Street Journal , Forbes , Investopedia and HerMoney.

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SAVE MONEY WITH THESE LIMITED-TIME OFFERS. Even with food prices soaring you can save on restaurant meals. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn.

Donna Fuscaldo,. En español. Published March 14, See All Newsletters.