One of the things I struggle with in my journey with frugal living is just how easy it is to go out to eat. Going out to eat can be fun, get us out of the house and prevent me from having to cook. Most of the time, we get excited to go out to eat, but by the time we get home, we are disappointed in the experience and the cost, and vow to stay home the next time.
With very little exception, preparing meals from scratch at home will always be more frugal when you compare similar meals. Using gourmet hard-to-find ingredients for a home prepared meal might cost you more than eating at McDonald’s, but it would still be a lot less than the same meal in a fancy restaurant.
When we are tempted to eat out, such as at the end of a long week, we use the following knowledge to keep us on track.
Was the food eaten out really that much better? Most of the time we are disappointed with the quality of restaurant food. I’m not saying that we don’t appreciate a restaurant meal every so often, but most of the time we find that the food is over or under seasoned, over processed, unhealthy or in tiny portions, leaving us to say “Why are we eating out?”
If there is a particular craving that you have (ours is the fresh homemade mushroom soup at our favorite local attraction), make a special trip to get just that. Build up the anticipation and go for that item only. It makes it all much more rewarding and much more of a conscious decision.
Don’t go away. Next up, we’ll continue with this idea, and I’ll share how you can earn a flat-screen television or a Disney vacation by cooking from scratch at home.
Click here for more articles by Mary Ann Romans.
Can You Live on One Income? Food Costs
How Much Does It Cost to Eat at Home?
Three Ways Your Crockpot Saves Money
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