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We all are looking for ways to save money, and one of the best ways to save a big chunk of change is to cut your food budget in half, especially this time of year. However, you can REALLY save money by not eating out!
Let's do some quick math:
- If you eat at a sit-down restaurant with a family of 4 you could easily wind up spending $50 – $60. Let's say you do that once a week. Now we're looking at around $240 per month.
- And let's say you hit the drive-thru once a week on a busy night. Or maybe even twice? (AND, if you HAVE to hit the drive-thru, some days be sure to have this fast food happy hour deals around town handy so you can save while you're out).
- That could bring your eating-out total up to $500-$700 a month depending on the size of your family.
One of MANY frugal feasts in our home ~ we ate dinner for just $1.49!
WHAT???
That's right – changing just your family's dining-out habits could save you more cash than if you cut cable AND ditched your cell phone plan! If you want to save money by not eating out – keep reading for some helpful tips I've learned over the years.
Save Money By Not Eating Out with These 6 Tips
Just eating at home more often could be a HUGE blessing to your family's budget, as well as giving you more time around the table with your favorite people (and you'll eat healthier meals too.)
But you're more likely to succeed if you go into it with a good plan. (Jump in without one and you're more likely to end up stressed out and frustrated. I have totally been there!)
Here are 6 genius tricks to kick the drive-thru habit, by making eating at home easier and less stressful.
Tips to Save Money By Not Eating Out
1. Start With Simple Goals
Eating at home doesn't have to be overwhelming. No one is expecting you to turn into Martha Stewart overnight (except maybe yourself.) 😉
If your main goal is to save money – then just making spaghetti and a salad for dinner is a WIN if you've saved $40 compared to eating out.
As you get used to the routine of cooking at home more often you can surprise your family and yourself with new and more exciting recipes. Just about everything in life works better when done in baby steps – so don't set yourself up for failure with super crazy expectations. 🙂
(print your free menu plan sheet HERE)
2. Make a Menu Plan
Seriously – this is probably my BEST tip I can give you guys! If I don't sit down and at least plan out a bare-bones menu for the week – I find myself either:
a) Stressing out right before supper time and running around trying to cobble together just… whatever!
b) Running to the store for that very necessary ingredient I don't have (and of course it's NEVER on sale when you do that…)
c) Giving in to the convenience of the drive thru
I highly recommend our Menu Planning Made Easy menu plans. This system is a unique and done-for-you menu planning system that comes in three varieties slow cooker menus, freezer menus and our new summer menus. The system includes recipe cards, shopping lists and more! If you'd rather we also have a PDF version available so you can download it and go.
All recipes are printed on high quality paper, with the shopping lists being printed on a dry-erase paper. You can reuse the grocery lists multiple times and enjoy the recipes for years to come! You'll also be added to our private Supper Club as a bonus where we share our favorite recipes, tips and tricks. It's our “happy” on the internet and I think you'll love it too!
3. Shop the Sales
One of the most effective ways to save money eating at home is to fill your cart with what's on sale at the grocery.
I like to sit down with the weekly ad and plan my menu around what's cheap that week. If ground turkey is on sale – we'll plan meals around that. If it's chicken breast, I'll do some of our favorite chicken dishes. Great deal on potatoes? Sounds like a great week for potato soup and loaded baked potatoes!
And even if you don't need them for the week's menu, I recommend always snagging a really good deal on items your family uses a lot. This way when you need them for a later week's meal plan, you've already gotten them for a steal.
Check out our grocery store deals category for specials near you this week – along with coupons you can print out that match each sale.
4. Freezer Cooking!
Many of us just don't have the time to spend an hour or two cooking before dinner. But that doesn't mean you can't still eat at home most nights!
Our Freezer Menu Plans include:
12 weeks of freezer menu plans and helpful tips. The menu plans, recipes and grocery lists come on individual cards.
Pick a time once or twice a month after a grocery trip to prep meals for the freezer. Add all the ingredients to the freezer bag, dicing and measuring as you go, so that one morning when you're rushing out the door you can dump the whole frozen meal into a crockpot and come home to a fantastic dinner.
This is seriously a LIFE SAVER for busy nights!
5. Try a Time-Saving Gadget
If you need a little extra motivation to give eating at home a real chance – maybe its time to gift yourself a time-saving kitchen gadget!
Many readers have raved about the Instant Pot (which is basically a modern, digital pressure cooker than can cook a whole chicken in about 30 minutes).
I personally am totally and completely in love with my Ninja Multi-Cooker – you can see why here.
And of course the Slow Cooker (or Crock Pot) has been a busy mom's best friend for decades! Set it up with a meal in the morning, and 8 hours later it's ready to plate. See lots of my favorite Slow Cooker Recipes here! OR take a look at our SLOW COOKER MENU PLANS.
If you really want to save money by not eating out – you can. Just like any worthwhile endeavor, it takes time and planning – but the benefits are so-so BIG!
Besides saving bundles of money, eating at home means my family winds up eating healthier meals and spending more quality time around the dinner table together. And I think that's worth all kinds of effort on my part!
Do you already eat at home most nights? Please share your tips for making it easier and less stressful!
Also if you've seen a difference in your budget since eating out less I'd absolutely LOVE to hear about it !
