Spending too much on eating out

[KPeterso]

Don't give up on cooking. I was never much of a cook. Baking - great, cooking - totally uninspired. But between the pandemic and my mother going downhill a bit, I have had to pick up the cooking a lot the last 1.5 years. And I think I have improved a lot. I have found a lot of new recipes to try out. Some huge hits, some major misses, and a few more that were good enough to go into the rotation. And most pretty easy to prepare.

 

[QueenIsabella]

I'm a huge fan of the crockpot. This plus freezing stuff in quantity can take a lot of hassle out of cooking--you take the gallon zip-loc straight from the freezer, put it in the crockpot, turn it on, and walk away for 8 hours. I like the "Make it Fast, Cook it Slow" cookbooks, but the author, Stephanie O'Dea, also has a website. She's honest about her fails, as well as her successes. She makes all manner of foods in her crockpot, from drinks to desserts--you don't have to be that fancy.

I don't do the meal kits, but my DD26 does. She and her boyfriend cook up 1-2 a week, as a date night--they cook together, then enjoy the meal. It's a bit more expensive than starting from nothing, but you get the exact ingredients, plus the recipe, and they've been pleased with most of the meals.

 

[bella_and_the_beast]

We have a schedule, but it's a meal prep schedule - I make most of the food for the week on Friday in about 3 hours. Granted it's only two of us, but it keeps us from eating out.

For example, I have 2 instant pots. I throw a bunch of veggies and lentils with veggie broth in one an make soup. That'll be 2-3 night of dinner, or freeze leftovers. We'll do salad for dinner once a week, so I cut up whatever veggies are going to go in it and put them in the fridge. We'll also do "bowl nights" which are simple - grain+protein+veggie. A grain will go in the other pot (enough for multiple meals), I put half in the freezer and put it in the fridge halfway through the week. I get a big pot on the stove and make our lunches - varies week to week, but this week was a kind of burrito bowl thing? Black beans, a can of tomatoes, onions, garlic, corn, taco seasoning...I eat it like that, my husband adds whatever grain we made.

Other than that, I'll wash veggies and keep them in mason jars for snacking, we have apples and bananas every week, a few types of nuts to eat as snacks, and we'll pre-portion a few mason jars with oatmeal to take to work. We also have meal replacement/protein powder for quick meals/snacks when we need something quick.

All that to say, I hate cooking too but prefer home-cooked food. Taking a few hours on Friday to meal prep for the week means little prep time throughout the week. When we do eat out, we'll spend slightly more to make sure we have enough food for 2 dinners. For example, when we have the option, we'll get the "large" portion vs the small or pick the "add extra" option for protein, and get an appetizer so we'll eat it for dinner 2 times that week.

 

[karen4546]

Join one of the meal delivery plans. The instructions are easy and much less than eating out everyday. EveryPlate, Home Chef, Hello Fresh, Blue Apron etc.

google for discounts and you should be able to get your first few boxes at $1.99/serving or less. Try a few under "trial periods" and see which one you like best. Look for the best deals on new members and start with that one. You get to choose your meals AND you can cancel at anytime.

You may start to enjoy cooking AND you will save money and probably eat healthier.

Bon Appétit

 

[butterscotchcollins]

We eat out a lot despite the fact that my husband LOVES to cook and is very good at it. We both have really demanding jobs so by the time dinner rolls around sometimes we're simply too exhausted to put a ton of effort into it. In those cases here are my suggestions:

1. Soup and sandwiches - get some nice fresh rolls from the grocery when you're done at the deli counter, we like roast beef & cheddar w/ horseradish and lentil soup or minestrone on the side
2. One-pot meals (chicken marsala/piccata, stir fry, etc. - all super easy, requires little prep work or actual "cooking" you just kind of brown the meat and heat everything through)
3. ZERO shame in frozen, pre-made, or boil-only - frozen vegetables are just as nutritious as fresh, throw those bad boys in the microwave and boil a pot of pasta or throw chicken in the oven at 425 for 30 mins and you're done. Or boil/grill hot dogs and steam some vegetables on the side. Again, I don't really consider this "cooking" because there's little alchemy involved, it's really just heating things to the right temp - and seasoning properly of course!

In regards to saving money when dining out, it really depends where you live and what kinds of cost-efficient or good value options are around but in general skip the alcohol and that will bring your total down quite significantly! Also look for places that include sides (like salad or rice) with your entree vs. always going a la carte.

 

[Travel60]

My son and DIL subscrib to one of the home cooking packages. Once or twice a week all the ingredients for a meal, down to the spices, are delivered. Most meals are ready in 30 minutes. They save the recipe cards and use them to make the same meal on their own later. It's not cheap but cheaper than eating out and eventually they will have a stack of recipe cards they like.

 

[White Cat]

We've been eating out a lot to include carry-out since we are not good at cooking.

Do you have a schedule where it's sandwiches one night a week, left-overs another night, etc.?

How do you save money if/when you eat out?

My wife enjoys cooking and does often. If something is left over one of us usually eats it for lunch the next day. When we eat out there is no thought of saving money, we order what we want. Neither of us orders anything extravagant.

 

[DLgal]

The best option is to learn how to cook. Don't write yourself off until you have really put in some effort. Cooking isn't hard. Humans have been doing it for tens of thousands of years. It is a hardwired ability that you just have to tap into.

There are so many ways to learn but my recommendation is You Tube videos or cooking shows. Cookbooks assume a level of knowledge/competence that you may not have by using certain lingo. Watch videos. Start with the kinds of foods you like to eat or order out. Build slowly and give yourself grace during the process. You can find a video of how to make almost anything on YouTube. I promise.

To answer your second question, yes, we do "sandwich night" and "breakfast for dinner night" and "frozen pizza night." We do a maximum of 2 meals out per week. One of those has to be a cheapie/fast food type and the other can be an expensive sit down or takeout. However, we still spend a TON of money on food. Groceries are our second highest expense after rent. We have a family of 4 with 2 teen boys. They can eat! Plus, I LOVE to cook and I splurge on high quality ingredients.

 

[Christine]

What I find when people say that "they aren't good at cooking" is that they really just don't like their own food that they make. It's not hard to cook at all. It's hard to make gourmet meals, sure, but the basics are not hard at all. But you know what? They don't taste nearly as seasoned as something you're picking up from a restaurant. Restaurant cooking generally goes heavy on the seasonings and fats--way more than you'd ever do at home. Most all meats are brined to some degree (takes time and salt), lots of butter is used as well as many sauces. Novice cooks or decent cooks who just aren't interested don't have the time or inclination to do all that, and therefore your chicken breast you made at home can be rather blah. And then you think you aren't a good cook.

My advice would be to cut WAY back on the dining out/carry out so you can get your tastebuds back to tasting what normal food should taste like.

 

[Skippy918]

We eat out or do take out often. We save money by using coupons. Google ‘your town’ coupon books and see what comes up. We also get the mailers which have coupons for restaurants as well.

I don’t like cooking but it’s more of I don’t know what to cook. Between picky kids and husband it’s easy to get stuck in a rut. My son cooks occasionally so that helps.

 

[HannaBelle]

I like to cook once and eat twice. Steaks and baked potatoes on the weekend become twice baked potatoes and a steak salad for a week night meal. Buy pre-seasoned meats at the store to make meals faster. Grilled fajita meat becomes quesadillas later in the week. Spaghetti with meat sauce becomes a pasta bake with some ricotta added. Steamed rice becomes homemade fried rice a couple of days later with some leftover chicken, steak or pork added (or all three) or pan seared spam and shrimp.

I meal plan on Sundays, grocery shop and prep for the week if I can. I also do a small amount of prep the night before just to make it that much easier when I walk in the door from work.

Good luck OP!

 

[cedricandsophie]

when I was working, We used to eat out several tImes a week. Now that I’m retired we try to limit it to 2 times. But that doesn’t mean I cook every night. I don’t consider getting subway for dinner or a salad from Portillo eating out.
I rarely cook on fridays so we may go to our favorite Mexican place or order pizza. My husband and I often go out to dinner, just the two of us, on Saturday night, We love sushi so a couple times a month I will pick up sushi from a good sushi place.
I don’t mind cooking, it’s just not my favorite thing to do. I often grill chicken or burgers and in the fall and winter we eat a lot of soups, we live in an old Victorian with no air conditioning except in the bedrooms so if it’s hot, I refuse to hang out in the kitchen very long. Those are take out nights for sure.

 

[ronandannette]

My son and DIL subscrib to one of the home cooking packages. Once or twice a week all the ingredients for a meal, down to the spices, are delivered. Most meals are ready in 30 minutes. They save the recipe cards and use them to make the same meal on their own later. It's not cheap but cheaper than eating out and eventually they will have a stack of recipe cards they like.

Yes - for someone like the OP a meal subscription service is a fantastic idea. Not only does it eliminate all the planning (beyond choosing what you want to order), the instructions are clear and the techniques fairly basic. Price-wise, it's definitely more than regular cooking BUT definitely less than a similar meal in a restaurant. I hope she considers taking it up!

 

[luv2cheer92]

I use Hello Fresh for most meals and it is one of the best things I've ever done. It makes cooking easy, gives you exactly what you need in the exact amounts. Step by step directions with pictures. I was not the best cook, but it has made me so much better. I do minimal grocery shopping, overall I'm saving a good amount of money with less waste. And I don't have to spend much time wondering what to buy or what to make each night. Absolutely love it and would recommend it to anyone.

 

[DLgal]

What I find when people say that "they aren't good at cooking" is that they really just don't like their own food that they make. It's not hard to cook at all. It's hard to make gourmet meals, sure, but the basics are not hard at all. But you know what? They don't taste nearly as seasoned as something you're picking up from a restaurant. Restaurant cooking generally goes heavy on the seasonings and fats--way more than you'd ever do at home. Most all meats are brined to some degree (takes time and salt), lots of butter is used as well as many sauces. Novice cooks or decent cooks who just aren't interested don't have the time or inclination to do all that, and therefore your chicken breast you made at home can be rather blah. And then you think you aren't a good cook.

My advice would be to cut WAY back on the dining out/carry out so you can get your tastebuds back to tasting what normal food should taste like.

Or you can just season your food.

I don't even grill chicken breasts without at least a dry rub for a few hours.

I find that a lot of people just don't know how to properly season food or are afraid of salt. You need to use salt to cook. Otherwise your food will have no taste.

 

[mrodgers]

There are so many ways to learn but my recommendation is You Tube videos or cooking shows. Cookbooks assume a level of knowledge/competence that you may not have by using certain lingo. Watch videos. Start with the kinds of foods you like to eat or order out. Build slowly and give yourself grace during the process. You can find a video of how to make almost anything on YouTube. I promise.

Some fantastic cook video channels are on Youtube. Some from my subscriptions, which doesn't include the multitude of BBQ/Grilling channels I watch.

Sam the Cooking Guy
Pro Home Cooks
Not Another Cooking Show
Ethan Chlebowski
Mobile Home Gourmet (he makes a lot of bulk foods for the freezer.)

If you like the small appliances...

Pressure Luck for the Instant Pot/pressure cooker
Fabulously Frugal for lots of air fryer ideas.

 

[Christine]

Or you can just season your food.

I don't even grill chicken breasts without at least a dry rub for a few hours.

I find that a lot of people just don't know how to properly season food or are afraid of salt. You need to use salt to cook. Otherwise your food will have no taste.

Oh I agree wholeheartedly! Sometimes even doing that doesn't quite get up to the taste of restaurant seasoning. But for me, now that I have more time at home teleworking I'm brining, marinating, dry rubs, simmer sauces and so on.

 

[DLgal]

Oh I agree wholeheartedly! Sometimes even doing that doesn't quite get up to the taste of restaurant seasoning. But for me, now that I have more time at home teleworking I'm brining, marinating, dry rubs, simmer sauces and so on.

I can't even eat an unbrined pork chop anymore.

Although, my husband would argue with you on the restaurant flavor thing. My biggest issue is that my husband always says "you make it better" whenever we go out to eat. So, a lot of times, I end up cooking even when I'd rather go out.

 

[DisneyHardin]

We are very similar. I have forced us to stop eating out so much by limiting it to 2x a week. The other 5 nights I make myself cook. I don't enjoy cooking and don't have a knack for it, but can make lots of basics, so that is what we eat. I have an air fryer and I fix lots of things in it. For example, last night I threw 2 strip steaks in the air fryer - they only took about 18 minutes and were delicious.

 

[tvguy]

Food portions are way too big for me, so I end up getting 1-2 meals for later out of the "doggy bag" when we eat out. We also limit dining out/takeout to 1-2 times a week, use the leftovers for another meal, then pick less expensive meat (chicken) and have a meatless night (pasta and sauce) for another night. We limit what we buy for takeout as well. Want pizza and a salad? We order the pizza, I make the salad.

We still have restaurant food Friday and Saturday night, but since the pandemic started, it has all been to go. As for portions, we're both in our 60's and retired and noticed with bring home food that it was always two meals worth. Now we are sharing ONE entree and it is more than enough food for us. Like an order of Baby Back Ribs from Outback, MORE than enough for two.
And you don't have to go to an expensive restaurant. When our kids were still living at home, dinner out might be Dennys, but it was still a family meal out together. Now with the two of us about once a month it might be Burger King, but from the Value Menu. A $1.79 double cheeseburger is a lot of food.