Search Results for: blog cutting down on the cost of eating out

Grocery Savings without the Fuss

There are many different grocery savings tips out there, but most of the general advice involves spending a lot of time cutting coupons, driving from store to store, shopping at odd times, and creating a full-blown price book. For many of us, that is just too much fuss and a larger time commitment than we can handle right now. The good news is that you can still lower your grocery bill without all of the fuss by just following a few simple rules. 1. Find the right store and stick with it Without going crazy, compare prices on a few … Continue reading →

Cut Your Food Bill By Eating at Home

If you are trying to save money this year, you may be looking for ways to cut your household expenses. If you have not done so already, you may want to think about cutting back on dining out. Dining out is often viewed as an enjoyable thing and a convenient option for those of us that are short on time and would prefer not to use our time cooking or cleaning up the kitchen. The good news is that with a little advance preparation and planning, you can spend relatively little time in the kitchen and enjoy nutritious and tasty … Continue reading →

The Cost of Children

A few days ago my mother sent me an article about the cost of raising a child from birth to the age of 18. The numbers vary depending on which study you are looking at, but this article suggested that you will spend $222,360 by the time your child graduates high school. They claim that children cost between $11,000 and $13,000 a year depending on their age. That first year is expensive. Newborns go through clothes, diapers, and formula in the blink of an eye. After the first year or so it starts to taper off and then goes right … Continue reading →

Tips For Eating Well For Less

I like to browse Oprah Winfrey’s web site for many reasons. She has such a wide variety of information on many topics, and I find that the information on the web site is meaningful as well as interesting. Today I was browsing in the “money” section of the site and came across a headline that really got my attention. The headline said “Spend Just $40 A Week On Groceries”. I had to read on, because if the information in the article is something that I can apply to my family’s grocery budget I will be ecstatic. Like Melba Newsome, the … Continue reading →

Eating Out Doesn’t Have to Break the Bank

Eating out is a way of life for many Americans. The busier families are with work and other activities, the more they seem to resort to restaurant meals as a way of getting dinner on the table. These days going to a restaurant is not just for weekends and special occasions; it’s an everyday occurrence. In addition to being convenient, restaurant meals can be huge budget busters as well. It’s not unusual for my family of four (two adults and two teenagers) to spend a ton of money even at a modest restaurant. Fortunately, there are several ways to save … Continue reading →

Things Frugal People Should Know Before Eating Out

Even frugal people like to eat out from time to time. As much fun as creating inexpensive meals can be, a change of scenery is often refreshing. As any frugal person knows, you can always split a meal, skip the drink, and order water to lessen your restaurant meal. These are frugal basics for restaurant eating. Still, there are a few more ways to cut the bill. Ask about the special to save money when eating out. The special is usually created from foods that are in abundance at a low price. To entice the customers to eat the meal … Continue reading →

Make It Easy to Not Eat Out

In my household we struggle with not eating out. I grew up on many restaurant and take out meals, and eating out is often as much about entertainment as it is about feeding yourself. But eating out is a big expense in our budget. With a family of five, it usually costs us around $40-45, just for a diner, family style meal or even pizza if we order it at the restaurant. Even a fast food drive thru will cost us $20-25. Here are some more strategies I employ to keep the temptation of eating out at bay. Consider eating … Continue reading →

Cutting Down on the Cost of Eating Out

Eating out all of the time can be pretty expensive, even if you are only eating at McDonalds. Grabbing a small snack here and there can add up, too, such as $4 here for coffee, $3 there for ice cream, etc. Going cold turkey when it comes to eating out is a great idea, but it is one goal that I have never been able to achieve. So, the trick for us is to use some money saving strategies that will at least reduce the cost of eating out. Compare Compare the prices of your local food. You may find … Continue reading →

Reducing the Cost of Raising a Child

If you read yesterday’s post, you know the estimated cost of raising a child. Now, I’ll take those expenses as outlined by Bankrate and go through some ways of reducing them. Let’s look at some of these expenses and general ways to cut them down. Obviously each person’s situation is different, but these are some ideas to help. Groceries: cook from scratch, use coupons, avoid convenience foods, and make your own lunches. Clothing: Take advantage of hand-me-downs, used clothing sales ad ear-end discounts. Bigger home: Bunk two children in one room, reduce the clutter in your current home to make … Continue reading →

The Breakdown Cost of Raising a Child

We always hear all of these scary numbers about how expensive it is to raise a child. Unfortunately those numbers can be pretty accurate or even a little bit under, depending on your lifestyle. It is enough for some couples to decide not to have children at all. I’m glad I didn’t know about these numbers when we first started our family, because I might have panicked! Bankrate.com has broken down the numbers for the cost of raising a child based on the total cost released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. These numbers apply to an average family making … Continue reading →