Make It Easy to Not Eat Out

by Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger

21 Aug 2009 09:48 AM

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 out a very special occasion and not the norm. My husband's family never ate out unless it was someone's birthday, anniversary or graduation. So many times today we view eating out as the norm and cooking at home as a special occasion. If you reverse the thinking, then you won't even consider eating out unless it is well planned.

Indulge in a small eat out treat. This treat can feel special in itself, can satisfy your need to eat out and doesn't have to cost much. A local place near our home sells hand dipped ice cream for only $1 a cone. We can take everyone out for this treat, which we eat there in the restaurant, for only $5. Your treat might be a bagel or breakfast sandwich, a special coffee, etc. Find what works for you that is $1-3 per person You can even do this every week. A month of treats may equal or be less than one normal eating out trip.

Figure out how often eating out is acceptable. If it is only once a month, then choose a day and then make a big deal of it. Circle the day on the calendar, plan where you are going to go and how much you will spend. Will you do a buffet or a sit down dinner? Will you choose to go out for breakfast or for Chinese food? This will again make eating out special to you. Plus, you will have a whole month to gather coupons or plan out your order to make the most of your money.

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Cutting Down on the Cost of Eating Out

Learn more about Mary Ann Romans

Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat.

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thequeenofthecastle (413) 21 Aug 2009 10:28 AM

We've also realized that being TOO CHEAP at the grocery store leads us into more temptation eating out. I tend to be anti any convenience foods because they aren't healthy and they are more expensive than cooking from scratch. Having said this, I'm realizing by having NOTHING convenient in the house, we are much more tempted to eat out at the end of a long hard day when neither of us feels like making something totally from scratch. So, we've realized sometimes spending the extra money on a few convenience items at the store, ultimately saves us. A frozen dinner is still cheaper and healthier than a last minute fast food drive through meal.

Heidi (5269) 21 Aug 2009 02:32 PM

I've noticed the exact same problem as The Queen.

Part of my solution has been making freezer meals, but yes, I've also realized that it's better to keep some of the "better" frozen pizzas on hand than to call the pizza place at 6pm on Friday to have them deliver because I don't feel like cooking dinner :)