When You Are Tempted to Eat Out...by Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger 07 Sep 2008 06:05 AM
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
Just look to the right of this blog and find the subscription center (it looks just like this picture, although you'll have to find the "real" one just above the category listing ). Click on "Subscribe via Email". You'll be instantly subscribed and the email address that you registered at Families.com with will receive an instant notification whenever we post a new Frugal Living Blog! Don't miss a thing - subscribe now! 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. Relevantfrugal tags User Comments Tashi (1013) 07 Sep 2008 05:02 PMI agree that some restaurant food is less than 5-star fare. If I eat out, I try to patronize restaurants that offer reasonably healthy food, decent prices, and whenever possible, buffets. I don't stuff my face and overeat (hence, the affinity for buffets). But going to buffets seem to offer a little more bang for my buck. I went to lunch to a fabulous Chinese restaurant on Thursday with co-workers. The buffet was delish and not crummy, and with just a water to drink, my bill was $9. The men I was with got a better deal for their money, as they went back for seconds, and I didn't. I had a very decent-sized meal and didn't need more than I took. Today I had a roast turkey and swiss cheese sndwich at Arby's, a new fave of mine. Granted, it's not cheap, which is why I buy it sparingly. But I'm trying to make wiser choices when I choose not to cook at home.  Mary Ann Romans |
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