"Saving" money by eating out less

[Anonymous]

It sounds like you were feeding your family disgusting crap and now you upgraded to actual food. Even switching from out to in, that will cost something in the short run. In the long run, you will all reap the benefits.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, have you had to buy some of the basic pantry items as well, like spices and condiments that can be pricey but take a very long time to use? That may be some of the potential cost savings. Not sure if it would work for you but I have a friend with a Costco membership and I join her for a shopping trip once a month to buy things like huge bags of rice and olive oil and canned tomatoes and beans. I only buy the things we use frequently and it works for us.

Yes, I do get through a lot of the "basic pantry items" so that may be part of it too. I've avoided Costco so far because I didn't want to end up buying a ton in bulk and it going to waste, but your suggestion on buying rice, olive oil and canned goods is a good one. Perhaps I can save on cereal there too?! The trick there will be to make sure that I don't end up spending more on things I don't really need because they are cheap or look tasty!

Spices are WAY cheaper if you buy them in bulk from a whole foods/mom's/etc. I just keep refilling the same bottles.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It sounds like you were feeding your family disgusting crap and now you upgraded to actual food. Even switching from out to in, that will cost something in the short run. In the long run, you will all reap the benefits.

Oh, well thanks for the judgment. You really added something to the discussion here.

I can assure you that I have never fed my family "disgusting crap" and although we are eating better now, we have always eaten fairly well and MUCH more healthily than most Americans. My 3 year old son's favorite food is tofu with vegetables, for example and he doesn't even know what a chicken nugget or many of the standard "kids" foods are. To be honest, I'd bet good money that our family has always eaten better than YOU, yet I would never say something as rude, judgmental and offensive as "you feed your family disgusting crap" to a stranger online. The difference is that I used to occasionally make pasta with a store bought sauce and a salad (from scratch, with dressing from scratch - kind of bizarre to me that I have to specify that because to my mind that's how dressing always is, but I realize now that many Americans don't eat that way and everything comes from a jar), or use Morning Star Farms meat crumbles (frozen) to add protein to a stir fry rice dish. Now everything is fresh and I am out of my cooking rut of making the same dishes too often.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, have you had to buy some of the basic pantry items as well, like spices and condiments that can be pricey but take a very long time to use? That may be some of the potential cost savings. Not sure if it would work for you but I have a friend with a Costco membership and I join her for a shopping trip once a month to buy things like huge bags of rice and olive oil and canned tomatoes and beans. I only buy the things we use frequently and it works for us.

Yes, I do get through a lot of the "basic pantry items" so that may be part of it too. I've avoided Costco so far because I didn't want to end up buying a ton in bulk and it going to waste, but your suggestion on buying rice, olive oil and canned goods is a good one. Perhaps I can save on cereal there too?! The trick there will be to make sure that I don't end up spending more on things I don't really need because they are cheap or look tasty!

Spices are WAY cheaper if you buy them in bulk from a whole foods/mom's/etc. I just keep refilling the same bottles.

I have basil and rosemary fresh in the yard. The only other ones I use that frequently are cumin, paprika, cayenne and occasionally oregano. But they tend to last a LONG time. Still, you are right I should make the effort to go to Glut or Yes next time I am low.

[Anonymous]

Wow, I never make dressing from scratch.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It sounds like you were feeding your family disgusting crap and now you upgraded to actual food. Even switching from out to in, that will cost something in the short run. In the long run, you will all reap the benefits.

Oh, well thanks for the judgment. You really added something to the discussion here.

I can assure you that I have never fed my family "disgusting crap" and although we are eating better now, we have always eaten fairly well and MUCH more healthily than most Americans. My 3 year old son's favorite food is tofu with vegetables, for example and he doesn't even know what a chicken nugget or many of the standard "kids" foods are. To be honest, I'd bet good money that our family has always eaten better than YOU, yet I would never say something as rude, judgmental and offensive as "you feed your family disgusting crap" to a stranger online. The difference is that I used to occasionally make pasta with a store bought sauce and a salad (from scratch, with dressing from scratch - kind of bizarre to me that I have to specify that because to my mind that's how dressing always is, but I realize now that many Americans don't eat that way and everything comes from a jar), or use Morning Star Farms meat crumbles (frozen) to add protein to a stir fry rice dish. Now everything is fresh and I am out of my cooking rut of making the same dishes too often.

You said you ate a lot of fast food...

And I cook only from scratch, but that is irrelevant.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not to derail the thread, but can you say more about thefresh20? Looks great, but they dont' have any sample plans up. How long does it take you to prep and cook the dinners? Do you think it's worth it?

You can get sample plans but you have to register first. I did that and to be honest, didn't love the sample week they offered, but ended up signing up anyway and am glad I did. Here's an example of the recipes for a week (this is the vegetarian plan):

?
KIDNEY BEAN STEW
Crispy Kale and Farro (I wasn't a huge fan of the bean stew, but that may be my tastes. Crispy kale and farro was good) ?

CHICKPEA COUSCOUS &
BALSAMIC ONIONS (I added shrimp to this as I'm not fully vegetarian and it was delicious - really good!)
Roasted asparagus

APPLE & LEEK SOUP
Cheese quesadillas & Berries (Big hit with the kids)
?
GOAT CHEESE, COUSCOUS
AND KALE SALAD (This one actually got my 3 year old eating kale)
?
SPINACH STRATA (Also very tasty - 1 year old wouldn't stop eating it).
Fresh berries

Often something that you prepare as part of Monday's meal will end up becoming part of the meal on Wednesday (though not the case on the week above). The PDF has one page of shopping list, plus one page for "make ahead" which outlines what to do at the beginning of the week. The make ahead time can vary from nothing or almost nothing to about an hour and a half. Then almost all the meals are done in 30 minutes and often less. There have been a couple of times that it's taken 40 minutes. The spinach strata above was in the oven for about 30 minutes I think so it obviously took more like 40 all together.

One downside is that ingredients will repeat during the week (so that you use everything you buy) and if one of those ingredients is something you don't much care for then you could end up having it two or three times that week in one way or another. Sometimes there are suggestions for substitutions, but if you can cook you'll have some ideas of your own. I add fish or shrimp occasionally, often when the recipe calls for cannellini beans and it's worked well. Occasionally there will be an ingredient that you wouldn't normally use or that sounds like an odd combination. Every time I've seen that and gone with it it's been completely worth it and has added something to the meal. There are often Mexican style foods on the menus which were not a usual part of my repertoire before this, and I am absolutely a convert. I made a really delicious nectarine salsa the other day, for example and the tostados I made recently were also a big hit.

We started on the monthly plan ($5 a month) and recently switched to annual ($40 or so, I think) because it gives access to the archives which is good if you want more choice what to cook for the week.

This is very helpful. Thanks for taking the time to explain.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It sounds like you were feeding your family disgusting crap and now you upgraded to actual food. Even switching from out to in, that will cost something in the short run. In the long run, you will all reap the benefits.

Oh, well thanks for the judgment. You really added something to the discussion here.

I can assure you that I have never fed my family "disgusting crap" and although we are eating better now, we have always eaten fairly well and MUCH more healthily than most Americans. My 3 year old son's favorite food is tofu with vegetables, for example and he doesn't even know what a chicken nugget or many of the standard "kids" foods are. To be honest, I'd bet good money that our family has always eaten better than YOU, yet I would never say something as rude, judgmental and offensive as "you feed your family disgusting crap" to a stranger online. The difference is that I used to occasionally make pasta with a store bought sauce and a salad (from scratch, with dressing from scratch - kind of bizarre to me that I have to specify that because to my mind that's how dressing always is, but I realize now that many Americans don't eat that way and everything comes from a jar), or use Morning Star Farms meat crumbles (frozen) to add protein to a stir fry rice dish. Now everything is fresh and I am out of my cooking rut of making the same dishes too often.

You said you ate a lot of fast food...

And I cook only from scratch, but that is irrelevant.

No I did not. Go back and read again. I never eat fast food. We used to eat out a lot, but never fast food. Not always super healthy food, but never fast food. Fast food is cheap, I'd be pretty dumb if I thought cutting out fast food would cut my bills.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow, I never make dressing from scratch.

It's really easy and quick! And tastes so much better. I hate those bottled dressings. Most dressing is a combination of oil, vinegar, lemon juice, garlic and mustard. Sometimes mayonnaise. Sometimes honey, orange juice or maple syrup. Sometimes dill or rosemary or another herb. Once you've got the hang of the basic ratios you can experiment with adding different items. I strongly recommend it!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, have you had to buy some of the basic pantry items as well, like spices and condiments that can be pricey but take a very long time to use? That may be some of the potential cost savings. Not sure if it would work for you but I have a friend with a Costco membership and I join her for a shopping trip once a month to buy things like huge bags of rice and olive oil and canned tomatoes and beans. I only buy the things we use frequently and it works for us.

Yes, I do get through a lot of the "basic pantry items" so that may be part of it too. I've avoided Costco so far because I didn't want to end up buying a ton in bulk and it going to waste, but your suggestion on buying rice, olive oil and canned goods is a good one. Perhaps I can save on cereal there too?! The trick there will be to make sure that I don't end up spending more on things I don't really need because they are cheap or look tasty!

That's exactly how we use Costco , we buy in bulk the long lasting items. Costco also sells some organic stuff for a very good price like chia, quinoa. Their nuts and olive oil are also a good deal. Other than some froze veggies, which we usually buy in the winter when fresh are not available, we do not buy anything from the frozen section. We do one trip a month and weekly trips to whole foods for meat. Everything in our Ouse is cooked from scratch and is definitely way way cheaper and much much healthier than eating out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My 3 year old son's favorite food is tofu with vegetables.

This is a side note and I ope you understand it is well intended- please do not feed tofu or any soy based products to your kids. Soy is an inflammatory food. I give you kudos for cooking home made food to your kids and not feeding them store bought garbage. As someone who grew up with health home cooked meals every day, I am amazed the garbage people eat and how little people know about good food. I mean, someone few posts above commented that dressing always comes in a bottle!!!


the benefit of soy is a myth . I am a former vegetarian who used to eat a ton of tofu as I thought it was a replacement for meat. I stopped eating tofu, miso and any other soy based products 2 yers ago after I was diagnosed with endometriosis and learned about inflammatory foods. Quinoa is a great source of protein if you need a replacement idea.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
The question though is when you are comparing to your previous spending, were you including the extra groceries (e.g. TP, cat litter, kitchen rolls) separately from the food? You should be comparing food costs before and after without including the household supplies. Olive oil counts, but the rest are household supplies that you would/should be buying either way. I've found that when our family of four goes out, we spend between $25-40 for a single meal. When we eat at home, $75 of groceries will last us 2-3 days (average 2 meals a day, so 4 meals). So for $75 for two meals or four meals? I can definitely see the difference.

Where do you eat for a family of 4 for $25-40??

Seriously. I would love to know. With just the 2 of us and a 2.5 year old, we rarely spend less than $60, usually closer to $75-$100 if we each have a drink after all tax and tip is included.

Looks like a lot of people questioned my $25-40 for four. Sorry to keep folks waiting, but work got in the way. My family of four includes twin toddlers who share either a kid's meal or a selection of sides. We do a lot of fast food and cheaper sit down places, so we don't spend a huge amount on restaurant food.

Is this not OP?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It sounds like you were feeding your family disgusting crap and now you upgraded to actual food. Even switching from out to in, that will cost something in the short run. In the long run, you will all reap the benefits.

Oh, well thanks for the judgment. You really added something to the discussion here.

I can assure you that I have never fed my family "disgusting crap" and although we are eating better now, we have always eaten fairly well and MUCH more healthily than most Americans. My 3 year old son's favorite food is tofu with vegetables, for example and he doesn't even know what a chicken nugget or many of the standard "kids" foods are. To be honest, I'd bet good money that our family has always eaten better than YOU, yet I would never say something as rude, judgmental and offensive as "you feed your family disgusting crap" to a stranger online. The difference is that I used to occasionally make pasta with a store bought sauce and a salad (from scratch, with dressing from scratch - kind of bizarre to me that I have to specify that because to my mind that's how dressing always is, but I realize now that many Americans don't eat that way and everything comes from a jar), or use Morning Star Farms meat crumbles (frozen) to add protein to a stir fry rice dish. Now everything is fresh and I am out of my cooking rut of making the same dishes too often.

You said you ate a lot of fast food...

And I cook only from scratch, but that is irrelevant.

NP.

You're annoying.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
The question though is when you are comparing to your previous spending, were you including the extra groceries (e.g. TP, cat litter, kitchen rolls) separately from the food? You should be comparing food costs before and after without including the household supplies. Olive oil counts, but the rest are household supplies that you would/should be buying either way. I've found that when our family of four goes out, we spend between $25-40 for a single meal. When we eat at home, $75 of groceries will last us 2-3 days (average 2 meals a day, so 4 meals). So for $75 for two meals or four meals? I can definitely see the difference.

Where do you eat for a family of 4 for $25-40??

Seriously. I would love to know. With just the 2 of us and a 2.5 year old, we rarely spend less than $60, usually closer to $75-$100 if we each have a drink after all tax and tip is included.

Looks like a lot of people questioned my $25-40 for four. Sorry to keep folks waiting, but work got in the way. My family of four includes twin toddlers who share either a kid's meal or a selection of sides. We do a lot of fast food and cheaper sit down places, so we don't spend a huge amount on restaurant food.

Is this not OP?

This is OP. No that was not me. It was the person who wrote the first post above and said that they spend $25-40 for a single meal - which should be pretty clear to anyone.

I did not say that, I do not have twins and I do not eat fast food. However, we do sometimes spend in that range in our family too, though $40-70 is more likely. Yes, it's possible to get dinner out for two adults and two small children somewhere that's not a fast food restaurant in the $40 range.

This is the point where you apologize. Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A family of four can only eat for $25 if the food is pizza or fast food.

Agree. And when we were kids we were only allowed to get water when we ate out.