Family of three with $175/week grocery spend. We have $80 in the eating out budget line, but rarely spend it. Even Moby Dick is $35 for the three of us so there is no way we would save by eating out. Even if we did cheap fast food at $20 per meal, that's still $420 a week.

Add in my daughter's food allergies, my pickiness, and our overall preference for organic, lightly prepared food, we prefer to eat a simple breakfast, pack lunch, and cook dinner.

I don't have a final number as I am really pushing myself to cook and bring lunch. Joining a CSA has helped immensely.

However at $10 for lunch and slightly more for dinner (and here I am talking Chinese or something that can be spread over multiple days)...I have to be saving money. I now spend $100ish a week or less on groceries (which includes the CSA) and eating better.

better quality//savings wise it may not be much in the beginning but once your stocked up meals can be made for much less. If I get takeout its $45..if I cooked a big meal and spend $45 i could probably get 3 meals out of that food

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How much money do you save cooking fresh meals versus getting prepared foods from places like Trader Joe's?

depends on how much your time is worth

+1

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How much money do you save cooking fresh meals versus getting prepared foods from places like Trader Joe's?

depends on how much your time is worth

For lunch today, I opened up a can of wild alaskan pink salmon from costco (BPA free), mixed in avocado and spicy mustard and ate it with sliced cucumber. Took less than 10 minutes (more like 5) last night to put together.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I guess it depends on what you're getting for take out. We tend to order from more expensive places so a take out order could be $50 (for 3-4 people). There's no way that buying raw ingredients would cost $50.

We do take out a lot but try to keep it under 25/meal.

+1. When I do cook, I feel like its a thankless job and no one wants to help clean up. No thanks.

I care more about what I put in my body. And who cares what no one wants to do. We clean up after ourselves. It's a basic life skill.

Right. And those of us who don't like cooking or cleaning don't give a rat's ass about our bodies.
I am so sick of these sanctimonious assholes who throw jabs in like this. Seriously. Get a life. You're not as impressive as you think you are.

OP, ready made meals or cheap take out are totally worth it IMO. We don't do it everyday, but often enough. I'm probably saving some money when I cook at home, but not enough to make me do it every single day.

But you don't have to cook every single day. You can cook as little as once/twice a week if you cook in large batches.

True. Admittedly, I have to get better at that. Sometimes I'll be on a frozen meal streak and cook up a storm of stuff to freeze. But that doesn't happen often.

I don't get all the comments about not liking to clean. No one likes to clean! Do you / your family just not clean up after yourselves?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I guess it depends on what you're getting for take out. We tend to order from more expensive places so a take out order could be $50 (for 3-4 people). There's no way that buying raw ingredients would cost $50.

We do take out a lot but try to keep it under 25/meal.

+1. When I do cook, I feel like its a thankless job and no one wants to help clean up. No thanks.

I care more about what I put in my body. And who cares what no one wants to do. We clean up after ourselves. It's a basic life skill.

Right. And those of us who don't like cooking or cleaning don't give a rat's ass about our bodies.
I am so sick of these sanctimonious assholes who throw jabs in like this. Seriously. Get a life. You're not as impressive as you think you are.

OP, ready made meals or cheap take out are totally worth it IMO. We don't do it everyday, but often enough. I'm probably saving some money when I cook at home, but not enough to make me do it every single day.

But you don't have to cook every single day. You can cook as little as once/twice a week if you cook in large batches.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I guess it depends on what you're getting for take out. We tend to order from more expensive places so a take out order could be $50 (for 3-4 people). There's no way that buying raw ingredients would cost $50.

We do take out a lot but try to keep it under 25/meal.

+1. When I do cook, I feel like its a thankless job and no one wants to help clean up. No thanks.

I care more about what I put in my body. And who cares what no one wants to do. We clean up after ourselves. It's a basic life skill.

Right. And those of us who don't like cooking or cleaning don't give a rat's ass about our bodies.
I am so sick of these sanctimonious assholes who throw jabs in like this. Seriously. Get a life. You're not as impressive as you think you are.

OP, ready made meals or cheap take out are totally worth it IMO. We don't do it everyday, but often enough. I'm probably saving some money when I cook at home, but not enough to make me do it every single day.

Anonymous wrote:Cooking is cheaper if you stock your fridge and pantry well. I don't like to meal plan, I just stock up on what's on sale. I only buy halal meat (my butcher is a 30-min drive away), so I go once every month or two and stock up. I buy fruits and veg based on what is on sale each week.

On days I have time to cook, I can mentally plan the meal based on the ingredients I know I have in the pantry. Lately I've been on a kick to save money, so I'm really stretching my creativity with what I have on hand.

This.

I use Google Express to have staples delivered from Costco (large quantities of quinoa, oatmeal, brown rice, and other shelf stable items). I grocery shop a few times a week and when something is on sale, I stock up on it and store it accordingly. I find I'm less likely to cave in and order takeout or spend a premium for a mediocre restaurant meal if the freezer is stocked with something easy to make or reheat (frozen leftovers, lasagna, and pizza, for example). We save money and waste less food by planning ahead. Mr. Money Mustache and Frugalwoods helped me with this.

http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2012/03/29/killing-your-1000-grocery-bill/
http://www.frugalwoods.com/2017/01/18/our-complete-guide-to-frugal-healthy-eating/

No, but someone's stopping you. You don't cook because no one wants to clean up. Take back your power.

LOL, okay. You take dishwashing very seriously.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I guess it depends on what you're getting for take out. We tend to order from more expensive places so a take out order could be $50 (for 3-4 people). There's no way that buying raw ingredients would cost $50.

We do take out a lot but try to keep it under 25/meal.

+1. When I do cook, I feel like its a thankless job and no one wants to help clean up. No thanks.

I care more about what I put in my body. And who cares what no one wants to do. We clean up after ourselves. It's a basic life skill.

more power to you

No one likes to clean. Doesn't mean it shouldn't be done.

no one's stopping you. whatever makes you happy

No, but someone's stopping you. You don't cook because no one wants to clean up. Take back your power.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I guess it depends on what you're getting for take out. We tend to order from more expensive places so a take out order could be $50 (for 3-4 people). There's no way that buying raw ingredients would cost $50.

We do take out a lot but try to keep it under 25/meal.

+1. When I do cook, I feel like its a thankless job and no one wants to help clean up. No thanks.

I care more about what I put in my body. And who cares what no one wants to do. We clean up after ourselves. It's a basic life skill.

more power to you

No one likes to clean. Doesn't mean it shouldn't be done.

no one's stopping you. whatever makes you happy

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I guess it depends on what you're getting for take out. We tend to order from more expensive places so a take out order could be $50 (for 3-4 people). There's no way that buying raw ingredients would cost $50.

We do take out a lot but try to keep it under 25/meal.

+1. When I do cook, I feel like its a thankless job and no one wants to help clean up. No thanks.

I care more about what I put in my body. And who cares what no one wants to do. We clean up after ourselves. It's a basic life skill.

more power to you

No one likes to clean. Doesn't mean it shouldn't be done.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I guess it depends on what you're getting for take out. We tend to order from more expensive places so a take out order could be $50 (for 3-4 people). There's no way that buying raw ingredients would cost $50.

We do take out a lot but try to keep it under 25/meal.

+1. When I do cook, I feel like its a thankless job and no one wants to help clean up. No thanks.

I care more about what I put in my body. And who cares what no one wants to do. We clean up after ourselves. It's a basic life skill.

more power to you

Yes.