How To Stop Eating Out And Save Money
Photo of a clean black and white kitchen by ginsburgconstruction from Pixabay
Updated 2024.07.24. This post contains affiliate links and Useful Roots will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on these links.
When it comes to eating out, from dining in to taking out to ordering a few iced coffees on the journey to elsewhere, avoiding it is often recommended by frugal experts and financial experts as a top tip for saving money.
As enjoyable and convenient as dining out can be, these recommendations are for a good reason, especially if you are trying to save money or pay down debt.
Once you do the math on your dining out receipts, you will find that eating out prices are anywhere between 30% - 2,000% more expensive than you making your dinner, pouring your wine and brewing your coffee.
In almost every case, as long as you have access to a kitchen, it is indeed more economical to make your own meals.
When you cut eating out from your discretionary budget, you will instantly save money. Avoiding eating out is an immediate cost savings, which is why it can often be an easy way to start trimming your budget.
Once you’ve decided to stop eating out altogether or simply not as much, the next step is to find alternatives to eating out so you can save that money - we’ll share a few below.
To start, take a minute to figure out why you are eating out.
Is it because you’re too tired to cook at the end of a work day?
Is it because you’re too hungry by the time you want to eat to wait for a cooked meal to be ready?
Is it because you didn’t pack a lunch and you ended up out of the house over mealtime?
Is it because you want a break from homemaking?
Is it because you crave the social aspect?
Is it because you like experiencing the new environments of restaurants?
Whatever the reason, even if it’s a myriad of reasons, try to narrow it down.
Then read the nine tips below, which can help you stop eating out and start saving:
Photo of person tossing ingredients into a black and blue stone-like texture stock pot by Meruyert Gonullu on Pexels
1 - Batch cook on your “off” day
Did somebody say casserole? Crockpot chili? We did!
If you need help finding recipes that you can live on for a few days, check out The Pioneer Woman. She regularly posts large batch meals that you can make ahead and double them.
2 - Keep prepared meals in the freezer
Whether it is chili you made last week and froze the doubled portion, or frozen pizza from the grocery store, keeping a ready-to-eat frozen meal on hand is cheaper than eating out.
When you need it, you can just take it out of the freezer and thaw.
3 - Pack a lunch
4 - Pack a snack pack if you’ll be out more than 2 hours
5 - Try the grocery store prepared take and bake section
A few of your local grocery stores likely have a great take and go meal section.
These prepared foods are usually in a cooler area and, although they are more expensive than buying the ingredients, they are almost always cheaper than ordering take out, or dining out and they can be just as tasty.
If you’re extra hungry, they will heat up faster than a frozen meal.
6 - Invite others to eat with you
Have friends or family that live nearby? Like your neighbors? Offer to host your next meal and if you want, invite your guests to bring a dish.
Hosting a meal can satisfy the social craving that is sometimes the reason why we want to eat out. You get the social interaction, but without the extra cost.
Adding a few extra mouths to one meal is still usually cheaper than eating out, especially if you are doing alcoholic drinks.
7 - Don’t quit cold turkey
Taper off your eating out habits. Instead of quitting flat, go through your last month of expenditures and count how many take out meals you had.
Now try to reduce the amount of excursions by 50% or alternatively, set an eating out limit - one dinner, coffee meetup, or lunch date a week/biweekly/month.
Another great idea here is to not do a full meal out, instead do a dessert like an ice cream cone or just get the appetizers at happy hour.
8 - Keep simple-to-prepare things that you enjoy, on hand
If you know you like chicken fingers with ranch, canned sardines, pierogies, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, quesadillas, or tomato soup and grilled cheeses, keep ingredients for these things in stock.
Think of a few simple breakfasts, lunches and dinners like this to have around as your backup plan. This way when you are craving the easy life, an easy meal is right there for the having.
9 - Have a picnic
Take your dinner to your porch, nearby local park, trail or public art space.
Sometimes the desire to eat out is the desire for a new inspiring environment and experience. You can satisfy this in many ways.
By taking your food to an outdoor or public spot, you get to still experience eating somewhere new, but with the cost savings of having prepared the food and drink yourself.
Photo of person tossing ingredients into a black and blue stone-like texture stock pot by Meruyert Gonullu on Pexels text overlay How To Stop Eating Out And Save Money
There are just a few ways to stop yourself from eating out. By following just one of them, you can begin to save the money that is normally spent on paying waitstaff and having others prepare the meal for you and your clan.
To end, eating out in and of itself can be great. It can introduce you to new cooking techniques and recipes, it can also be a great way to meet new people.
However, if you are trying to save money, avoiding it is a great way to reduce your expenditures.
Plus, you can learn new cooking techniques when you host friends and family, and meet new people taking your picnic to the park. There are alternatives to getting those same needs met and a few of them are above.
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