In almost every case, a meal prepared at home cost less than the same meal in a restaurant, take-out, or delivery. So, if you’re looking for a way to reduce your monthly food bill, choose homemade meals over eating out.
That’s easier said than done. You come home from work and you’re tired and hungry. Is this a moment when you’re going to start chopping carrots, peeling potatoes, and seasoning your meat? And that’s assuming you even have all those ingredients in your refrigerator. It’s hard to start a habit of home cooked meals, when the conditions aren’t in line with the goals.
To get the savings habit of homemade meals going, plan your meals ahead of time, perhaps on a weekly basis. Choose a time – probably on the weekend – where you figure out what you will have for dinner on each of the days ahead. Then, set yourself up for success by making sure you have what you need readily available. That may call for grocery shopping and maybe some weekend “bulk” cooking, like preparing a lasagna or roasting a chicken.
“Failing to plan is planning to fail.” (Alan Lakein, author on personal time management, including, “How to Get Control of Your Time and Your Life”)
A Savings Habit post.
Hazel Fluke, Financially Speaking 