Which is cheaper for Empty Nesters? Eating in or out?
From
Beverly Mills
| May 01, 2010
In Coffee and Convo, Frugal Food & Facts
I’m wondering: Has anyone out there done a fact-based, statistically accurate, more or less nerdy study of whether it’s possible for two people to eat out every meal cheaper than they can cook three meals at home?
Now that we’re Empty Nesters, it seems like a lot more food languishes in our refrigerator, and frankly, there’s more waste at my house now than I’d like there to be. My 21-year-old cooking and buying habits are ingrained in my brain.
For example: I head to the supermarket and automatically grab the half-gallon milk jug. We use about two-thirds of it by the expiration date, and even though that last third of milk hasn’t yet spoiled, I throw in another carton on my next trip to the store. Right this minute I have 3 jugs of milk in various countdown stages. I would make pudding but there aren’t enough people here to eat it.
You probably know the drill, and of course the answer to a lot of it is simple -- just buy smaller quantities. (But you’re talking to a person who still puts four baked potatoes in the oven and doesn’t remember the kids are gone until I start to serve them!)
However, lately I’m making a real effort to stay alert at the store and buy only what we need. Even still, the lettuce is turning brown and that tub of expensive Greek yogurt is sitting there like a ticking time bomb.
I’ve taken to asking friends who never had children or whose kids have been gone a long time how they do it.
“Oh, we eat out almost every night,” my friend Lisa said.
Another friend, one of the restaurant critics at The Miami Herald, told me she and her husband frequently share both the salad and an entrée in restaurants because the portions are so huge, they can’t eat it all by themselves. That cuts the bill in half. Other times, they’ll take a doggie bag with plenty of food left over for the next night. (There again, theoretically, that cuts the restaurant bill in half if you get two meals for the price of one, no?!)
So, as you can see, I am in need of advice and will welcome all tips, suggestions, opinions, tales of woe and success stories! Leave them in the comments section following this post. Thanks!
Comments
From Beverly Mills - May 01, 2010
From Peg in Vermont, via Facebook: "Eating in is cheaper and healthier by far. We eat out mostly when we're away from home traveling or visiting the kids."
From Beverly Mills - May 01, 2010
From Jody, via Facebook: "I'd say eating in can be cheaper and healthier. It also can be more planning and work. The biggest drawback I see to eating in is my inability it buy and use up food efficiently. I think I must throw enough food out to cover any amount saved by cooking in."
From Beverly Mills - May 01, 2010
So how do we keep from throwing out so much food?
From Beverly Mills - May 01, 2010
From Illeana: Make full extra portions and freeze them.
From Sandy Hu - May 02, 2010
Eating in is cheaper. You just have to buy smaller portions of fresh ingredients to avoid waste. We still shop at Costco for the pantry staples -- extra-virgin olive oil, canned tuna and such -- to maximize savings. I also work at transforming leftovers. Leftover roast chicken can be come part of a main dish salad the next night or can be served in corn tortillas with salsa, for example.
From Beverly Mills - May 02, 2010
From Peg: I usually don't cook more then we need and if I do we have leftovers.
From Martha in KS - May 03, 2010
I've been cooking for one for many years & I'm the Budget Queen. I rarely eat out - I can't justify a $10-15 dinner when I'm a good cook & can usually make a dish better than the restaurant. Weeks when I'm working a lot of overtime, I might pick up dinner on the way home once/wk. - chicken with $3 coupon, or $1 burgers, and supplement with a microwaved potato or veggies. If I grill burgers or chicken, I have to eat it for 3-4 days, which can get boring. If I make pasta, there's enough for at least two meals. I do not throw food away; I eat leftovers - either the next day's dinner or I take it to work for lunch. I freeze chicken breasts individually & package ground beef in 1 lb. packages. The only things I've had go bad lately is milk & occasionally lettuce. I buy gallon containers & will now downsize to half gallons. If the last bit of leaf lettuce goes bad, I've usually gotten 3-4 salads from that $2 head, so I've gotten my money's worth. If you don't count your cooking time, it's definitely more economical to eat at home.
From Beverly Mills - May 03, 2010
Thanks for the great tips everyone! I'm headed to the supermarket right now to practice!
From Beverly Mills - May 03, 2010
From Jody: "I often cook just the amount we need, or I cook more and we have left overs. In fact, we really enjoy leftovers. However, that doesn't manage to keep me from throwing out food. I guess the issue is more with shopping, buying too much, unexpected invites out or going out to dinner, or just all around poor planning. I sometimes wish I was like my cousin in England, with a market nearby and a very very small fridge."
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What you're saying..
I work second shift and I prepare my "lunch" from Cheap. Fast. Good! each morning to take in. Everyone comments on how fantastic the meals I bring in smell. I have to hide in the corner so I don't get accosted! I have yet to prepare one of the dishes that I do not like and I don't have to spend a fortune on healthy, fantastic-tasting meals.
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From Beverly Mills - May 01, 2010
From Illeana, via Facebook: "Eating in is cheaper by mega dollars. I started cooking regularly about a year ago, and the difference at the end of the month was shocking!"