Eating out—whether in cute restaurants with seating or in a window display—is one of the biggest drains on many people’s budgets, including mine. This, while delicious, sucks money. And worse, the more you do it, the harder it is to stop eating out.
If you need a little help breaking the cycle, here are 10 tips that really work to stop eating out.
Reasons to stop eating out (how often)
The biggest reason to skip takeout so often is to save money. Eating out is an expensive alternative to going to the grocery store (even if you don’t cook). A single person who gets lunch or dinner to go five days a week could spend $100 without even realizing it, while another person who ate at home would only spend a fraction of that amount.
Another reason is your health. Even if you feel like you’re making the healthiest choices when eating or dining at a restaurant, restaurant food is almost never as nutritious as your own food. And often you don’t know exactly what’s in them.
So how do you stop eating out?
1. Start small
As with any lifestyle change, the key to long-term success is taking small steps. If you’re constantly on a diet of Big Mac lunches and pizza dinners, try packing your lunch four days out of five. If you hit all five, great, but give yourself some wiggle room.
Make your own dinner one time next week (or at least don’t order and go out shopping for frozen pizza). Do a little more each week. Pretty soon you’ll find that eating out is the exception rather than the rule.
2. Avoid social pressure to eat out
If you spend a lot of money on going out to restaurants, your habit may be more social than gastronomic. Are you eating out with friends or your significant other? If a group of friends are at fault, offer dinner parties as an alternative. Or grab a bite to eat at home and meet up with the group after the meal.
3. When you eat out, choose wisely
Be strategic in how you spend money when you go out. Restaurants with seating tend to have the highest markups for desserts and alcoholic drinks, so order sparingly. Then, try to choose foods that give you leftovers you can take home to get two meals for the price of one.
4. Pack your lunch, but don’t skip a break
Just because you bring lunch to work doesn’t mean you have to eat at your desk. As I dined out almost every day, I enjoyed the 10-minute drive to my favorite sandwich shop as a much-needed opportunity to get out and see the sun. Eat with co-workers in a shared space, go outside, or even take your food to your car and eat somewhere quiet if you need to! If you eat at your desk, take at least 20 minutes to get outside and get some fresh air.
5. Love your slow cooker
For those who don’t really like to cook or don’t have time in their busy schedule to stand by the stove, the slow cooker saves the day. A humble pot is the secret to not only a quick dinner, but to keep your entire house smelling delicious for hours. If you don’t have one, there are many inexpensive brands and models. They can often be found for sale in second-hand and thrift stores.
6. Shop More Often
If you’re cooking a meal for one or two, you may find yourself wasting ingredients often, making your cooking experience less enjoyable. It can be difficult to use things like fresh food and perishables before they go bad, especially if you start the week with good intentions and end up too busy or tired to cook. Shopping more often and buying less is the key to eating out less and eating more at home.
Read also: How to save $100 a month on groceries
7. Cooking
Cooking is the secret sauce. It can help you save time, eat healthier and reach your fitness goals, and yes, stop eating out. Taking an hour or two a week to prepare what you’re about to eat is worth it. Because later in the week, when you don’t feel like cooking, you don’t have to. Even the simple preparation of ingredients such as proteins, vegetables or side dishes is a game changer.
8. Try Meal Kits
If part of your problem with cooking at home is that you never know what to eat or don’t have time to think about it, meal kits can make your life easier. They come with pre-served ingredients so you don’t have to worry about not eating what you haven’t eaten, they’ll be delivered right to your door so you don’t have to go to the grocery store, and they also have recipes. and instructions for preparing impressive dishes. nutrition.
Read more: The best food delivery kits of 2023: how they compare
9. Freeze, freeze, freeze
Learn to freeze food and do it whenever possible. Freeze what you can’t eat and freeze extras when you have free time. Meat, bread, even milk and some fruits and vegetables can simply be frozen. You can also make frozen meals so you always have quick meals for those long days when cooking is the last thing you want to do.
10. Cook imitative dishes
Restaurant food is a whole other level of flavor, especially at your favorite places. But if you didn’t already know that there’s a whole corner of the internet dedicated to “imitating food” or recreating restaurant dishes, now you know. You will be surprised how accurate some of these recipes are. Bonus, you will know every ingredient.
11. Make it special
Once you get into the habit of eating out every night of the week, it will become less and less exciting with each meal. The less often you take takeaway and restaurant food, the more fun it will be when you do. Reserve this treat for dates, special occasions and celebrations.
Final Thoughts
There is nothing wrong with going to a restaurant from time to time or indulging in takeaway food. But eating out can quickly become expensive, and most restaurant meals aren’t known for their nutritional value. Follow these tips to cook more at home, eat less out of the house and save money.