[poundwise]

You know this already, or you wouldn't have mentioned it, but dining out or picking up fast-food is a 'frugal killer.' When I began tracking ALL of my spending I thought this figure would be high for my family and I was STILL shocked by how much we spent. It adds up.

As for cooking: Don't worry about precision. If you stick with basic recipes and pay attention to temps and times its not hard. I'd say crock pot recipes are a good place to start. Also try casseroles and other one-dish recipes.

My wife does the majority of cooking for us but it is only 65/35, I do a good bit myself. I've been surprised at how good some dishes I have made for the first time have turned out.