Eating out?

[DebbieL]

I saw your blog entry about cooking the ribs, and in that particular case you might be right that going out is cheaper, but as a general rule, it is far more economical to cook your own meals at home. A pound of pasta is under $1. A batch of homemade sauce also under $1. Throw in a couple of veggies and we've got a nice meal for 3 people. A basic pasta dish at a restaurant is easily $8 or more for one person.

Or pizza. $12 or $15 to get one pizza with one topping. At home, for well under $10 we can make two pizzas with 5 or 6 toppings.

If you want to make something at home that requires special ingredients that you don't usually stock and might not be able to use up, that can be a waste. But for normal everyday cooking, home is far cheaper than any restaurant I know of.

I agree 100%. I cannot think of a time it wasn't cheaper (not to mention usually much better) for me to cook at home. It is also a lot less fattening (if you are at all health or weight conscious). My husband is a chef, and BELIEVE ME you would not believe the amount of added butters, creams etc. that they use in restaurants that you would NEVER suspect how many calories that you are actually consuming compared to when you eat it at home. Trust me on this one.

[DebbieL]

One of my favorite meal is salmon, but I really don't like (or know how to) prepare fish. So when I go out to eat I usually get fish. I just bought some nice canned salmon and tuna for making lunches- they aren't cheap by any means - $3-$4 for a 6oz can, but I figured it's still cheaper than eating out all the day.

I have a couple of nice recipes using canned salmon if you are interested. I'll check back if anyone wants them.

[ktmarvels]

I have a couple of nice recipes using canned salmon if you are interested. I'll check back if anyone wants them.

DebbieL, I wouldn't mind those recipes. DH and I are from the Northwest so we LOVE salmon, although I'm not sure how he'd respond to canned salmon. It's worth a shot though, especially if the canned salmon is cheaper!

[Aleta]

Some years back I dislocated my shoulder and broke a bone that needed surgery. My husband isn't a cook, except for breakfast or a fast sandwich. Anyway, he brought in dinner everyday and I can't tell you how much weight I gained from it. Also, about 2 years prior to that, my Mom was down and cooking for us because of another incident. I didn't gain weight. Again, last night, they played SUPER SIZE ME and it just reminded me of what I have personally learned and that is that fast food is definitely fattening. They should play that movie at least once a month to remind us all.

[disneysteve]

fast food is definitely fattening

Even "good" restaurant food is fattening because of how it is prepared with tons of butter, rich sauces, frying, etc. I had dinner last night at a very nice French Thai place and I'm sure I'd be shocked if I could see a nutritional breakdown of what I ate, even though it sounds good on the menu: Seafood dumplings with ****ake mushroom sauce, mixed green salad with raspberry vinagerette, crabcakes with herb lime sauce. But I'm willing to bet the calorie count and fat count for that meal was sky high, much higher than if I were to prepare the same items myself at home.

[pearlieq]

Anyway, he brought in dinner everyday and I can't tell you how much weight I gained from it.

I remember spending 6 weeks in a hotel while we were waiting for our house to be completed. Ugh! Eating out for every meal was fun for about a week, but then you just got to feeling so heavy and sluggish.

I remember how glad I was to have a kitchen again!

[disneysteve]

I remember spending 6 weeks in a hotel while we were waiting for our house to be completed. Ugh! Eating out for every meal was fun for about a week, but then you just got to feeling so heavy and sluggish.

I remember how glad I was to have a kitchen again!

That's why when we travel, we like to rent a condo/timeshare/house or choose a hotel like Residence Inn with a kitchen so we can do some of our own cooking. Nothing fancy, but pasta and veggies or a quick casserole or even convenience foods like mac and cheese or tv dinners. All are cheaper and better for us than restaurant food.

[Ima saver]

I guess when we cook at home, we tend to eat pricier food. For example, we eat steak just about every Sunday because I don't want to pay $15-$20 for a steak dinner when i can buy two steaks for under $15.
Also, I am a very very funny eater. I don't like seafood, vegetables, salads, or any fruit. I think dh enjoys eating out cause he likes salads.

[disneysteve]

I guess when we cook at home, we tend to eat pricier food.

I don't like seafood, vegetables, salads, or any fruit. I think dh enjoys eating out cause he likes salads.

We eat a mainly vegetarian diet. So we're kind of limited on choices sometimes in restaurants as the vegetarian choices are usually slim (except on occasion when we go to a vegetarian restaurant). Plus, the vegetarian options are usually way overpriced for what you get. For example, tonight we had grilled veggies over brown rice. I used a handful of snow peas, about 10 mushrooms, half a green pepper, half a red pepper, about 10 stalks of asparagus and sliced zucchini. The whole meal probably cost about $5, fed three people and we had leftovers that one of us will use for lunch in the next couple of days. Go to a restaurant and get pasta primavera and you'll pay $10 easily. Plus everything was very fresh and served hot and cooked just the way we like it.

[Aleta]

We do the same and get a timeshare with all of the emenities. The great thing for us is having food close at hand and food that we make with our hands. It's not like we have to get out of our bathing suits, dry our hair, and go into a restaurant with AC. Just all around, it's great. Also, when you're in different locals, reaction to local foods are different. It's different cooking on vacation then cooking at home.

We use to eat out 2-3 times per week but we cut it down to once per week and it's a family special night when we go out, lol..
We spend anywhere from $18.00-$40.00 for a family of four.