Fast Food Is Fast And Easy
The average American household spends over $3,000 each year eating out. That is the cost of a luxury designer bag or decent vacation. So why are we wasting that money on food? One word: convenience.
Fast food has always been convenient, but it’s even more so with the rise of DoorDash and Grubhub. You no longer even have to swipe your card as most of these services allow you to save your card for quick and easy delivery. But this distancing of spending money without having to swipe the card in person is hurting us; especially our wallets.
How To Say No To Eating Out
Have you ever noticed when you hear the word ‘no,’ you crave the restricted item more? As humans, we naturally strive to satisfy desire. When we feel like our desires are not being met, we try to resolve the issue as quickly as possible and indulge ourselves. As a result, we overindulge to make up for the period of deprivation.
Substitutes For Eating Out
If you want to say no to eating out, or any habit, you need to put something else in its place- something of value. Perhaps you love going to the movies more than eating out at a restaurant; so you say no to eating out while saying yes to treating yourself to a night at the movies. This way, even though you are not eating out, you are trading it for something of equal or greater value.
How To Stop Spending Money On Food
We have to acknowledge that food is not only for sustenance, but fulfills our need to connect. To completely stop spending money on food is unrealistic. However, what is realistic is to reduce the money we spend on eating out by substituting for appealing alternatives.
Ways to Stop Spending Money Eating Out
The reality is, you can’t simply stop eating out without a plan. Failing to plan will result in not eating out for only a short time, before eventually returning to old habits. Here are some ways to plan ahead and ensure your success..
Meal Plan – We’ve all heard the phrase “Failing to plan is planning to fail.” If we don’t plan our meals ahead of time, eating out becomes more of a temptation. Plan what you are eating for each meal, every week. If you can’t plan by week, plan your meals the day before.
Favorite Meals – Another reason for eating out is not knowing what to eat in a time crunch. Have a list of your favorite meals and ingredients on hand so you can throw something together, and not resort to fast food in a time crunch.
Store Bought Freezer Meals – We always have 1-2 frozen pizzas in our freezer at all times. Why? To keep us from ordering pizza. When you have frozen meals on hand, you make it as easy as preheating the oven.
Make Your Own Freezer Meals – You can always buy premade freezer meals, but convenience comes at a cost. Save money by making your own freezer meals. I love to marinate meat in all different marinades and freeze it to eat later. Or, you can just double your recipe to include enough for two meals and freeze the second meal. Planning ahead can also include making food in advance.
Quick Meals For The Workplace – In an effort to cut eating on the job, go to the grocery store and stock up on prepackaged frozen meals. Don’t knock them before you try them- we have come a long way from the cheap dinners that tasted like cardboard. This was a great solution for us to reduce the need for my husband to go out to eat during his lunchtime, and took pressure off of me to make his lunches.
Schedule Eating Out – It may sound strange, but scheduling the day you are going to eat out during the week can reduce impulse decisions to eat out. In our family we ‘celebrate’ the end of the week by eating out on Friday or Saturday. Having a scheduled day has reduced our impulsivity to eat out during the week.
How To Avoid Eating Out With Friends
Since eating out is primarily a social function, you will be invited by friends and family to eat out. Instead of going with the flow and bagging your budget, be the one to suggest an alternative activity. Rather than a full dinner and a movie, opt for just dessert and a movie. I did this recently with friends, and to this day it is our favorite, low-cost tradition! Another option to avoid eating out is to suggest eating in. Invite all of your friends over for dinner at your place. If you don’t enjoy cooking, have each friend bring a dish to share.
Stop Eating Out To Save Money
When you stop eating out, you save money. Sounds simple, right? As a foodie myself, if you tell me to stop eating out, I will show you the door. The only way I was able to stop eating out was to find something I valued more than food. I love food. But I love money more. Once I equated money spent eating out to money not spent shopping for a new wardrobe, I didn’t eat out for weeks. It really is that simple. If you make your reward something you can save up for and purchase, you will be more inclined to avoid eating out in order to reach your goal quickly.
Stop Eating Out Of Boredom
When you eat out of boredom, you eat out of habit- not hunger. You can waste a lot of money with this habit in something called mindless eating- eating while doing something else like watching TV or working on the computer for instance. You can save a lot of money by cutting these episodes of eating out of our routines! Our bodies and wallets will thank us!
Should I Spend Money On Eating Out?
This is a personal question that will change depending on your values and situation. The better question to ask yourself is this: Should the money I spend on eating out be spent elsewhere? If the answer is yes, deep down you know that your money could be prioritized elsewhere. If eating out is a priority, then you can spend less in other areas of the budget to make room for your priority. However, it’s a trade off- you can’t have your cake and eat it too!
Is Eating Out A Waste Of Money?
Yes. And no. What if we rephrase the question: “Is eating out a waste of money to me?” This is an entirely personal question. If you do not value eating out, then eating out is a waste of money to you. Find something you value more than eating out and you will be amazed as you watch the money spent on food decrease each month. If eating out is not a waste of money to you, then find ways to reduce your costs elsewhere so you can make up for the cost of eating out.
How To Save Money Eating Out
We’ve talked about how much money can be saved by not eating out, but what about saving money while eating out? Here are some easy ways to save money when you go out to eat.
Reduce the frequency of eating out – If you are eating out three to five times per week, try eating out no more than three times per week and see how much you save.
Go out to eat for breakfast or lunch – Instead of eating out for dinner, eat out for breakfast or lunch when menu items are usually cheaper.
Only order dessert – Try eating your main dish at home and go out for dessert.
Drink water – It’s tempting to order a soda with your meal but opt for water instead.
Optimize appetizers – Fill up on the free appetizers that come with your meal and bring home more leftovers to use for another meal.
Split a meal – Share a meal with a friend or significant other and split the check.
Ask for a box before you start – If you ask for a box before you start eating, you can make two equal portions: one for now and one for later!
Use coupons – Sites like Groupon often have coupons or specials that reduce the cost of your meal.
Final Thoughts On How To Stop Spending Money Eating Out
If you are reading this article, chances are good that you’ve identified that you need to ‘stop eating your budget’ with money spent on eating out. Try to implement a few of these suggestions, and you will be surprised at just how much you save! Comment below with what you do to reduce eating out.
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