It is so frustrating seeing how much money we throw away each month by eating out! One of our main goals this year that will also help with saving money is to stop eating out!! Here is a step by step on how we have started saving money by eating at home.
I have tons of recipes that i have printed off from the internet.... so what to do with all those recipes?? I put them all in a 3 ring binder. I have them organized my appetizer, main dish, dessert, sides, breakfast.... that way they are organized in a way that is easy for me.
1)I Print out a monthly calendar so I can see which nights I need to make "easy" dinners.
2)Start filling in my calendar- Every other Friday is pizza night-some weeks it is home made, some nights Aldi take and bake pizzas- Aldis have the best take and bake pizzas!!
3) Tuesdays are Fish Nights- It is recommended you eat fish twice each week- we do not love fish so right now it is just once per week. Right now we are only fond of the fish from Schwan's.
4) Its winter so i LOVE making soup! I make soup at least 2 times per month, which is usually every other Thursday- Check our my recipe for lasagna soup, it is our new favorite!!
5) Where does crock pot meals fit in to your schedule best? We try to have at least 2 crock pot meals per month-every other Monday night.
6) My calendar is getting pretty full at this point and i have hardly even had to look for recipes- remember to check out your 3 ring binder- I also have a favorites section that make it easy to find the family favorites. I try to fill the remaining days with something different from all the other recipes listed, maybe a pasta, or a rice meal...
I have a small family of 3 so we have lots of leftovers which means i do not have to plan a meal daily due to us eating leftovers a few times a week. I generally cook 2-3 meals per week- or plan it that way- 2 Months ago my menu actually lasted 2 months due to us eating so many leftovers rather than needing to cook.
Something new we are trying this month to help with foot cost is to add a few cereal nights to our menu. A box of cereal lasts us FOREVER in our home and we have PLENTY of it so this is a way to go thru some of the resources we already have on hand. Should save us over $20 per month.
-Final tip-Don't set your self up for failure- Have ingredients for easy back up meals on hand.
What tips help you stay on track with not eating out?
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