Would you think I’m crazy if I told you that you could eat steak 2 times per day, and it would be cheaper than fast food? Well I guess I am a little crazy, but it’s true. When compared to a meal from fast food chains, you CAN eat cheaper and better at your own home. It just takes a little time and planning.
Fast Food. I know for me when I stop in at a fast food chain I prefer to order a meal and not off the dollar menu. The quality of the food is much better, but the meals end up costing upwards of $8. I would say that $10 is a good estimate on how much a meal would cost for myself. Now, let’s compare that to cooking at home.
If we estimate that an average person eating out everyday for 3 meals would spend between $10 per meal, that’s about $10,950 per year ($210.50/week)! A huge chunk of change.
Now, if that same person were to go out for 2 meals per day (instead of 3) and cooked their 3rd meal at home every day for $5, they would spend about $9,125 per year ($175.50/week).
If a person were to eat breakfast at home, go out for lunch, and eat dinner at home every day ($5/meal), they would spend about $7,300/year ($140.50/week). Still an astonishing amount of money.
If the same person were to make all of their meals at home ($5/meal) and go out 1 time per week, they would spend about $5,735/year ($110.50/week).
Something interesting is my wife and I BOTH eat for under $110 per week with going out together 1 time.
Eating at home. Another way to look at this is if a person were to spend an average of $10 per meal eating at home, they could be eating shrimp and steak at nearly every meal. Shrimp usually runs between $5-$10/lb, and a steak like NY Strip is around $8/lb. Even a high quality fillet minion is around $20/lb and can be divided into four 4oz steaks, making each steak about $5 before cooking. The experience is dependent on learning how to cook properly, but most of the basics of cooking are not hard. It just takes practice.
Now, I understand that a person may not have very much time for making meals everyday, so I suggest making meals for the next day or two. If a person has time at lunch on a Monday, make food for Tuesday and Wednesday. Depending on what food item is being made, it will still be good on Tuesday or Wednesday. There are some other meals that can be prepared in a slow cooker, but I enjoy the freshness of food being baked or cooked off the stove. Proper warming of food that has been cooked earlier in the week is also crucial for the experience. If I am warming something like steak, or another food that wouldn’t fair well in a microwave, I will warm it in the oven. The oven doesn’t boil the fat and water out of food cooking it more, and it’s easier to control when it’s warm enough.
I get that eating steak only would probably not be the healthiest for your body. It might be a little bit rough on your digestive tract as well if there is nothing but fat and protein. What I am trying to show is that we can buy ingredients and spend a little bit of time cooking, and save quite a bit of money. My wife and I try to buy items like vegetables, fruit, cereal, and dairy products on our weekly budget in addition to different meats. Keeping our budget fairly low it’s down on the purchase of nonessential items, and makes it possible for us to be spontaneous at times. We have room in our budget to go out with friends if we want without going over budget. We can buy new clothes, tools, or swing through somewhere for dessert without having to worry about our budget.
Tips for the reader.
Set up a budget. Figure out how much you would like to be able to spend on nonessential items and savings, and work your food budget around it.
Practice patience. With how American culture is based on “GO, GO, GO“ it can be difficult to take the time to cook your own meals. Be patient and make time to cook. This is also great time to spend with your spouse.
Keep it as cheap as possible. We like to travel and as you may know, it’s expensive. If you can keep your variable costs down, you will have more room in your budget for traveling and fun activities.
Do what you can afford. You may be able to eat out at every meal (I don’t know your budget), but I find it best to keep it reasonable and make sure that I can meet my other life goals.
Buy in bulk. Bulk pricing will get you a better deal most of the time. Purchase in larger quantities and store (freeze what can be) and use it later.