Preparing food at home can save you over $200 per month, here's how you can do it.
5 min read
Thinking about ordering take out today? You might reconsider when hearing that the average American spends about $1,175 on take-out meals every year, according to the research presented by Home Chef. This may not seem much but it can be more expensive depending on how frequent you order take out and how much you spend per order. Cooking at home rather than spending money on restaurants could save you a considerable amount of money. Although, even knowing this fact, the majority of American’s will still continue to eat out and order take out. The top reasons why American’s prefer eating out rather than cook at home by far was cravings for certain foods (44%), being too lazy (37%), and not having time to cook (26%).
We’ve all been there, the idea of spending time and energy to cook something at home or conveniently buying an already made meal is too alluring. In today’s world where ordering through phone, online, or with an app has never been easier, it’s hard to resist the temptation. But the best way to not order take out is to eliminate your excuses.
If you feel like you don’t have time to cook at home everyday try meal prepping. Meal prepping only requires cooking one day out of the week, which is a great way to save time, money and make healthier choices. After deciding what you want to eat for the week, designate one afternoon to cook all of your meals. This way you will already have your meals ready for you, resisting the temptation of eating out. You can also check out your local grocery store for convenient ready-to-eat meals that you can take with you.
However, if the idea of bulk cooking is too overwhelming for you, search for simple and easy cooking recipes that can help you start cooking your own meals. Many times we feel too lazy to do something because the task seems too daunting and we avoid it, but the solution to this is to make cooking less scary. Start small with quick and easy recipes. If you feel like your cooking skills are subpar than this is the perfect time to learn. Once you start, your cooking skills can only improve.
If you’re still craving your favorite take out food, try making them yourself. It’s a fun challenge to see if you can recreate your beloved dishes. This way you can appreciate the work it takes and still satisfy your cravings!
It’s not easy to cut back on the convenience of take out, and build a habit of cooking, but starting small and getting rid of temptation is a good way to start. Let us know in the comments below if you have tried any of these tips to save money!
