Across the nation, we have become much more accustomed to dining out than previous generations. While our parents and grandparents generally reserved dining out for special occasions, like birthdays and vacations, many of us have begun to treat dining out as a timesaving convenience. Our hectic schedules and two-working-parents households leave little time for properly preparing full meals and there seems to be a fast food restaurant on every corner enticing us with tasty offerings that are ready right away. Unfortunately, dining out costs much more than preparing meals at home and dining out frequently can absorb a substantial portion of your income. Here are some tips on how to eat at home more often and reduce the amount of money you spend on dining out.
Buy A Crock-pot
Buying a crock-pot is a great way to make it easier to prepare meals at home. For less than $40, you can purchase a large crock-pot that is big enough to prepare a whole chicken or a large roast. With a crock-pot, you place the ingredients that you want to cook into it in the morning and turn it on before you leave for work. By dinnertime that evening, the items have slow cooked into a ready meal for you and your family. You can control what goes into the food that you eat and will save money on food costs by purchasing ingredients at the grocery store. Most types of crock-pots come with a booklet of simple recipe instructions and more recipes can easily be found online.
Prepare Meals In Advance
If you find that you are dining out during the week because you are hungry and crunched for time after work, consider preparing meals in advance and freezing them so all you have to do is heat things up when you get home. On your off day, spend some time preparing casseroles, pasta dishes, and meat dishes that can be wrapped and placed in the freezer. During the week, you can unwrap one of these meals and place it in the oven to reheat in less than 30 minutes. If it is a single serving portion, you may be able to just microwave it for a few minutes to make it ready to eat.
Take Advantage Of Discounts
Another way to reduce the cost of dining out is to use discounts and coupons on those times when you do dine out. Many restaurants offer discounts and special deals to entice more customers into their locations. In most cities, it is easy to find buy one, get one free deals and half-price coupons for local restaurants and national chains. When deciding where to go to get food, give places that are offering discounts or that you have coupons for the highest priority and get what you want for less.
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