Trouble with eating at home

[Dougie_D]

I don't ENJOY eating at home. I like to go out all the time. It's starting to hurt my finances in a bigger way than I have thought. Is STAYING at home my only option now? My budget for food is looking like 250 dollars for the month. Any suggestions??? I eat SUBWAY a lot.

[agent1607307371]

Do you have friends you can share meals with?

 

TBH, when it comes to money, you don't have to enjoy something when it needs to be done.

[Kitkat973]

It's easy to make an equivalent sandwich to Subway for half the price at home, with little effort. If you don't like to cook or eat at home, choose easy things and pack your lunch/dinner when you go out.

 

Around $250 a person is my food budget with absolutely no going out to eat, so I can't really see stretching that to get food entirely out of the home. (my circumstances are a bit unique though- I can't buy the majority of prepared foods, so I get a lot of fresh produce, meat, etc.)

[Jetta]

What do you like so much about eating out? You can recreate the food you enjoy at home. I got out to eat sometimes and think this is just how it tastes when I make, not special then. Start buying all the stuff you like to have on your sandwich including the type of bread and make your favorite sandwich at home for a fraction of the cost, plus you can add more meat if you want. You'll see how far your budget goes when you eat in vs. out.

[Dougie_D]

I have roommates and I have LITTLE room to store. Plus, I don't really know how to cook. Also, going out gives me a reason to GET OUT OF MY HOUSE! Also, I feel like I waste money on storing food. I have food that I had to throw away because I don't EAT IT FAST enough. That blows!!

[rocio]

How can you eat out every day on $250/month? That's less than $10/day, and I'm assuming you eat at least three times/day?

[agent1607307371]

Buy fresh food less often. Do you have a job?

 

You are entitled to storage space if you are paying rent. And take this as an opportunity to learn to cook.

 

These costs add up quick, so it's either budget or starve.

[FathomFear]

Making your own meals can save you a ton of money. And on top of that what you make at home is usually way healthier, as take out food--even Subway--tends to be overloaded with sodium to an extreme, even if it's marketed as healthy.

 

If I were you I would buy some bread, canned beans, and big bags of frozen vegetables. You can make a ton of meals out of that, and it will be much cheaper and more healthy.

[Kitkat973]

I have roommates and I have LITTLE room to store. Plus, I don't really know how to cook. Also, going out gives me a reason to GET OUT OF MY HOUSE! Also, I feel like I waste money on storing food. I have food that I had to throw away because I don't EAT IT FAST enough. That blows!!

 

Is buying a mini-fridge for your own room a potential? It can be more money out upfront, but it can save you money in the long run. It also takes time to learn what you need to get when for you, and how much. For me, I only buy vegetables if I am planning to use them within the next two days. You might have to go to the grocery store more than you want to, but you're having to make regular trips to obtain food when you're eating out, as well. Even with the average 25% waste, you'll still be saving money over eating out.

 

Not knowing how to cook can be addressed. Start simple with things that you want to eat. Follow recipes exactly to start with, and you'll learn.

 

It's not something that you want to do, but it sounds like it's something that the state of your pocketbook is necessitating.

[guynextdoor]

You should really look into learning how to cook. Its way healthier, cleaner and cheaper. Start off with something as simple as grilling and work your way up. BTW women dig men that can cook and you don't have to be a chef...

[Dougie_D]

It just bums me out that I'm probably going to spend more time at home if I have to cook and stuff. I recently bought a laptop and that's why I am tight.

I am just cooking for myself and that's a problem, right? Are their meals that are actually cheaper to just buy and cook for the day? I've done the sandwhich thing but I keep spending more money because eating the same sandwhich every meal gets annoying.

 

I just bought bread, cheese, and chimichangas for about 10 bucks. Not much variety AT ALL.

 

I feel better actually going to the grocery store and just buying it and eating the same day. Am I wasting money by doing something like this?

 

What do you guys normally buy???

[Kitkat973]

If you go to the deli at your grocery store, you can get things in smaller quantities. If repetition is a problem for you, that might be part of a solution- you can get enough meat/cheese for one sandwich of one kind, then enough for another in a different kind.

 

As for what I buy- I have more storage space than you and a severe food intolerance, so it's bound to be different, but I can make a few suggestions for someone in your position.

 

(note: all of the following advice is based mostly on convenience vs price. My diet is very different from what I'm recommending here, but my health issues necessitate that.)

 

First off: cereal, if you don't already keep it on hand. Sounds basic, but it's one meal out of the way with little effort, and it can be an emergency meal for when you're just too tired to cook or do something.

 

Canned soups might also be an option for you. They aren't the most cost-effective thing in the world, but $1.50-$1.75 for a hearty soup that forms a meal for something as simple as microwaving or reheating is less than $5 at Subway, so it's a start.

 

My suggestion is to make a list of what you want to eat, then move from there. If you like pasta, you can buy a box of pasta and a jar of pasta sauce. You can get frozen chicken strips to put in with it, and you have a two-pot meal that shouldn't take more than 15 minutes to make. If you like salads, those are simple and pretty basic. If you enjoy vegetables, you can get them frozen in bags. It's easy to microwave with a little bit of water, and often frozen vegetables can be fresher than supermarket produce.

 

Pancake mix is easy and a good place to start for actual cooking. It takes a bit of effort and there's a learning curve, but not a heavy one.

 

Keep nutritious snacks around. It'll help keep you from going out to get something when you're feeling to tired to mess with food. Almonds are a good one to have around. If you have bulk bins available to you, I suggest getting the stuff to mix up your own trail-mix. It can actually be pretty cost-effective if you're mixing it yourself, and it makes for a filling snack.

 

Buy fresh fruits and vegetables only if you're planning to use them soon. Consider having bananas around regularly, though- you will want to buy smaller bunches for just one person, but they are versatile.

 

Smoothies as meals is another potential, if you want something healthier that's low effort. All you need is a blender and fruit/vegetables.

 

One thing that I do personally is detach from the idea of specific meals for specific times. If I want breakfast for dinner, I have breakfast for dinner. If I want a salad for breakfast, I have a salad for breakfast.

 

It's not easy to start cooking at home, but you can do it.

[gingerlemon]

I sympathise in that I'm really not into cooking either. One of my strategies is that I'll make a big pot of something that I really like, and then put it in the freezer in meal sized portions. That cuts down the time spent on cooking during the week. The stuff I make is really simple (e.g. stews where everything goes into the same pot, easy recipes), but I make sure it's ingredients I really like so that I feel motivated to eat it.

 

Other simple stuff I make when I only cook for me are:

 

omelettes with some onion/mushroom/tomatoes (you can add whatever you want, really) - they are quick and easy

fresh soups that can be bought in portion sizes in the grocery store - all you need to do is heat it up - with a nice piece of bread on the side

ready pizzas or pasta dishes (just heat in the oven)

I'll make a grilled sandwich: slice of bread with tomato/ cheese/ onion/ whatever you want to add + some salt, pepper and basil and stick it in the oven about ten minutes

 

If you google quick and easy recipes or something along those lines, you can find food that's simple to cook. There are also cook books that are specifically aimed at people who want quick and easy recipes where you can make something in 20-30 minutes.