I spent HOW MUCH?!

[TxRabbit]

We try to eat lots of fruits and vegetables, so I often base my meal plans on what needs to be used up - is the cauliflower in the fridge getting a bit tired? Time for aloo gobi! Zucchini been hanging around too long? Time for Italian white bean soup.

I like to try out new recipes once a week or so. My family likes variety, so the approach of serving a rotation of recipes doesn't work well for us. I certainly do have some tried-and-true pantry recipes that I can pretty much always make if necessary. (Curried chickpeas and spinach is one - we always have canned chickpeas and tomatoes in the pantry, and frozen spinach in the freezer, and this can be put together quite quickly and everyone likes it.) It's good to develop your own list of these and make sure you always have the ingredients on hand.

TP

I think you and I cook a lot alike! When I talk about meal rotations...it isn't exact meals. More like every week we have a meal that is based on pasta, tortillas, grilled chicken, salmon, soup, sandwich night, etc. Rarely do I end up making the exact same meal...just the basic idea.

Would you share your Curried chickpea recipe? Sounds yummy. LOVE curry and the ingredients, and I'm always looking for another clutch pantry/freezer recipes.

 

[EPCOT is a verb]

Another crockpot lover here. I have been having what DH calls "Crock Pot Mondays". I put a chicken or beef roast or pork roast in on Monday morning and use that for several meals through the week.

 

[Joy Lammers]

Don't feel bad, I think it is really easy to spend that much if you eat out at all. The great thing is that you can cut back even half and save a ton of money!!! Do you work outside the home? That's why we eat out, when I don't have something quick to make for dinner. I find that the crockpot often saves me so much time.

Posted from DISboards.com App for Android

 

[carrie1626]

Here's a meal that is about as quick as it gets:

Chicken breasts: A little salt, pepper, Lawry's or any other spice you like in a baking dish, cover with foil 350 degrees 45-60 minutes
OR buy a marinade and let it sit all day while you're at work

Green bean casserole: this holiday classic is a weekly staple in my house. You can mix everything together in the same dish you bake it in.
350 degrees 45-60 minutes

Bagged salad with dressing.

WINE!!!

 

[Rosiekins]

We eat out a lot (too much!)too. What I find really helps is freezer meals. I either make extra of something and freezer servings like chili or chicken soup. Or I spend a day making a bunch of things and freezing those. It is just as easy to pull something out of the freezer and put it in the oven for an hour as go out. Or pulling something out and popping it in the crock pot for the day. I put things I bake in glass containers that can go from the freezer to oven so I can still make something if I didn't defrost it. Anything that goes in the crock pot or on the stove top I put in zip top bags and freeze flat.

 

[scoutie]

Wow. People sure do eat out a lot.

I was thinking that too! If I ate out that much, I'd be overweight. I go out to dinner about once a week, and then it takes me the rest of the week to drop the two pounds I always seem to gain from it.

I also use the crockpot a lot, and prep meals ahead. I find going out to eat wastes time--the driving there, the waiting, the driving back....for me, it's more convenient to prep meals ahead of time and eat at home.

 

[mrssmith06]

Maybe if you ease your way into eating at home more you will be more likely to stick with it. Like on the next month, say starting in August... instead of spending $450 eating out and $200 on groceries, reverse it. Spend at least $450 on groceries and limit yourself to $200 for eating out for the month.

We are a family of 5 and spend about $500-$550 a month on groceries and we eat at home most of the time. We might eat out once a week, but we do not spend more than $100/month eating out usually. The only exemption to this would be if there is a birthday or special outing that we may go out to a more expensive restaurant, and then I have to adjust our budget for that.

I always make a meal plan, and watch the sales ads and use those to make my shopping list. If you go to the store blindly and just throw random things in the cart with no plan, you will overspend and end up having to make more trips for all of the things you forgot. There are plenty of quick and easy meals you can do and yes I agree the crock pot is your friend!!!

Good Luck!

 

[purpledisneyprncess]

Eating out definitely adds up and adds up fast!! We used to rarely ever eat out but with us just moving from our apt back into my childhood home to help out my mom with her bills and in turn we save some $$ as well, we have been going out to eat more frequently. Not a lot but enough to make me feel uncomfortable with it, b/c I feel like it's easily turning into more and more and we don't even realize it until I look at my credit card activity throughout the month.

We ate out this past Saturday and the bill was $50. Not that bad for a family of 4, but add up all the Dunkin Donuts we've been getting, the subs from Quick Chek to take with us to the beach, Rita's Italian ice yesterday was $19!!!!!, buying my friend dinner for helping us with the move--- it ALL ADDS UP.

I think we are going to take a break at least for the rest of the month until we go to Disney (end of August) and not eat out at all. We can do it. And will!