Two weeks ago I made the painful decision to stop eating out. After months of spending at least $400 a month on fast food and restaurant meals, I realized I couldn’t afford to keep doing it. I decided to go cold turkey and eat exclusively at home. At first, my only goal was to save money but I’ve been pleasantly surprised with a few other benefits. Likewise, there have also been a few drawbacks that I didn’t consider when I made the decision initially. Both positive and negative considered, I’m feeling pretty good about my progress. I must confess my girlfriend and I ate out over the weekend. We were at the mall and got a slice of pizza. We spent about $10 and it was a actually a fun change of pace, so I don’t feel too bad for it.
One benefit of eating at home is that I feel healthier. My clothes fit a little better and I just don’t feel so weighed down and tired anymore. Now I opt for a piece of fruit instead of fries. That’s not to say I’m becoming a health freak but I am eating healthier now. Another benefit has been learning to enjoy going out and doing other things with my girlfriend. This weekend we had a great time just hanging out at the mall. The most important benefit has been the money I’ve saved eating at home. I’ve estimated I was spending $5 per person (my girlfriend and me), per day on eating out. After 11 days of eating at home, I’ve saved about $100.
A few drawbacks: meal planning, more money for groceries, cooking, and cleaning. Now that my girlfriend and I eat at home, we plan our meals out to save money and time. Personally, I find menu-planning a little boring but it only takes us about an hour to decide what were having for the week. It definitely makes grocery shopping easier. Even though I’m spending more on groceries now, it is still cheaper than eating out. When it comes to the cooking, I used to prefer the convenience of modern technology (i.e. the microwave or toaster oven) to breaking out the old pots and pans. Luckily, my girlfriend enjoys cooking so we developed a system we both appreciate: she cooks, I do the dishes. On occasion I’ll help with the chopping or slicing of something but usually there are other things I would rather be doing. Again, not something I would say is a positive but I don’t completely hate it either like I expected I would.
Overall, eating at home has improved my life, and bank account, in more ways than expected. I’m confident that it was a great decision and am looking forward to the new adventures it brings.
