| Everyone enjoys eating out, but there's something | | | | have spent it on. Ask yourself if getting restaurant |
| intimate and warming about having a home cooked | | | | food is really saving you time and money. |
| meal. In the best of both worlds you'd be able to do | | | | If your family honestly does enjoy the taste of |
| both. If you could enjoy the same types of meals | | | | restaurant food then there are alternatives there as |
| that you could only get before at a restaurant at | | | | well. In fact, there is more than one cookbook on |
| home, what would that do for your lifestyle? The | | | | the market now with clones of the top secret |
| top secret restaurant recipes are available if you | | | | restaurant recipes for some of the most popular |
| know where to look for them. | | | | dishes. By going in this direction, you could save up to |
| Eating out is expensive and, if you do it too often, | | | | 50% of the cost of eating out. |
| detrimental to your budget. Any pay rises you get | | | | If you don't have the time to cook, then plan ahead. |
| can be easily eaten up by eating out too much. It | | | | Pick recipes where you can do some of the |
| may be fun, but there are limits to how often you | | | | preparation the night before. That way when you |
| should eat out. In the best of both worlds you'd be | | | | get home you won't have to spend an enormous |
| able to eat out for the same as eating at home, but | | | | amount of time in the kitchen. It can become part of |
| we all know that is not possible. The restaurants | | | | your bed time routine, if you do it right. The other |
| have to make a profit. They have rents to pay, | | | | great thing about planning ahead like this is that if you |
| employees to pay and a profit margin on top of that | | | | are too tired to cook, then the effort involved has |
| so that they can grow as a business. Eating at home | | | | been decreased. |
| is always going to be the cheaper alternative. | | | | If your problem is that you aren't a good cook then |
| We can justify eating out in many ways: | | | | start on simple dishes and take your time doing them. |
| - I don't have the time to cook, | | | | Cooking is a skill that is learnt over time, just like any |
| - I am too tired to cook, | | | | other skill. Take your time and work from simple |
| - I am not a very good cook anyway, and besides, | | | | dishes to more complex ones. In any other aspect of |
| my family prefers restaurant food even if it's only | | | | your life you'd be willing to give building a skill time. |
| McDonald's, | | | | Why not so in the kitchen? |
| - I never have the right food in the kitchen and so I | | | | When you think about eating out, if you do it on a |
| can't eat at home. The list goes on and on. But what | | | | regular basis, also consider the real cost of those |
| it really boils down to is that they are only excuses. | | | | meals and whether they are giving you a better |
| Grab your bag and get out the receipts and add up | | | | lifestyle or not. If you want more room in your |
| what you really spent on the takeout food, and the | | | | budget then eat at home. You really don't have to |
| restaurant meals in the last week. Ask yourself if | | | | compromise on taste to do it. All you need is a |
| that was money well spent and what else you could | | | | search engine and the willingness to give it a try. |