No other change that we have made in our life has saved us so much money as this! Eating out used to be a regular thing for us; McDonald drive through for lunch, pizza for a quick dinner, take-out for those crazy busy weeknights, the list goes on. It was never special, just quick and desperate solutions to poor planning and, need I add, expensive!
We were sitting at an all-you-can-eat buffet with our 4 children one busy weekend discussing how we sorely needed another dresser. My husband quickly responded; "We can't afford it!" Then we payed the $65 bill and went home. It struck me at that moment how ridiculous it was to continue to eat out for convenience sake all the time.
What changes have we made? I plan ahead! We make sure to finish our extra activities early so we are home when it's mealtime. Crockpots are a fabulous way to have supper ready when you return. If things are just too busy and you didn't prepare ahead, it is a great idea to have quick and easy things in the freezer already; frozen pizza, frozen burritos, etc. Then you aren't forced to go to the drive through or order out.
We have saved hundreds every month by doing this. We still eat out at least once a month, but we plan it, and we all enjoy it so much more! And, as I thought we would, we now have a bit of money left for those other necessities like new winter coats, etc. Try it for a month, you won't be disappointed! :)
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