Eating out Cheaper then Dineing at Home?

[Easy Bakes 253]

17 bucks for plate of pasta?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20061006/ts_csm/aeatout

[Camaron 1]

Even if it is cheaper, I still will save eating out for special occasions. Generally because of the hassle it takes getting there and back, as there are not many restaurants in my area apart from fast food ones, and I want to keep my diet reasonable.

[Meg 368]

$17 for a plate of pasta is ridiculous.  Pasta is not that difficult to make.

I do know that the best deal in my town is the carry-out lunch buffet at the local Chinese restaurant.   I can get a greater variety of food there, at a cheaper cost, than I could prepare myself at home.

[DuskTrooper 314]

Well, this is why one of the grocery chains around here (HEB) is upgrading many of their stores with a "Cafe on the run", which specializes in cooked food, and such that you can purchase, and bring home, for a perfectly good dinner. Sure, the prices are a tad high, when compared to some of the restaurants around here but, you're paying for convenience.

[confused04 14]

As any college student knows... making food is way cheaper than eating out (with the exception of McDonalds and a few other fast food joints). I routinely live off of 50 bucks of food for 2 weeks without a problem, eating out every day would add up to 50 pretty fast.

[anilber 0]

it might cost $17 to buy everything needed to make a certain pasta, but, you'd be making a lot of pasta, much more than $17 could buy you at a restaurant. thus it's cheaper cooking at home

[Easy Bakes 253]

Originally posted by: confused04 As any college student knows... making food is way cheaper than eating out (with the exception of McDonalds and a few other fast food joints). I routinely live off of 50 bucks of food for 2 weeks without a problem, eating out every day would add up to 50 pretty fast.quote>

 

Exactly.

I usually  look around to see what kinds of meat is on sale and buy enough for to make meals for a week.

[paperboy15 4]

"Not that much more" is a joke! But this guy was buying organic food, so that explains where he went wrong. Organic anything is usually overpriced and the organic stuff I tried (milk and cheese my brother got for free) was DISGUSTING!

If I eat out it's usually because I am lazy, not because of time. I don't get into preparing time-intensive meals so sitting down at a restaurant would take more time. Of course...it doesn't taste as good

[hamsterTK 93]

eating out every day would add up to 50 pretty fast.quote>

yeah, even fast food gets expensive

...unless your back there making it and can get it for free or half price like me

its weird though, when you work at a place like that you can't really stand to eat the food, you only eat it because its really your only option when your there all day and can't leave...

[connor_v 3]

My family knows that eating in is much cheaper than eating out. We can't afford to eat at McDonald's or A&W every day. The cheapest deal in my town is the "Golden Delight All You Can Eat Chinese Food Special", weekdays. It's $7.50C a plate, and that is with my student discount. I still only eat there once a week. Actually, the last time I' ve eaten at a chain restaurant was a month ago, strictly because we were on a trip.

And another thing, my family isn't fat. Maybe it's a good thing we can't afford fast food every day.

[USMC 0]

Oh my. Please don't forget about leftovers. I may spend $15-$20 preparing some meals, but I eat it for lunch at least once afterwards. Another way to save money and keep the waistline in order is to eat salad one night per week. Add chicken or beef if you like. Maybe even leftover chicken or beef. Now that's the ticket!

[Litschel 0]

used to eat out all the time - Can't stand the wife's cooking and she doesn't like mine neither. We now compromise - she cooks her stuff and I cook mine, but we still go out for coffee every evening and dinner twice to four time a week. ( we don't like cooking either ) lol

[BigSlark 0]

Its far cheaper eating in than out. I am able to have a decent breakfast (cereal, milk, toast/bagel, and some fruit), a frozen lunch with fruit and cookies, and a really good dinner (small amout of meat, some starch, vegetables) for around $50 U.S. a week and eat extremely well.

On the other hand, it costs, on average, $5 per meal for fast food, and when you add the future health costs of eating the crap, the price gets to be astronomical (to use one of my favorite SC3000 terms).

Of course, you have to be able to cook and have a kitchen, but that's a different story altogether. And if you can't cook, well, find someone that can and beg them to show you how to do it.

I'd start a recipe thread, but my mother taught me my great-grandmother's recipes, which involve a list of ingredients that one adds to taste.

So that's my two cents.

[MrCinatit 30]

I usually spend about 50 to 70 bucks a week on groceries - depending on what I need. I never eat out, I never eat out of vending machines.

A couple of my friends spend the same amount per week on groceries - but they also eat a lot of fast food and eat out of a lot of vending machines. Basically the reason they are spending so much is that the fast food provides absolutely no redeeming nutritional qualities at all. Period. Empty calories. They have to eat additional foods at home in order to make up for those empty calories. (this, along with the fact that fast food is packed with lots-o-fats explain the weight gain experienced by those who eat mainly at fast food dives).

Frankly, most non-fastfood restaurants are not a whole lot better.

It might seem cheaper at first, but in the long time, give me home cooked foods any time.

[____----____ 37]

i kinda echo mr c in that i love to cook so i always do and as a result spend around

80 or so a week on food but i make good food and always have someone over to share

so it goes a long way, and compared to eating out the food is much better, i just can't

stand fast food anymore, I will not take that crap!