11 Tricks to Save Money Eating Out (2024)

FAQs

How to live off $150 a month for food? ›

Affordable and nutritious meal ideas for a $150 monthly budget include dishes like vegetable stir-fry with rice, bean and vegetable soups, pasta with homemade tomato sauce, and oatmeal with fruit for breakfast. These meals are cost-effective and can be made in large batches to provide multiple servings.

Now this may not be exact and true for every home, city, or state. But, what if you use the idea as potentially you could save $9 a meal and start limiting your eating out. If you regularly eat out 5 times a week, if you reduce this to even 2 times a week, this is $27 savings, per person, per week.

If you are like us, or like the typical American family, just cutting one meal out per week can save you $520-$1560 per year! Here are some things that have helped us to significantly lower our eating out budget: 1. Plan a Menu.

For those who want a quick and easy answer: It's generally cheaper to cook food at home than eat out. The reason so many people can get stuck on the question is the human psychology variable. People don't always spend wisely, and it isn't as if prices are always the same at a supermarket or a fast food restaurant.

Here's how much families spend eating out, on average, based on size: A single person household spends $206 per month eating out ($2,467 per year). Married couples without kids spend $335 per month eating out ($4,018 per year).

The 80/20 rule is a guide for your everyday diet—eat nutritious foods 80 percent of the time and have a serving of your favorite treat with the other 20 percent. For the “80 percent” part of the plan, focus on drinking lots of water and eating nutritious foods that include: Whole grains. Fruits and vegetables.

So how exactly can you use the 90/10 principle to find success in healthy eating? The 90/10 principle is when 90% of the time you follow your healthy meal plan guidelines closely, while 10% of the time you are free to loosen up and eat what you truly enjoy. Think of the 10% meals as your cheat or free meals.

Cost-Effective Ingredients: When you purchase pre-packaged or prepared meals, you're not just paying for the food itself; you're also covering the cost of packaging, processing, and marketing. Cooking from scratch allows you to buy basic ingredients in bulk, reducing your overall grocery bill.

Determining how much your time is worth and how much money you save can be difficult. It's also important to note that some meals at home are much quicker to prepare than the time you'd spend waiting in line at a restaurant. So according to the data, it's pretty clear you will save money cooking your own grub.

How much does it cost to eat out every day for a month? ›

If we consider that the average cost of a meal from a local restaurant/food chain is around $15 and an individual eats out every day, the monthly expenditure would be approximately $450.

Cooking Can Even Be Cheaper Than Fast Food

It's not just healthy foods that win the battle of cost-saving. Brock Denson, founder of Project Personal Finance, broke down the cost of a homemade hamburger versus one from McDonald's and found that the per-unit cost for the homemade version is slightly less.

Cooking some of your own meals is a great way to eat cheap on vacation. Choose lodging that comes with a kitchen, such as a vacation rental or hostel. Keep snacks in your pack. Carry something to nibble on—like fruit, nuts or a baguette—when you go out on a tour or excursion.

According to the USDA guidelines, you might spend $979 a month on a thrifty plan, $1,028 on a low-cost plan, $1,252 on a moderate-cost plan and $1,604 on a liberal plan. The USDA guidelines can provide a starting point for a food budget, but they don't consider all the variables that can affect cost.

You will need 3,600 - 4,500 calories for 3 days; 16,800 - 21,000 calories for 2 weeks; 33,600 - 42,000 calories per month; and 403,200 - 504,000 calories per year.

To stick to a budget of $100 a month, or $25 a week, you'll have to eat for less than $4 each day. For breakfast, try a bowl of oatmeal with half a banana and a scrambled egg, which should cost less than a dollar. Get into the habit of repackaging ingredients from dinner for lunches the next day.