Penny Pinching #2

Yes, two posts in one day and they are somewhat related. I am penny pinching again.

Eating out. Yes in my last post, I covered this with lunch but now it is dinners and weekends. I used to eat out every Friday night, Saturday night and Sunday lunch. Now it is only Sunday lunch with the family. A few months ago I would have told you I never would have stopped this habit but today I get upset if I have not prepared ahead at home or there is nothing unfrozen. I just don't want to give up my money for food I can make at home. Some food I can not make, so if I am wanting it , I do eat out. One of those is Mexican. I can make some things Mexican but not everything. I have learned to make a mean chicken tortilla soup and I am glad because at El Pollo Loco it is over $5.

This evening we went triple coupon shopping at Harris Teeter. By the way I saved $30. Well I could smell BBQ chicken and was looking for it. I know it was a premade food and that meant more money. I never found the chicken but found the BBQ ribs they had just put out. They were on sale for $13.98 for 2 racks. Ummh, 2 big racks. I went back to the meat department and they were $14-17 for one rack. I walked right back up to the front and bought that premade double rack for $13.98. I am not a big rib eater. Once in a blue moon I want them and evidently the moon is blue tonight. I came home cooked some rice a roni and corn. Two of us ate a little over one rack. The total for dinner tonight was about $16 for a rib dinner for two. You know I could not get that at a restaurant. Plus I have leftovers. So basically we had one dinner a piece and one of us gets lunch. Let me tell you those ribs were awesome. I usually don't like any meat on the bone but I was licking my fingers dry they were so good. Even as reasonable as it was for ribs it was still an unusual splurge. Had we eaten out, you know it would have been $17.99 to $19.99 a piece. Savings of $19-23.

Have you really thought about how much money one can spend eating out and not cooking
at home? I know most restaurants I can not leave without spending a minimum of $10. That is $10 times three times of eating out on weekends. Last weekend my Sunday lunch was $9.31. So I saved $20 by eating in on Friday and Saturday.

Next time you are thinking of eating out, think hard about whether you can make that at home and be just as happy and have a few more dollars.