Eating out or at home

[mstng86]

I cook all my b-fast, lunch, and 1/2 my dinner meals.
I just spent $280 for myself at Sam's this last weekend.
I usually average $200 a week on groceries, but I do eat very healthy and eat around 6,000 calories a day.

Holy shit!!

[mstng86]

I hear a Wal-mart challenge. Can you spend $21 for fixin's for 5 days of sandwiches? To be more fair, I say make it 10 days of sandwiches ($42), since dressings/condiments are sold in larger containers. I'd wager you get more from the grocery store for $42 for 10 sandwiches.

2-3 lbs of meat
10 slices of cheese
2 bags of spinach
1 jar of pickles
2 red onions
olives
container of Mustard
Wheat bread

plus chips, don't forget the chips.

That is what it breaks down to.

[clevelandkid]

I could just about cover ALL of my meals in a week for the $21 you spend on lunch and most of it can be made in less than 10 minutes. I can't even get to a restaurant in that time.

[bcoop]

Have you checked out Aldi yet? I just spent $180, for what would have been a $300-350 trip to Kroger or Tom Thumb. And I'm about to start clipping coupons for the trips I have to make to the regular store. Food has gotten flat out outrageous. I was spending $200 or so per week at the store.



Some notables - $.99 for a loaf of bread, $.49/dozen of eggs, $.99/gallon of milk. I think I bought three items that were over $5. So far, I'm impressed. I'll continue to get veggies and fruits elsewhere, however. The one by me doesn't have a big produce section.

[mstng86]

Have you checked out Aldi yet? I just spent $180, for what would have been a $300-350 trip to Kroger or Tom Thumb. And I'm about to start clipping coupons for the trips I have to make to the regular store. Food has gotten flat out outrageous. I was spending $200 or so per week at the store.



Some notables - $.99 for a loaf of bread, $.49/dozen of eggs, $.99/gallon of milk. I think I bought three items that were over $5. So far, I'm impressed. I'll continue to get veggies and fruits elsewhere, however. The one by me doesn't have a big produce section.

There is not an Aldi within 20 miles of me I think.

[Lone Sailor]

I have been thinking about this for a little bit.

We always grew up being told that it is cheaper to eat at home than it is to eat out every night. I pretty much believed that but then started to look at a few different scenarios.

Lunch for instance, I eat a subway sandwich and a bag of chips for $4.30 everyday. Now that comes out to $21.50 for one weeks worth. To have the same sandwich made at home and brought to work would, from what I see, be more expensive. After buying the meat, the cheese, the different varieties of vegetables, etc. It ends up being cheaper to just buy it from Subway.

I don't think the idea holds water in todays economy in a lot of instances.

Now I know for a fact it is really expensive to buy your groceries with the intent of cooking every night, and then going out to eat instead. Which is a struggle the wife and I have on a weekly basis. Sometimes there is no time at night to cook dinner, and then clean the kitchen and have time to relax.

I don't know about you, but when I was growing up, 4-5 different kinds of veggies was not going on my sammich like how Subway does it. I remember days of eating dry cheese sammiches for lunch at school, no chips, but perhaps some kind of fruit, apple, orange, etc. Granted I do occasionally like a few veggies on my sammiches nowadays, but that was a super cheap lunch(probably around $0.50 total) 20+ years ago. Perhaps it's more an eating lifestyle preference than it is the fact of saving money by not eating out. If that makes sense. It's hard to compare it perfectly because your tastes have changed and you want different things now and also want them to be like in price, or at least competitive. You want to save money, but at the same time you're not getting everything that some other place can offer you for the same amount of money, type of deal.

[Lone Sailor]

There is not an Aldi within 20 miles of me I think.

LOLZ

http://www.yellowmap.de/partners/AldiSued2/Html/Poi.aspx?SessionGuid=cf1cde0c-b469-43c8-ab81-e59d652916d8

[mstng86]

LOLZ
http://www.yellowmap.de/partners/Ald...1-e59d652916d8

I said "I think". I don't live in Mesquite. I don't really go to Mesquite either, but if it is that low it might be worth looking at.

[Lone Sailor]

I said "I think". I don't live in Mesquite. I don't really go to Mesquite either, but if it is that low it might be worth looking at.

Only 12-13 miles. You said you didn't think there was one within 20 miles so I took that as you would be more inclined to go if there was one that met that criteria, so I searched for you and there are several within 20 miles. Enjoy.

[mstng86]

Only 12-13 miles. You said you didn't think there was one within 20 miles so I took that as you would be more inclined to go if there was one that met that criteria, so I searched for you and there are several within 20 miles. Enjoy.

I know, you googled faster, I stand corrected.

[SlowLX]

I eat well with only what I buy from WalMart for probably $250 a month.

[chuckacosta]

I'm just lucky and blessed that I can go home for lunch and my grandma usually cooks.

[Lone Sailor]

My wife and I both bring our lunches 4-5 times a week and we also cook or prepare a meal every night. Well also have 3 kids, 2 that are young, and 1 that is 16. We do most of our shopping at our local Tom Thumb for about $125 a week. And that's not because we are buying beans, rice, or other cheap filler foods either, we just try to find the bargains on the items we are looking to purchase(usually not brand name, but for a few things there is just no good substitute, also not necessarily store generic brand either). That and we have cut way back on red meat, and that saves a lot. More chicken, turkey, pork, fish, etc. During the winter months we will use the crock pot at least once a week for painless meals. The prep takes a short amount of time and then you just leave it in there and don't have to touch it until it's done. Nothing like a nice seasoned beef or pork roast that has been slow cooking with all the veggies soaking up the seasoned water for 10-12 hours. Then those left overs will become a lunch for later in the week. Works out great for us.

[LS1Goat]

you'll never beat ramen noodles, or rice when it comes to $.
Never.

x2...lol

sounds like a guy who's been a college student at some point.

[idrivea4banger]

Eating out puts a big dent in my pockets. especially when were busy at work I usually skip my lunch and get something afterwards.