Eating out vs. buying groceries

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13

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  • Evamutt
    Evamutt Posts: 2,423 Member
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    I don't like eating out. It makes me feel sick. We went out yesterday for our anniversary, spent $33 on both of us & I could have bought more food. Besides that, I buy frozen fruit cuz I use it in my smoothie, Husband buys fresh but only what he can eat in a week. I buy fresh veggies, but again, only for a week. What I cook we usually eat for 3 -4 days, I buy larger packages of ground turkey, boneless,skinless chicken thighs, taco meat, which is usually chuck cut into small strips & portion it out then freeze it. All of these don't take long to cook. I love zucchini, I cut it up raw on my plate & microwave it for 3 min or eat it raw with balsamic vinegar on it.You can do this with almost any vegetable
  • try2again
    try2again Posts: 3,562 Member
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    Evamutt wrote: »
    I don't like eating out. It makes me feel sick. We went out yesterday for our anniversary, spent $33 on both of us & I could have bought more food.

    My hubby & I can't enjoy a meal out like that (and I'm sure $33 is a drop in the bucket compared to what some people spend), because we know we could be getting so much more or doing other things with our money! If we go out, we'll usually do it for lunch so we at least don't have to pay dinner prices.

  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    NoFilter1977 wrote: »
    Does anyone know of places you can eat out at that are cheaper than trying to afford all of this healthy food that goes to waste? I try to buy fresh veggies and such, but they end up going bad before I can finish them a lot of the time. I'm just not a salad everyday kinda guy. I have a small fridge, so eating out is a choice I perhaps have to consider. Don't judge me :P

    I'm not judging you, but like others have said, for comparable food eating out is going to be more expensive (around here, a lot more expensive -- I get lazy and buy lunch, salads and stuff, and enjoy them and the convenience, but it's a crazy waste of money).

    I think the trick (as well as maybe buying cheaper stuff) is planning better so you don't waste things. What actually taught me how to do that was getting a CSA box (farm subscription -- don't worry, not recommending that and it's too early in the season most places anyway) and then having to cook so as to use that up.

    Figure out how you want to eat over the week, at least roughly. Be realistic -- are you going to eat out 3 nights so only need 4 nights of dinner stuff? Are you going to plan on a vegetable medley for breakfast but get up late and need to grab and go? Buy accordingly. If a grab and go person, maybe pre cut some raw veg (if you want veg in the morning) or have bananas and a yogurt on hand or make egg cups in advance.

    If you buy a bunch of things, cook to those things. Post here for ideas if you need them. My usual breakfast plan is a 2 egg omelet with vegetables, and I use the vegetables I have available. Usually have cottage cheese on the side, takes no thinking. Similarly, for dinner I plan the meat or other protein ahead usually, and maybe the starchy side if I'm having one, since that can determine how long dinner takes (roasted potatoes, pasta, lentils, beans, rice, whatever) and any longer cooking vegetables (mainly just winter squash, which gets treated like a starch in my mind because it cooks similarly -- well, maybe roasted carrots or parsnips or so too). Then I use the vegetables I have on hand, whatever they are and if something seems like it needs to be used soon I do that.

    I rarely make salads at home in the winter and early spring, I will do it a lot in the summer. Now I include greens in my omelets and cook them and eat them on the side with dinner or with lunches I make in advance (another good way to plan and make sure you use the food you bought).

    If you are new to cooking at home, maybe start more slowly -- focus on one meal at a time or start by saying you will cook 2 dinners and then expand.

    Or of course you don't have to do this, but if money is the concern it's cheaper. Good premade options at the grocery store are the salad bars, the rotisserie chicken, and depending on the store lots of other things. (My WF now apparently has a Snap Kitchen booth, but that's a good way to spend more money, not save it.) Another option could be trying one of those subscription services like Blue Apron 'til you get the hang of it. Again, not cheap but tailored to the amount of food you need.
  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
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    Buy less and go to the store more often.
  • dpwellman
    dpwellman Posts: 3,271 Member
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    I buy produce at Aldi. If it's in season it's dirt cheap. Otherwise I only buy what I need for that day or the next.
  • gamerbabe14
    gamerbabe14 Posts: 876 Member
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    dpwellman wrote: »
    I buy produce at Aldi. If it's in season it's dirt cheap. Otherwise I only buy what I need for that day or the next.

    This is my Aldi situation....they rarely have single item produce so I instead have to buy 4 tomatoes when I only want one or a 1lb bag of potatoes when I only need 4. It's super cheap but I waste so much food when I shop there...it's a personal problem I know.
  • fitmom4lifemfp
    fitmom4lifemfp Posts: 1,575 Member
    edited April 2017
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    NoFilter1977 wrote: »
    I hear ya! I went shopping for chicken. If I want to buy 2 breasts it cost $7. It cost $11 for about 6 breasts. I'm trying to wrestle with the idea of paying a lot for a little or a little for a lot..and have waste. We don't want chicken breasts 3 times in however few days chicken lasts in the fridge. I can't stand frozen chicken, so saving it is crossing the line I draw in my own sand. lol

    Huh?? You seriously are saying that freezing a chicken breast, and then thawing it to cook, tastes different than one that was not frozen? Man you have some wild sense of taste. I don't know anyone that DOESN'T buy their chicken and freeze it!! I just bought about 8 pounds of chicken breast at Kroger, on sale for 1.67 a pound. WIN!
  • kzooyogi
    kzooyogi Posts: 121 Member
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    Plan out your meals a week at at time. With your plan in hand, come up with a grocery list of only things that you need to prepare your planned meals. If some of those ingredients don't last long (mung bean sprouts come to mind), hold off on buying them until the day before/day of the meal in which they're required, then head to the store to pick them up. That way you're only ever buying food (not just product) that you need. You'll save money, time, and fridge space.
  • vikinglander
    vikinglander Posts: 1,547 Member
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    I think your profile says it all: "Time for a change."

    Forage daily.
  • gamerbabe14
    gamerbabe14 Posts: 876 Member
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    fitmom4lifemfp wrote: »

    Huh?? You seriously are saying that freezing a chicken breast, and then thawing it to cook, tastes different than one that was not frozen? Man you have some wild sense of taste. I don't know anyone that DOESN'T buy their chicken and freeze it!! I just bought about 8 pounds of chicken breast at Kroger, on sale for 1.67 a pound. WIN!

    I never freeze my chicken. I do think it tastes different and I'm also impatient AF.
  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
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    I don't freeze chicken either.
  • fitmom4lifemfp
    fitmom4lifemfp Posts: 1,575 Member
    edited April 2017
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    gamerbabe14 wrote: »
    fitmom4lifemfp wrote: »

    Huh?? You seriously are saying that freezing a chicken breast, and then thawing it to cook, tastes different than one that was not frozen? Man you have some wild sense of taste. I don't know anyone that DOESN'T buy their chicken and freeze it!! I just bought about 8 pounds of chicken breast at Kroger, on sale for 1.67 a pound. WIN!

    I never freeze my chicken. I do think it tastes different and I'm also impatient AF.

    I'm amazed. I taste absolutely zero difference. Thank GOD. As much chicken as I eat, I would be at the grocery store every week buying chicken!! :p Also, I batch cook - take chicken to thaw and then cook a whole week's worth at one time. I portion it out during the week and start over on the weekend. :)
  • ritzvin
    ritzvin Posts: 2,860 Member
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    fitmom4lifemfp wrote: »
    gamerbabe14 wrote: »
    fitmom4lifemfp wrote: »

    Huh?? You seriously are saying that freezing a chicken breast, and then thawing it to cook, tastes different than one that was not frozen? Man you have some wild sense of taste. I don't know anyone that DOESN'T buy their chicken and freeze it!! I just bought about 8 pounds of chicken breast at Kroger, on sale for 1.67 a pound. WIN!

    I never freeze my chicken. I do think it tastes different and I'm also impatient AF.

    I'm amazed. I taste absolutely zero difference. Thank GOD. As much chicken as I eat, I would be at the grocery store every week buying chicken!! :p Also, I batch cook - take chicken to thaw and then cook a whole week's worth at one time. I portion it out during the week and start over on the weekend. :)

    I batch cook too. For chicken, I mostly just buy a rotisserie chicken every so often, carve/pull all the meat off and then freeze.
  • ritzvin
    ritzvin Posts: 2,860 Member
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    ritzvin wrote: »
    fitmom4lifemfp wrote: »
    gamerbabe14 wrote: »
    fitmom4lifemfp wrote: »

    Huh?? You seriously are saying that freezing a chicken breast, and then thawing it to cook, tastes different than one that was not frozen? Man you have some wild sense of taste. I don't know anyone that DOESN'T buy their chicken and freeze it!! I just bought about 8 pounds of chicken breast at Kroger, on sale for 1.67 a pound. WIN!

    I never freeze my chicken. I do think it tastes different and I'm also impatient AF.

    I'm amazed. I taste absolutely zero difference. Thank GOD. As much chicken as I eat, I would be at the grocery store every week buying chicken!! :p Also, I batch cook - take chicken to thaw and then cook a whole week's worth at one time. I portion it out during the week and start over on the weekend. :)

    I batch cook too. For chicken, I mostly just buy a rotisserie chicken every so often, carve/pull all the meat off and then freeze.

    ..and I do the same (except chopping/dicing rather than carving and pulling pieces off) for chorizo/linguica/polish sausage, chunk of smoked ham,..
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    fitmom4lifemfp wrote: »
    NoFilter1977 wrote: »
    I hear ya! I went shopping for chicken. If I want to buy 2 breasts it cost $7. It cost $11 for about 6 breasts. I'm trying to wrestle with the idea of paying a lot for a little or a little for a lot..and have waste. We don't want chicken breasts 3 times in however few days chicken lasts in the fridge. I can't stand frozen chicken, so saving it is crossing the line I draw in my own sand. lol

    Huh?? You seriously are saying that freezing a chicken breast, and then thawing it to cook, tastes different than one that was not frozen? Man you have some wild sense of taste. I don't know anyone that DOESN'T buy their chicken and freeze it!! I just bought about 8 pounds of chicken breast at Kroger, on sale for 1.67 a pound. WIN!

    This is especially true since very, very often the unfrozen chicken in the store was frozen. Same with fish.

    I get chicken from a farm, and still buy it frozen -- it's nice to have whatever I might want in my freezer at all times and just defrost when I am ready for it.
  • omgstfualready
    omgstfualready Posts: 63 Member
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    The chicken will taste different depending on what kind you get and how your store handled it. Most pre-packaged chicken is injected with flavored water, you'll see the percentage on the label. Also it is usually frozen before it gets to the store and the store thaws it and sells it to you. So when you buy that in your store and then refreeze it, the taste (and texture) reflects it being frozen and thawed and refrozen. Finding chicken that hasn't been injected helps a lot with freezing it again, as does trying to make sure it's not be frozen already once before (much harder, no label to go by and the kids at the grocery store may not know).
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited April 2017
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    omgstfualready wrote: »
    The chicken will taste different depending on what kind you get and how your store handled it. Most pre-packaged chicken is injected with flavored water, you'll see the percentage on the label. Also it is usually frozen before it gets to the store and the store thaws it and sells it to you. So when you buy that in your store and then refreeze it, the taste (and texture) reflects it being frozen and thawed and refrozen. Finding chicken that hasn't been injected helps a lot with freezing it again, as does trying to make sure it's not be frozen already once before (much harder, no label to go by and the kids at the grocery store may not know).

    If you think the issue is freezing and unfreezing and freezing again, you could also just buy it frozen.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    NoFilter1977 wrote: »
    munkel1 wrote: »
    How close do you live to a grocery store? I like to buy daily or plan my meals for 3 days and only buy what I needs for that. I've figured out how to eat at home for only about $50 a week from doing this. Just takes a little planning.

    I live ~5 miles (8 km) from the store. I guess I could start asking for better ideas for eating at home? I spent $50 just for our breakfast items for the week. :(

    Breakfast - oats, eggs, yogurt (or cottage cheese). Breakfast can be super cheap.

    I had oats made with milk for protein, and a sprinkle of frozen berries (yummy when heated). I made 4 portions in the crock-pot this weekend.

    Eggs can be made ahead for burritos or English muffin sandwiches.

    Cottage cheese is a nice protein source, add fresh veggies & cracked pepper or stir in a fruit cup.
  • omgstfualready
    omgstfualready Posts: 63 Member
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    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    omgstfualready wrote: »
    The chicken will taste different depending on what kind you get and how your store handled it. Most pre-packaged chicken is injected with flavored water, you'll see the percentage on the label. Also it is usually frozen before it gets to the store and the store thaws it and sells it to you. So when you buy that in your store and then refreeze it, the taste (and texture) reflects it being frozen and thawed and refrozen. Finding chicken that hasn't been injected helps a lot with freezing it again, as does trying to make sure it's not be frozen already once before (much harder, no label to go by and the kids at the grocery store may not know).

    If you think the issue is freezing and unfreezing and freezing again, you could also just buy it frozen.

    True, the store has breasts already frozen, though for me I actually drive a few times a year to a local smoke house that does all their own butchering and I know what's in the meat and poultry I get, I have the space to store it in the freezer (plus it's a nice road trip for the day). The quality is night and day. I just meant for other folks that didn't understand why it would taste or feel different, it's because it was frozen and thawed twice and because of the injections it makes it lesser quality to a number of people. Not everyone can do what I do but labels will show the % of injected fluids so that should help some.

    I think we scared the OP away? :-(

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