What’s for Dinner?
So, What’s for dinner?????
I don’t know about you, but that’s become one of the top 5 things I really dread hearing. When I didn’t work outside the home (aka — I was unemployed), it wasn’t too much of a big deal as I really like to cook and bake. When my kids were little and I worked, I used the crockpot and methods like Once-A-Month Cooking where you fix most of your meals on a weekend or fix a double batch every time and put half of it in the freezer. Meals were still pretty quick.
The past couple of years, I’ve gotten used to eating out … a lot … and I’m not so “into” meal prep anymore. I like being able to decide at the last minute what I want and have someone else fix it and be served. I also like experiencing variety in the spices and seasonings as well as new dishes. I always hated fixing a meal that appealed to me only to have my family (ALL of them) hate it. Often times those family favorites for everyone else are definitely NOT what I feel like eating. One more excuse for me to go out.
Now, my family is grown and as young adults, they fend for themselves. They still live with me but I don’t have to cook — which is a good thing as none of our schedules are the same so there is no way we could all eat a meal together even if we tried. I still cook some on weekends, especially if we decide to stay home rather than go off gallivanting. But my boyfriend and I have discovered a way to eat out often without breaking the bank. We have our favorite eating spots and we are on all their email lists which means we regularly get coupons. A lot of places are giving “buy one, get one” coupons these days. If we pay attention to what those coupons include, we can often eat for around $10 or $15 (plus a tip). We often use coupons from sandwich shops and eat for less than $10 and don’t need to tip anyone. When we don’t have coupons, a Thai or other Asian restaurant usually works well as they’re menu prices are pretty low to start with.
We don’t eat big, extravagant or expensive dinners — we try to eat healthy and make affordable selections because we’re not making this a special treat and splurging. We eat out as we get to just sit and relax with each other and really talk. Now, maybe if we fixed dinner together … it would be a different story. But, my boyfriend in the kitchen is scary and I’d rather not go there. On top of that, I have fibromyalgia and getting through the workday is usually challenging enough without going home to make dinner and then clean up everything. For me (and this is a personal choice), it’s worth the extra money to be able to avoid expending the energy involved in grocery shopping and preparing dinner. It means I might have enough energy at the end of the day to play with my granddaughter or take a walk.
I do buy a few groceries each week so I have fruit and can fix something for breakfast (typically my own version of fast food fare but lower in calories). I almost always have a take-home tray from dinner that I can use for lunch later in the week — I plan it this way when I order. I almost never go anywhere for or buy lunch … I take my lunch. I save money this way which allows me to have the extra to eat out at night.
Believe me, I know not everyone can do what I am doing now. There was a time in our lives that we NEVER ate out … it just wasn’t in the budget and we still wondered how we were going to make ends meet. Today, I could pay off my credit cards a little faster if I ate at home all the time, but it would be physically harder for me due to complications of the fibro. So, for right now, this is how I manage to eat out without spending a fortune and it’s a way for me to keep some kind of balance in my life.
I have a lot of time-saving tips, tricks, and ideas for your kitchen (and the rest of your home) which I’ll be sharing as time goes by. I hope to get some free planners posted this weekend.
In the meantime, I’d like to hear how you decide “What’s for Dinner” and would love for you to share some money-saving tips with the crew. Leave a comment below and feel free to share on Facebook and Twitter.
