Homemade meals

[Mesem]

I am just curious, but how many of you guys here cook your own meals and how often do you do it?

[MonkeyMama]

We tend to cook meals every night, or every other night (if we have enough leftovers).

We do utilize our crockpot a lot, to help deal with busier evenings. I think this just works because there are four of us. So, there are never a ton of leftovers; we just cook as we go.

My spouse has been unemployed and cooking to economize, since 2002. But, we are getting to the point where the kids do help a lot, and in a couple of years we are just going to each take one night to cook. Once the kids are grown we will have to re-strategize again. Might have to be more "freezing for later" or some other strategy if there are only two of us.

[kork13]

I cook most of my own meals, and eat out for dinner only rarely... maybe 1-2x per month. However, I don't cook dinner every night. I tend to make large batches of meals (good for at least 4-6 servings), then I use the leftovers as dinner for the rest of the week. So really, I only actually cook dinner maybe 5-7 nights a month. Sometimes I'll have to cook extra add-on's for my meals (rice, vegetables, or whatever), but otherwise, batch cooking makes my life much easier. Of course, I'm not married right now, so that makes it easier to have leftovers and have them last longer.

[disneysteve]

We prepare most meals at home. Breakfast is always at home. I pack my lunch to work every day. My daughter packs lunch to school. My wife is at home and makes her own lunch. Dinner is most commonly prepared at home though we do go out to eat occasionally. That's actually one thing we've been working on cutting back recently since my wife left her job. We had been spending $300 or so eating out and we've been making a concerted effort to rein that in and do more home cooking. So overall I'd say in an average week probably 90% of meals are eaten at home.

[marvholly]

I fall into Kork's category - only eat out 1-2x/month and then usually w/some kind of deal/coupon.

I HATE, HATE, HATE having to cook EVERY night. Therefore, I batch cook 3-4x/month. A pot of soup, tray of lasagne, browned ground beef for pasta/tacos, a bunch of chicken breasts or leg quarters (leftovers can be quickly repurpoised), a lentil dish, salmon patties, ..........

[97guns]

i rarely eat out and never eat frozen/prepared foods

if i want pizza or anything i make it myself from scratch

[GREENBACK]

I enjoy cooking so we eat at home most of the time. Breakfast and lunch are almost always prepared at or from home. I believe my homemade meals are as good or better (definitely more nutritious) than the average restaurant. I hunt and fish a lot so a lot of meals fall under a gourmet category that few restaurants can equal.

With that said, it's nice to go to a nice place now and then and let someone else do the work.

[snafu]

I find making meals very creative and enjoy the process. I'd rather host celebrations for family and friends than go to all too busy restaurants where it feels uncomfortable to linger over coffee and dessert. Too many restaurants are using pre packaged, convenience foods full of sugar salt and chemicals as part of their entree which they pass off as fresh to control costs. I've lost interest in eating out now that there are so many dishes to replicate at home.

[annibe11e]

I tend to eat home-cooked food during the week. My boyfriend comes over on weekends and either he shops and cooks, or we go out.

[Thrif-t]

We pretty much cook every other night in large quantities so we can have leftovers on the days we don't cook. Hardly ever eat out. Usually just special occasions or vacation.

[Jillycd]

I cook at home most every night. I prepare my dinners once a month at Dream Dinners so I have a freezer full of food. This saves on my grocery shopping and the constant what's for dinner debate. This also adds much needed variety to my menu! Money well spent each month.

[fruitbowlk]

I signed up for a Family Menu-Planning Subscription for $15 for a 12-Month and I got me started cooking at home. And I truly enjoy it.

[ambeej]

I did the same thing and it forced me to meal plan while also saving money!

I signed up for a Family Menu-Planning Subscription for $15 for a 12-Month and I got me started cooking at home. And I truly enjoy it.

[rob62521]

We eat at home most of the time. I depend on the slow cooker quite a bit and often use leftovers for other dishes, if I have meetings after school or in the evening I either get casseroles ready ahead of time and my husband can put them in the oven or I do something in the slow cooker. When we do go out, it is more of a special treat.

[LatCozad]

Save a ton of money by cooking your own food.

Eating out really cuts into a budget. Two trips to a fast food establishment alone could cost 7-12 dollars. That's is money that can be used to pay off debt, or save if you want.