how to stop eating out and start cooking to save money?

i love eating out, not expensive restaurant of course, it gives me something to do i guess, but my finance is suffering, how can i stop eating out?

Public Comments

1. time to learn the culinary arts. start simple. learn the basics. make great food in the home. have special meals, sensual meals.
2. find some yummy recipies on the web and cook!
3. Instead of stopping at restaurant go to grocery store and grab something from deli, or a can of soup and a sub is always cheaper. Deli's have alot of choices now .
4. Start by whipping up a batch of snack noodles, and when you've got that down you can graduate to boiled eggs and toast. Don't watch the food network channel just yet it will make you feel inadequate.
5. I agree with Maxine G, just learn how to cook and enjoy doing it,. Also, if you the social type, then you may like eating out of social reasons, maybe because you go eat our with your friend(s). Then I think you should learn how to cook and make you can invite your friends over for dinner every ones in a while for fun; and because of your finances, you can do like a "dish party" where everyone cook some dish and share it. I think you may enjoy this better then just eating out.
6. Learn to cook, cooking is an art. Motivate yourself, make good preparation and offer food to your friends and classmates in need, at a cheaper rate than the restaurant. U will make some money, and this will be a strong motivator, to make u cook better and like it.
7. Plan ahead. Make larger portions that you can eat some of it the next day. Sit down and figure out how much you would save if you done some cooking. Maybe you could put your savings in a bank. and use it for something you have been wanting.
8. Start by going to supermarkets instead of restaurants. Treat yourself to a restaurant once in a week at most.
9. For you to do: A. Get to know eggs & cabbage. Practice easy & filling with them for Omelettes & egg roll wrappers. B. Buy a whisk= Do something frugal each day ! Practice souffles & whip them up with a cruciferous such as brocolli & cabbage. C. learn to mix fruit salads - there are proper combinations that look elegant & wet appetites & entice & satisfy the meal. Salads are the magick of any meal. You can Serve fruit and green salads at the beginning of the meal. D. Try these Kroger delicious foods Iv'e been buying up: bread fresh (frozen section) - tastes fresh baked bread/ Kroger "Private Selection" coffees taste like the best gourmet roast in the world. Kroger vanilla bean ice cream. E. Make mouthwatering super tall (vegetable & meat of choice ground or slices) lasagna (decadant if you think home made can't be decadent try): spinach, cottage cheese, black olives - bake for while in glass dish or in a pie crust. F. You don't need any course books. You need to roll up those sleeves. Break out a whisk and start experimenting with some chives, green peppers eggs and any meat any cheese. There are no rules on entree's in meat & cheese mixing to have to adhere strongly if you experimentative and like all food in the world. H. There are only rules on salads. The salads can taste nasty if not well matched (cooler non cooked , at risk of being sour tasting). Learn to choose wisely a nut that goes with a matching salad green and chop up fruit into bite sized pieces Get green beans canned they can taste the best of anything canned and go with everything. H. Invest in these tools: any brand toaster oven (for brunch toast topped with mousses)/ ronco bird rotisseri / flavor wave oven - any of these cooks all meats to perfection since (toaster ovens are the main thing, one can prepare all the fancy stuff, appetizers in one and so easy to operate toasts stuff as well as cooks some meats like fish. these other items after reveiwing their components like infra red vs. microwave I'm sure infrared heats best, they do great). Stock up on some glass baking dishes. Get a tea kettle & heat up tea on the stove - bags from electric heat do better than microwave. other: get an Aero garden - as seen on TV for tomatoes & all herbs and lettuces they do grow faster and as well as soil. physical: Eat some bread at the beginning of each meal and properly wet the appetite for the rest. Sea salt sure adds more flavor than iodized salt and sea salts cheap now. Get top sirloin on sale at any grocery - the one that melts in the mouth like butter and goes with all dishes. Buy some nice 100% Italian Olive Oil. All sorts of stir frys (with instant rice, mushrooms, peas or peppers, beans, corn) take literally only 10 minutes to prepare.