re: How to eat cheap...

quote:

---

Prep your food Eat leftovers Buy only what you need. Stop buying processed food and junk food.

---

Pretty much this. Eating leftovers is key to stretching your dollar and while not a problem for me since I've done it all my life, it has been a challenge to get my family to appreciate them but I finally have succeeded. Or at least we now know what leftovers they will eat.

Things they will not eat or only I eat i will make in smaller portions. I have cut back on making big batches to freeze as I tend to be redundant with a new soup while frozen batches are in the freezer. But as we have done every year of my marriage (almost 30 years) in January we use all items out of the freezer and don't buy much until then. Thank goodness January is almost over and my freezer is empty. But by doing this it forces us to use it up and saves money to pay the Christmas bills.

We also don't eat out much this time of year because it is a busy time, cold, everyone trying to get healthy etc...so that saves a good bit but my tip when dining out, bring a bottle of wine and buy a bottle. Most will wave a corkage fee if you buy one from them and bringing your own saves the markup and allows you to enjoy one they won't have. (Don't bring a wine they sell)

I also order from the menu for the most part-rarely do I order "specials" for a few reasons. One they are always overpriced, two a lot of times it is what they need to get rid of, so how long has that been around? Three I normally go for a reason...I eat at Nino's a lot and I do because his pastas are amazing. I know he can cook the shite out of lamb chops but I can't get past the pasta. Pasta about $16 or so, lamb chops about $32 I guess. And we do split entrees a lot because we like to order more small plates or try different things. Most don't charge but some have a small fee for splitting and I don't mind that.

I think the best advice is to just stay informed and know what things cost. Pay attention to prices, read labels, see what is on sale but be able to tell if that "sale" is really a savings and if you really are going to cook it or will it end up in the pantry for a year. Just awareness and thinking ahead will save you time and money.