You’ve probably heard lots of times that eating at home is much better for you than eating out. The large portions offered at restaurants encourage you to eat too much. And the rich glazes and sauces that accompany restaurant meals add unnecessary sodium and fat to your meals. There’s no doubt that you could make better choices for yourself than the restaurant’s staff are making for you. However, did you realize that eating at home is also better for your financial health?

Preparing your own food at home is much more cost-effective than a meal at a fancy restaurant. Consider the average cost of a restaurant meal for a family of four: an appetizer ($8), two children’s entrees ($7 each), two adult’s entrees ($12), and four drinks ($2 each). Without adding a dessert or a tip, you’ve already spent $54, and that wasn’t even a fancy restaurant!

Now consider the cost of a meal at the grocery store: greens for a salad ($4), a package of chicken breasts to bake ($9), a can of mixed vegetables ($1), a few potatoes ($3 for a bag), and four drinks ($.50 each). Mixed with a few spices you already have in your pantry, these ingredients only set you back $19. You’ve probably even got some leftovers to recycle into tomorrow’s lunch.

Besides saving you over $30 for each meal, you can rest secure in the knowledge that any meal you prepare for your family has been made with their best interests in mind. If your husband needs to cut back on the sodium in his diet, you’ll be able to find other ways to season his dinner. If your child is allergic to dairy products, you’ll know to find a substitute for any dairy required by your recipe. The restaurant cook who has to prepare food for hundreds of people each day will not be able to make a special effort for your husband and child.

Overall, cooking most of your meals at home just makes good sense for families. You’ll find that your budget dollars designated for food will go much further at the grocery store than at your local restaurant. And who would pay more attention to your family’s dietary needs than you?

Today's Featured Deal:

Greeting Cards from CardsDirect, LLC. They have a wonderful assortment of personal and business greeting cards, customized stationary, and personalized photo Christmas cards at great prices with cheap shipping! Click on the banner to start shopping at CardsDirect, LLC.

Grocery expenses can add up quickly, especially if you’re feeding a growing family. Although you want to save on food for you and your family, you don’t want to cut nutritional corners. So how do you prepare healthy meals and still keep your expenses under control?

If you plan ahead and incorporate leftovers into your meal plans, you’ll be able to save money and know that your family is eating well. There are several ways to work leftovers into your family’s meals.

v Use last night’s leftovers as an ingredient in today’s meal. For instance, if you had baked chicken for dinner last night, simply chop the leftover chicken into bite-sized pieces. They’ll provide the main ingredient in chicken salad sandwiches for lunch.
v Warm and serve leftovers as they are. Although no one enjoys eating the same entrée several days in a row, side dishes are great candidates for re-serving. The leftover green beans from one dinner could be kept in the fridge until the next dinner. Since there are other dishes mixed with this side dish, its repetition won’t stand out the same as a repeated entrée would.
v Swap leftovers after potluck meals. If you and your extended family combine dishes for big meals, don’t let anyone go home with the dish he brought with him. He’ll appreciate the variety the swapped dish will bring to his meals. He might even be inspired to try to prepare the new dish himself later.
v Have a regular leftover night. Maybe on Saturday night, after you’ve spent the day catching up on errands and other responsibilities, you’ll be too spent to spend the evening cooking. Try making a rule that on Saturday nights everyone eats the leftovers out of the fridge. Let your family members choose the leftover they want and enjoy. You’ll empty the fridge and save on preparation time.

Once you’ve started working leftovers into your regular meals, you’ll start finding lots of ways to use them. Perhaps the biscuits you served with dinner could be covered with gravy for breakfast the next morning. Leftover vegetables could be added to a stew. The possibilities are endless.

Today's Featured Deal:

Greeting Cards from CardsDirect, LLC. They have a wonderful assortment of personal and business greeting cards, customized stationary, and personalized photo Christmas cards at great prices with cheap shipping! Click on the banner to start shopping at CardsDirect, LLC.

When you’re trying to cut down on your family’s grocery expenses good, inexpensive dinner ideas are a necessity. Ramen noodles and rice are cheap, but do you really want your family to live on those for any length of time? That hardly sounds like a nutritious way to feed the people you love. Fortunately, there are some healthy alternatives that won’t leave your family feeling like they’re eating in an institution.

Vegetarian Chili – With meat prices on the rise, any meal that doesn’t require a trip to your grocer’s meat department is sure to be easier on your pocketbook than its meaty contemporaries. This scrumptious chili uses kidney beans as an alternative to hamburger. Like any chili, its flavor can be adjusted to suit your family’s tastes by adding different spices.

Beef & Vegetable Stew – Although this meal idea doesn’t avoid meat entirely, this stew is still a great economical choice for dinner. Because stew simmers for so long you can purchase a lower quality piece of meat to save money. Then, simply cut the beef into smaller chunks, add it to an inexpensive package of mixed vegetables, and place the mixture into a Crockpot. In a few hours you’ll have a tasty dish that your family will love.

Soup – Soup is one of those flexible entrees that can be made of anything that you like. This is a great way to use those leftover vegetables that are lurking in your refrigerator. As an added plus, a steaming bowl of soup on a cold day can be just the thing to chase away the chill of winter.

The important thing to remember when trying to save money on your family’s groceries is to be creative. If you find a recipe that interests you, don’t hesitate to tweak it with your family’s favorite ingredients. And don’t forget to make extra and freeze it when you find a meal that works; you’ll be glad you did on those days when you’re pressed for time.

Today's Featured Deal:

Greeting Cards from CardsDirect, LLC. They have a wonderful assortment of personal and business greeting cards, customized stationary, and personalized photo Christmas cards at great prices with cheap shipping! Click on the banner to start shopping at CardsDirect, LLC.