Stuff your savings by cutting back on takeout with this 30 day dine at home challenge!
As a busy mom, I know the struggle of trying to get dinner on the table after a full day of work or chasing kids. When I’m tired, the last thing I want to do is spend 30 minutes on my feet in a steaming hot kitchen. Lately I’ve learned that many of my friends are also feeling bogged down. We’re under the weight of tight schedules, high stress jobs, and financial burdens. for those of us who want to enjoy a better quality of life and pay down debt, cutting back on takeout dinners is a great way to achieve both of these. I created this 30 day dine at home challenge for the month of October to encourage families to spend dinner time together at home, with the added benefit of saving money by not paying for the convenience of takeout.
Why NOT Start a Dine at Home Challenge?
This whole idea came about because I wanted to know how much it truly, honestly costs to dine out with our family of 5. So I did some digging online. At a fast food restaurant, with adult meals averaging $6 and kids meals at about $3, it costs us around $21 for some greasy burgers and fries. Or for a healthier option we could go to a popular sandwich place, where 2 adults and 3 kids meals comes out to a nice, even $32 (not including tax). I’d much rather put that $21 towards a holiday gift or a summer vacation fund, wouldn’t you?
Of course, we know that it’s much cheaper to eat at home than it is to dine out. Most of the time dining out is more of a time-saving option on those nights when we just can’t make a home-cooked meal.
Let’s Break Down the Roadblocks to Cooking at Home
It’s true, cooking at home does take longer between prepping the ingredients, cooking, and cleaning up. Here is where I can help. I’ve been maintaining our family’s budget for years now. My penny-pinching and dinner-planning skills are top notch, and I can’t wait to share them with you. Let me take care of some of the details so your money can start going towards the things that matter the most to you.
In our house, one of the big roadblocks to cooking at home is making a plan and grocery list ahead of time. I’ve learned to streamline my meal planning over the years by compiling a bank of favorite dinner recipes that I can pull from each week before heading to the grocery store. During this challenge, I’ll send you a handful of recipes each week to kickstart your dinner planning. Once a week you’ll get suggestions for 9 dinners so you can pick out the ones you think will best suit your family’s taste buds. f you can use a measuring cup and know how to turn on the stove, you can cook 30 meals at home!
Are you ready to join this 30 day dine at home October challenge?
They say it takes 30 days to form a new habit. Wouldn’t it be amazing if your new habit was saving money and enjoying more home-cooked dinners with your family? I know you can do this. Yes, it takes more time. But the benefits that come from dining at home far outweigh the inconvenience of chopping a few veggies and washing some dishes. When you dine at home you get to be with your family in your own cozy little corner of the world. The reward is time spent with your loved ones, and also being able to save up for holiday gifts, a summer vacation, or to pay down debt.
Let’s get personal: How much did you spend on your family’s last takeout meal? I’d like to bet that a home-cooked dinner would have been a cheaper, and maybe even healthier, option. If you’re ready to begin, click this challenge sign-up link and start making dinner time at home a priority.
