If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you know I really struggle with eating out too much. I don’t particularly like to cook, and it’s all too easy to call my husband and have him pick up dinner on his way home.
For the past year it’s been a goal of mine to go an entire month without eating out. I’ve decided September is the month. I stocked up on groceries today, and I have meals planned for the entire week.
I’ve given my husband a free pass for tomorrow, because he’s heading out of town for a football game, and he’ll need to eat somewhere. He’s going with my dad, though. My dad will probably insist on treating, especially since my husband supplied the tickets.
The most difficult days will be Sundays after church. Hopefully being back on a normal schedule with the kids in school will make cooking in the evenings easier. Wish me well!
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The thing that helps me the most to stay on track for cooking on weeknights, is doing as much cooking/prep before I get the kids. When they get home, it’s SO chaotic with homework, snacks, baseball practice, etc.
If I’m making bread, I have it ready to go in the oven when I get home from picking them up. If it’s something that takes a while took, I start it at noon and turn it off when I pick them, only to turn it back on when I return. Desserts are made early in the day as well.
Anything I can do while the kids are at school to make dinnertime easier, I do.
Good luck with cooking at home. I too struggle with eating out. We’ve dropped our eating out to only once per week (after church LOL). But I have started preparing my Sunday evening meal on Saturday nights when I doing Saturday’s dinner, then all I do for Sunday’s dinner is pop it in the crockpot.
The crockpot will be your friend!
Thanks! I do think the key is preparing as much ahead of time as possible, whether by just chopping what needs to be chopped or throwing everything in the crockpot.
I just know I can do this. I hate having to admit failure, so I’d better do this! LOL
Lynnae
We too struggle with eating out or take-out. We limit it to twice a month because of finances as well as waist lines. The meal planning has really helped. Usually we go out to eat on these long weekends atleast once, but we have my sister’s wedding out of town next weekend and that is costing us a lot. So I am preparing some easy dishes for the weekend that eating out will not be calling our names!!
I know this is an older post – I just found this website today.
It’s hard for me too to eat in as often as I would like to.
I get home from work each day with an entire new “to-do” list. My home list, instead of my boss’s at work.
It helps if I pre-plan menus when I do my bi-weekly shopping. Then I HAVE to remember to take out something from the freezer the night before. Saves on the “what should we cook tonight” routine.
Fortunately, my husband and children help with the cooking. They make dinner about 3 nights per week, while I make dinner 3 nights. The last night, usually a Monday, is Fend For Yourself Night. My girls like it because they get to eat what they want – usually ramen noodles with veggies, or sandwiches and soup, etc.
I try to cook a large and more time-consuming dinner at least once during the weekend along with a large breakfast.
If we don’t plan ahead, it’s pizza night once a week and the whole family out to dinner once on the weekend. Throw in a couple lunches out for both my husband and me during the week, and dining out costs as much or more than the grocery bill. Yikes!
Right now I am on day 9 (that is business days) of not going out to lunch. My goal is 20 days.
By the way, thanks for your blog!
Pam, you are doing great! Those 20 days are going to be up before you know it!
I agree that menu planning is key. I made sure I had plans for breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day last month, and it really helped a lot!
White iPhone 4 was the best of the bunch, even though that photo also was a bit washed out.
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