We both found that our families were eating out too often…sometimes even as many as 2 times a week. Let’s face it, we all get busy, and it is just too easy to run through that drive-thru or grab take-out. Once we tracked how much we were spending, it felt like we were just throwing money down the drain. Why pay all that money to feed your family crummy food? How many french fries does a kid really need? We have found that we can feed our families nice dinners for three-four weeks on the same amount of money it takes to eat out about 4 times. That is a huge savings.
Another way it helps to save money is by shopping for groceries in bulk. Since we shop together, we can take advantage of warehouse store prices (such as Sam’s Club), and actually use all of the groceries. The average family throws away over $500 a year in uneaten groceries. Since our meals are planned out, we even plan “Leftover Days,” so that nothing is wasted. We also get lunches out of many of the meals.