Eating out, whether at a nice sit-down restaurant or getting a meal from a drive-thru, is one of the biggest leaks in a lot of people’s budgets. And to make matters worse, eating out gets harder to stop doing the more you do it.
If you need a little help breaking the cycle, here are five tips to stop eating out that work.
Start small
As with any lifestyle change, the key to lasting success is to take baby steps. If you are on a steady diet of burger lunches and pizza dinners, start by packing your lunch four days out of five.
If you hit all five, great, but allow yourself some space. The next week, cook dinner for yourself once (or at least avoid ordering or going out by getting some frozen pizzas at the store).
Each week, do a little more. Pretty soon, you will find that eating out is the exception rather than the rule.
Avoid social situations that revolve around food
If you find yourself meeting friends only for food, it’s time to mix up your social life. Instead of spending R500 every time you want to catch up with an acquaintance, find a mutual hobby at a fraction of the cost.
Could you take a walk in the park together, go hiking or maybe go to the movies? But if you do want to break bread with your nearest and dearest, how about meeting for a picnic or inviting them around for hot chocolate and toast marshmallows?
Always keep your pantry or fridge stocked with a few easy options
Make a mental list of a couple of staple meals and try to keep the ingredients on hand. Think simple meals like pasta, soup and tacos – a few things your family loves that you can always have on hand or a quick dinner.
Love your slow cooker
For anyone who doesn’t like to cook or doesn’t have the time in their busy schedule to stand over a stove, a slow cooker saves the day.
The humble crock pot is the secret not only to a quick dinner but also to make your whole house smell amazing for hours. If you don’t have one, there are many inexpensive brands and models.
Don’t run errands when you’re hungry
This one’s important. How many times have you bought a bunch of groceries, only to swing by the drive-thru on the way home because you’re starving and too tired to cook what you have bought?
If you regularly have to run errands right before mealtime and it’s a struggle not to overspend, next time try grabbing a healthy snack from your food at home before you go.