3 Tips for Eating Cheaper without Cooking Every Meal

One of the first things that well-meaning others point out to me as a “waste” of money is ordering take out. Now, I understand what they’re saying — it usually does cost more than cooking at home, and I understand that as with all things, we should be practicing moderation with takeout. But if you’re just learning how to cook, it can be difficult to “just stop ordering takeout” or to “just cook healthy food.”

If you think about it, if you’re just trying to save money and be less “wasteful,” the goal here is not to cut out all “bad” takeout and replace it with all “good” home-cooked meals. That might be the end goal for some, but if not, you don’t have to make a sudden and complete pivot. It’s okay to cook meals that maybe aren’t the healthiest, or maybe aren’t cook-book level sophisticated — it’s okay to order takeout! We’re just trying to find a way to balance those two options to save you money.

So! You want to spend less money on takeout, but you’re not comfortable with the idea of cooking every meal, for whatever reason (time, energy, etc.). Here are some things that can help ease the transition:

1. Plan your food rotation.

     You may want to immediately switch to cooking every meal like a pro-chef, and that’s great! But it’s okay if you’re not up for that just yet. Eventually, you’ll want to have about 20 recipes that you can comfortably make, and put in some sort of rotation – that way, you have the same meal about once every 3 weeks (if you have leftovers for lunch on most days). Why 20? I’ve found that this is the golden number for simplicity (not too many to remember) and boredom (you don’t eat the same thing too often and get bored with them). Of course, you don’t have to stick to the 20 meal order. If you like to have something more frequently, that’s your choice! But having 20 comfortable recipes helps you shop for groceries, since you already know what you’ll need to buy and you can line up recipes that need similar ingredients.

     These recipes don’t have to be sophisticated – some of those 20 recipes might be very simple pantry/freezer food, like chicken tenders and fries, a pack of ramen, or Kraft mac ‘n’ cheese. Allow yourself some leeway as you slowly increase the percentage of healthier meals in your rotation. You’re cooking your own junk food, and that’s still cheaper than ordering the same through takeout! The money you save by these pantry meals can also help you afford the trial-and-error of testing new (potentially healthier) recipes.

2. Cook big batches.

     Making meals can take a bit of time, and if you’re a busy student that can be overwhelming. Cooking large quantities and freezing/refrigerating portions for later is a great way to lessen the burden of cooking every meal. I like making big pots of curry or chili at the beginning of a week, if I know I’m going to be busy — that way, come meal time I only need to reheat it. Big batches are also easy on the wallet, since you’re splitting an already relatively low-cost recipe over multiple meals. Using the extra portions to pack lunches for school/work can cut down on your spending even further!
Here are some of my favorite big batch recipes, to get you started: Minori’s Simple Chili Recipe, Basic Japanese Curry Recipe (printable).

3. Make a schedule/allowance for takeout.

     There’s a few ways that you can cut back on spending on takeout, and one relies on making an allowance (a set maximum dollar amount for spending) or a schedule (how frequently you allow yourself to spend money).

• The Allowance Strategy: For example, let’s say you decide to spend a maximum of $25 on Starbucks this week. If you’ve already spent $15 by Tuesday, you might want to take a break for a couple days and save the $10 bucks for Friday.
• The Schedule Strategy: For example, you decide that you can only order takeout 2 days of the week, as part of your recipe routine. This makes you think about “saving” your guilty pleasure for when you might really want or need it. You might have a class, or a show to watch from 6PM to 9PM on Tuesdays, in which case you might want to order food rather than cook.

These small tips and goals can give you training wheels for cutting back on food spending, and lets you look forward to the days when you get to splurge a little, and I hope you found these tips helpful. Let us know in the comments if you have other tips – what’s in your 20-meal routine? In the meantime, happy savings!