How I Eat Out And Have My Cake Too By Spending As Little As $50/Month As a Foodie

I am a Foodie.

I love food.

I love anything that puts money back in my pocket too.

The two would not seem to go together, but they do for me.

If you love food, they can work for you too

This can work for one person or for couples and families.

Just apply the same concepts.

Here are the five things I do to eat out at nice restaurants and spend as little as $50 per month.

5 Things I Do To Eat At Nice Restaurants And Spend As Little As $50 Per Month

1. Make sure eating out is never a necessity

Most people eat out of necessity.

They have to eat out to eat at all.

This means they can spend money eating all three meals (breakfast, lunch, and/or dinner).

That is a lot of money.

This is due to the hectic world we live where something as simple as breakfast that could be oatmeal or a bagel from the grocery store must be eaten away from home.

I have done a post about why you should brown bag your lunch.

I used to pay for lunch.

It was a lot of money wasted.

Now, it has been years except special occasions since I paid for lunch.

With some simple preparation, breakfast and lunch are simple.

If you eat lunch out at $5 per day, that would be $25 per week, $100 a month, or $1200 a year.

Some people eat a more expensive lunch than $5 per day too.

What would you do with $1200 a year?

Some people may even spend on food they do not enjoy.

They just want convenience.

This is not out of love of good food.

It is not just breakfast and lunch either.

Many people have no time for dinner either and get takeout or pizza delivery.

This is a lot of money again.

RELATED: How Brown Bagging Your Lunch Can Save You Thousands A Year

2. Meal prep

Next, to be able to enjoy restaurants as a special occasion, I meal prep.

Imagine you had a long day at work.

Now, all you have time to do is stop for takeout or hit the drive through again.

Imagine this were $50/week..

This is $2400 a year.

If you did this most days of the week with kids included, I am sure it is much more though.

To be honest, does takeout even taste good?

To me the answer is no.

With a simple cookbook and some meal prep, you can have a better tasting meal at home.

I recently learned how to make Baked Orange Chicken and Vegetable Brown Fried Rice at home.

Both were delicious.

I learned to cook late in life, so if I can do it so can you.

In another example, I also learned a home baked french fries recipe.

It was easy without all the grease.

So that is better for your health and your pocket.

Again, it tastes better too.

You can even get the kids to help.

3. Avoid convenience snacks

I used to spend money running into convenience stores for snacks or using vending machines.

This was before I got into health and fitness.

The prices were outrageous.

If the snacks involve added sugars, this is bad for your health too.

I am a health food fanatic too, so first mother nature’s candy, fruit, can get rid of your sweet tooth.

Next, snacks can include foods that don’t encourage a sugar addiction like fruits, vegetables, cheese, or anything that is part of a food group.

Last, you can make your own snacks like trail mixes and granolas bars at home.

Those are healthier when they are homemade.

One of my favorite blogs for healthy recipes is Eatingwell.com.

So, plan your snacks at home, make them healthy, and don’t spend money on overpriced unhealthy snacks.

4. Make sure dining out is a special occasion

By special occasion, I mean the opposite of an everyday occurrence.

This means most of your meals should be eaten at home.

Then, when you want to enjoy your favorite restaurant, it can be as often as once a week or whatever you fancy.

You probably will enjoy it more too.

5. Eat out at lunch hours

I have a travel obsession too.

I love traveling.

Check our my sister blog Travel Points 101 to see how you can travel for as close to free as possible.

When I travel, I like to try the local food.

I have eaten at the most famous restaurants in the United States like Husk in Charleston, South Carolina by using one method: only eat out during lunch hours.

Husk is a famous restaurant in Charleston, South Carolina.

The last time I ate there, I spent around $11 instead of over $20 by choosing the lunch hours.

At home, one of my favorite Mexican restaurants costs $10 for a lunch plate.

The dinner plate is $15.

That may not seem like much, but it is a big difference over time.

Sure the dinner plate is bigger, but who needs more food in America?

Ten dollars is the average I spend.

That is usually $12-$13 after taxes and tip.

That comes to $48 per month and is how I eat out and enjoy restaurants for as little as $50.

I know this will be a little pricier in locations like New York City if you want the top restaurants, but the same concepts apply.

Summary

You only get one life.

As you can see, although I love frugality, I enjoy food too.

A lot of spending today is to deal with our hectic lives.

I am a foodie.

I also like putting money back in my pocket.

When I eat out it is to enjoy great tasting food.

Of course, even when I spend $20 on a meal or more, my dining out budget still comes out to under $100.

The average person spends $300 per month on eating out.

I see people spending a lot more than that though.

Again, a lot of that is not because of a love of good food but because of the rushed hectic world we live in.

It is also because a lot of people fear cooking.

With YouTube, you can learn how to create your favorite restaurant meal at home.

Honestly, eating out was meant to be a special occasion event.

It is enjoyed even more.

When you eat out as your norm instead of special occasion, what is so special about it?

I love food and great chefs, so again even if I spent more on a meal once, I still spent under $100 a month.

If you are spending the average $300 a month or more on dining out, try some of these tips.

If you used to spend $300 and you cut it in half to $150, that is $150 extra you have a month.

Remember, the “personal” in personal finance is about you.

This is just how I spend less than $50 a month.

If you have a crazy job, where this would not be important, then by all means do what works for you.

I have friends who work 60 hours and honestly this would not work for them.

If it works for you like it does for me, then you can have your cake and eat it too.