I've found that cooking whole foods at home saves vast amounts of money over buying convenience foods. Like, that box of Rice a Roni may be on sale for a dollar, but it only makes one meal for a family, and for just a dollar more I can buy enough rice for 3 meals. And one of my specialties is soup - all kinds, which are much healthier and much cheaper than cans of soup from the store. When I'm really busy, I'll cook a lot of food on the weekend and freeze or package it to reheat during the week so meals are quick and easy. Does anyone else cook to save money?
I am glad you brought up this topic. I feel that one of the best things that one can do for your health and/or pocket is cook for yourself and freeze the excess, for later use. We never buy convenience food. I remember someone telling me that fast food is fast death. We are not purists but yeah, we have been able to save so much since taking charge of our food intake. It has proven instrumental in shifting our health (financial health too). (-: For example, homemade pizza from scratch is double yum!
I cook all the time to save money, and provide a healthier meal for my family. I also package up to freeze, or I will make something I can alter the next day to turn it into something new. An example of this would be, I will cook a big roast one day, with carrots, potatoes, the whole nine yards. The next day I take the left overs and turn it into stew; then whatever is left over I freeze. This allows me to get 3 meals out of 1.
Absolutely! Apart from the money saving aspect, it's so much healthier. I make a big pan of soup about once a month, and freeze it for meals. Because I put so much good stuff in it, all we need with it is some bread for a really filling, healthy main meal. We follow it with some fresh fruit and/or ice cream, so it's a cheap, balanced meal. Whenever I make a stew, casserole, curry or other one pot meal, I always make enough for three or four meals. It only takes a little longer for preparation, and no longer to cook, so it saves on fuel and time. I also have at least one meat free day each week - that saves a lot of money.
I love the whole process of chopping, slicing and dicing etc. Cooking is so theraputic - I mean how good does it feel to create something from scratch! I also like knowing what is in my food- and what is not i.e. tons of sodium preservatives etc. I see people buying that prepackaged stuff and think, you poor thing that you can buy a better piece of meat and season it yourself and have a wonderful homemade meal. Yeah, mine may be longer but it is healthier and tastes better. I also will not be part of the overweight population. I think a lot of that premade stuff has more fat, calories etc.
I wish I cooked more. Truth is, I am a single, working mother of three young children and while I try very hard to avoid fast food, my kind of cooking usually involves heating things up. I try every now and then, but it's not something I have the energy to do often. My hats off to all of you!!
I do agree that cooking saves time. It's also easier to control what you eat.. I am making an effort to cook more often. I had forgotten how much I love cooking. I love the process of cooking and the aroma of cooking food. I find the food much more satisfying if I cook my food.
I prefer home cooking. It's much cheaper and healthier for me. Especially when I am trying to diet properly with my training routine. I feel satisfied when I make something nice and knowing that I made it myself.
I really do enjoy cooking from scratch but I honestly rarely do it. I know that I should and that it would save a fair bit of money, but I love my shortcuts! I have two amazing dishes that call for stuffing in them. One's a breakfast casserole and the other is meatloaf, believe it or not. I always get a box of chicken flavored Stove Top Stuffing. I also use cream of mushroom soup a lot and Kraft mac&cheese as a side. There's plenty more, though.
I cook most of my meals and freeze what is left over. Or I'll purposely cook extra so I can save the rest. Stews, soups, etc. are great for this. It is very rare when we eat convenience food or eat out. I ust feel much better when I know what my family is getting. It also helps that I love cooking in the first place. Over time, I realized that I was getting a bit lazier about cooking once I had the kids and was working full time. But then I read about bulk cooking and modified it to fit my needs.
Home cooked meals are not only budget friendly but are definitely healthier than eating outside. I like to cook and eat at home and experiment on recipes. I could cook a gourmet meal without spending more than 50 bucks in a restaurant.
Home cooking. It's healthier, although it requires time. Also, much cheaper, and most of the times you pretty much know what you use and put in your food, not some strange meat from some fast-food chain.
I totally sympathize. I'm a single mom with 2 kids - they're grown now, but meals were a challenge when they were younger. That's one reason I taught them to cook starting at a young age! The thing that saved me was spending a few hours one weekend day cooking ahead. I'd have something on the stove and something in the oven, like a big pot of stew and a lasagna. We'd eat some for dinner and I'd package up the rest to freeze in individual portions. The good thing was that we wouldn't eat it all each week, so after a few weeks I'd have a wide variety of frozen, read to heat meals in the freezer. I also boiled a dozen eggs every weekend for lunches and healthy snacks. I'd get the kids to help and we often made fun stuff like cookies and quick breads. The other thing I did and still do, was learn to make really, really fast meals. Cold blender soups are a specialty in the summer. Put cucumber, yogurt, a little milk and mint in the blender for instant soup and garnish with some shrimp. I kept a bag in the freezer and would put some in the frig to thaw in the morning to eat at night. With a salad and bread, it's a great dinner. Fresh tomatoes blended with vegetable broth is another good cold soup. And my kids' favorite was picnic night. One night a week (we did Wednesday) we'd have picnic night with only no cook foods. I'd mix sour cream and spinach and we'd have crackers and veggies and I'd put fruit chunks on skewers for kebabs and shrimp on skewers and hard boiled eggs and nuts and cheese and all sorts of things. Healthy, fast and fun.
Most definitely! I also like to cook and freeze. Another thing I like to do is cook an extra serving for supper, then put it in hubby's lunch box the next day. I don't buy convenience foods often.
I I'm licky that I love home cook meals! I don't llike that much burgers. Excepr Wooper in Burger King I always cook whaen I have the chance. I love cream soups and rice! I don't eat that meat. Love salads. Sometimes I cook like you,a lot in the weekends so I could have the whole week but the only problem is my boyfriend. He eats everything th same day or for the next two days! I am happy he likes how I cook but I can't cook every day! When is his turn to cook he says that he is tired so we have to order something! I blame his mother!!!!
Usually i prefer to cook at home not only to saves money but also because the food quality is better.When i haven't time to cook i buy convenience foods but do not have the same good taste of those I cook myself.In my opinion is better cook at home for health and save money.
I cook to save money and also because I enjoy the taste of food that I've cooked, haha. But I have no children. I used to be a nanny for a single working mother of two, and I completely understand how hard it can be to find time and energy to cook given that circumstance. It wasn't my jobto cook for them, but sometimes I did just because I saw how tired she was.
Exactly! I believe that home cooked meals are the healthiest meals. As much as possible, I find time to cook for my family because I know the ingredients I used and the cleanliness of the food. I am also sure that no one in the family will have allergic reactions from the food that I cook for them because I know the things that each is allergic to. Unlike if we buy convenience food, we are not sure of the ingredients that they put into it. Even if I have a nanny, I still want to cook the food myself.
I'm somewhere in the middle. I alternate between home cooking and convenience foods. I make convenience foods or buy food when I'm more pressed for time and have to work. I do more home cooking on weekends and freeze some portions to use during the week. I don't hate fast food and convenience foods. They can be fun and they have their place. I love a good French fry.
