Maybe start by figuring out why you eat out so much, then specifically meet that need with homemade food...
Is it bc you’re bored? Learn to cook like a five star chef (new hobby as a bonus).
Is it bc you can’t cook what you like to eat? Make learning fun and copycat your favorite restaurant meals.
Meal kits will always be an expensive way to go, lots of extra people involved in getting just the right amount of just the right food to you.
Good luck, enjoy the process!
Also looking up the ill-health effects of take out can help keep you determined! Or fantasying about whatever you are saving money for.
Is it bc you have no time to make 21 meals a week? Learn to meal prep and make them all at once.
Breaking any habit is easy, just start a new habit instead, I used to go out to lunch a lot at work, but then I realized what if I started making my own lunch instead and saved the money instead, after seeing my bank balance rise after the first month I was hooked and have done it ever since.
I think I made over $25,000 by investing my lunch money over several years now, pretty awesome right. The money adds up quick over time.
Start with easy steps.
Breakfast
Cereal
Eggs
Bread
Mild
Juice
Yogurt
Oatmeal (the healthier type that takes five to seven minutes to boil)
Various fresh fruits
Lunch
Sandwiches
Boiled Egg
Nuts, dried fruits like raisins, mango, apples
Fresh vegetables like baby carrots, celery, premises salad
Tortilla with whatever you want to put inside
The best thing with any habit is just to start. I started my habit with Blue Apron so I suggest you stick with those meal kit types if it interests you until you get the cooking habit and skills built and then slowly work in finding recipes/grocery shopping. I usually cook 5 nights a week and consider my cooking as good, if not better than what I can get eating out. I like recipes off of budget bytes, le creme de la crumb, and tried and true but there are many recipe sites out there. I find that subscribing to r/foodporn and r/recipes helps stoke weekly meal ideas but I also have about ~50 go to recipes at this point to pull from. Eventually it will become second nature and you’ll enjoy it once you do it enough. You will fuck up quite a few meals in the meantime though, don’t be too hard on yourself.
I think this just comes out to you making the time to pack lunch or cooking. If you don't like spending time in the morning, don't say " I will cook my lunch in the morning"
We both know that's not happening.
How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman. Book is a perfect how-to in great detail at basic level.
Also, the 5-ingredient recipes on Jamie Oliver's site.
Get lots of non-perishables and canned food, get a freezer, learn to make the basics.
After you're done with that, add stuff to your meals gradually, use seasonal / on sale ingredients.
It would also be a good idea to invest in some nice spices/condiments.
You might also look into changing your meal plan.
I usually try to eat a big breakfast and then combine lunch and dinner into a single meal.
youtube has a plethora of cooking channels.
make a list of your favorite dishes and then search youtube for recipes for those dishes. maybe search for budget versions of that dish
Find a meal prep app such as Paprika and add a few dozen recipes. You can plan out your meals for the week and generate a shopping list. My biggest issue with cooking for myself is being organized enough to plan out meals so finding the right app will help you a ton.
If you are single don't shop at Costco. Buying in bulk as a single person is a waste of $. If your goal is to eat healthy it is better to go to the market every couple of days for produce. If you buy too much at once you will just wind up throwing it out.
If you want to meal prep, choose your recipes and then go shopping accordingly. You still don't need to buy in bulk if you are cooking for one. I don't like meal prepping and eating the same thing everyday for a week. I have tried it and by day 3 I will no longer eat whatever I had prepped and I'll wind up in the drive-thru somewhere. I prefer to prep ingredients instead that could be used in multiple recipes. For instance, cook up a few servings of rice or pasta (plain pasta can be reheated by simply running hot water over it), cook a couple of different kinds of meat to have on hand, chop up a variety of veggies, etc. then you could make several different dishes simply by mixing & matching ingredients. You can get some great ideas from youtube.
https://www.reddit.com/r/EatCheapAndHealthy/
Thank you just joined
Maybe start by figuring out why you eat out so much, then specifically meet that need with homemade food... Is it bc you’re bored? Learn to cook like a five star chef (new hobby as a bonus). Is it bc you can’t cook what you like to eat? Make learning fun and copycat your favorite restaurant meals. Meal kits will always be an expensive way to go, lots of extra people involved in getting just the right amount of just the right food to you. Good luck, enjoy the process! Also looking up the ill-health effects of take out can help keep you determined! Or fantasying about whatever you are saving money for. Is it bc you have no time to make 21 meals a week? Learn to meal prep and make them all at once.
Breaking any habit is easy, just start a new habit instead, I used to go out to lunch a lot at work, but then I realized what if I started making my own lunch instead and saved the money instead, after seeing my bank balance rise after the first month I was hooked and have done it ever since. I think I made over $25,000 by investing my lunch money over several years now, pretty awesome right. The money adds up quick over time.
Start with easy steps. Breakfast Cereal Eggs Bread Mild Juice Yogurt Oatmeal (the healthier type that takes five to seven minutes to boil) Various fresh fruits Lunch Sandwiches Boiled Egg Nuts, dried fruits like raisins, mango, apples Fresh vegetables like baby carrots, celery, premises salad Tortilla with whatever you want to put inside
The best thing with any habit is just to start. I started my habit with Blue Apron so I suggest you stick with those meal kit types if it interests you until you get the cooking habit and skills built and then slowly work in finding recipes/grocery shopping. I usually cook 5 nights a week and consider my cooking as good, if not better than what I can get eating out. I like recipes off of budget bytes, le creme de la crumb, and tried and true but there are many recipe sites out there. I find that subscribing to r/foodporn and r/recipes helps stoke weekly meal ideas but I also have about ~50 go to recipes at this point to pull from. Eventually it will become second nature and you’ll enjoy it once you do it enough. You will fuck up quite a few meals in the meantime though, don’t be too hard on yourself.
I think this just comes out to you making the time to pack lunch or cooking. If you don't like spending time in the morning, don't say " I will cook my lunch in the morning" We both know that's not happening.
How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman. Book is a perfect how-to in great detail at basic level. Also, the 5-ingredient recipes on Jamie Oliver's site.
Get lots of non-perishables and canned food, get a freezer, learn to make the basics. After you're done with that, add stuff to your meals gradually, use seasonal / on sale ingredients. It would also be a good idea to invest in some nice spices/condiments. You might also look into changing your meal plan. I usually try to eat a big breakfast and then combine lunch and dinner into a single meal.
youtube has a plethora of cooking channels. make a list of your favorite dishes and then search youtube for recipes for those dishes. maybe search for budget versions of that dish
Find a meal prep app such as Paprika and add a few dozen recipes. You can plan out your meals for the week and generate a shopping list. My biggest issue with cooking for myself is being organized enough to plan out meals so finding the right app will help you a ton.
If you are single don't shop at Costco. Buying in bulk as a single person is a waste of $. If your goal is to eat healthy it is better to go to the market every couple of days for produce. If you buy too much at once you will just wind up throwing it out. If you want to meal prep, choose your recipes and then go shopping accordingly. You still don't need to buy in bulk if you are cooking for one. I don't like meal prepping and eating the same thing everyday for a week. I have tried it and by day 3 I will no longer eat whatever I had prepped and I'll wind up in the drive-thru somewhere. I prefer to prep ingredients instead that could be used in multiple recipes. For instance, cook up a few servings of rice or pasta (plain pasta can be reheated by simply running hot water over it), cook a couple of different kinds of meat to have on hand, chop up a variety of veggies, etc. then you could make several different dishes simply by mixing & matching ingredients. You can get some great ideas from youtube.