Introducing: The "Dining IN" Series

I believe restaurant meals and takeout can be part of most frugal budgets, as long as savings, debt reduction, and basic necessities are all well-funded. However, there are some situations where it’s difficult—if not impossible—to budget for restaurant meals. If you’re living on a small income, saving aggressively for a major purchase, or trying to pay down significant debt, there probably isn’t a lot of room in your budget for going out to eat.

Donnie and I are at a stage in our lives where going out to eat doesn’t make good financial sense. We both feel that we need to devote our resources to other expenses at this time. Nevertheless, I often struggle to achieve contentment in regards to this area of our budget. I enjoy going out to eat, and would like to do so on a more regular basis.

Whenever I’m struck by the urge to splurge, I try to focus on the specific financial goals Donnie and I have agreed upon, such as paying down debt and making some improvements to our home. Doing so helps me keep my wish to eat out in perspective, but it doesn’t take the desire away entirely. Fortunately, I have another trick up my sleeve. What is that, you may ask?

The answer is simple: Donnie and I have learned to prepare many of our favorite restaurant-style meals at home. Doing this has made it significantly easier to skip getting takeout or going out to dinner. The meals we make at home are cheaper, healthier, and in many cases better-tasting than the food we would get from a restaurant. I would rather have Donnie’s homemade fajitas than those from a Mexican eatery any day. And Donnie, who never even liked Chinese takeout (but occasionally endured it for my sake), has become a huge fan of the Asian-inspired dishes I learned to prepare.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing some of my favorite techniques for creating dishes as good as (or better than) your favorite restaurant meals in the “Dining IN” series. I hope my suggestions will inspire you to prepare more meals in the home, and enjoy doing so.

As always, I hope you’ll share your own tips and tricks in the comments section. We can all benefit from one another’s experiences!