The Beginning

Eating out is a national past time - more popular than baseball, even. After all, when was the last time you went to the ball park? How about the last time you picked up a burger or a cup of coffee? Normally, I'd say this was alright. But a few nights ago - it was 3:15 a.m. Friday, to be exact - I was lying awake thinking about food and money - two of my favorite topics on which to ruminate.

Having a busy family seems to mean picking up food on the go - frequently. As I was lying there I wondered how much money my family was actually forking over to local eateries. So the next morning over breakfast I found myself adding up food purchases from the checkbook register. I included the many stops at Quick Trip (a local convenience store next to work) where I practically mainline coffee every few days, along with fast food, pizza delivery, and "nice" places. When I hit $3100 for 2009, I quit. Granted, that was most of it. There were probably a few restaurant purchases made in cash and on credit card statements from travel, but not many. Needless to say, that number astounded me and my husband. I couldn't believe we actually waste that much money! At that point we decided to try something new - something novel; it's called eating at home. Who would believe it, right?

We also realize this probably isn't going to be easy for us (We are, after all, creatures of habit and convenience.), so we decided to allot our family $20 a week for snacks, coffee, fast food, etc. This still sounds like a lot, but in reality it is less than one-third of our previous habit. At $20 a week, our tally should be $1040 for the year. That is our goal, and this blog is going to (hopefully) keep us honest. We're going to track our running total here - for all to see. (It reminds me of going to Weight Watchers. I always counted everything I ate because I knew I had to step on a scale in front of other people.)

We decided that one obstacle we frequently face is not having enough food in the house. I tend to plan what we're having for dinner during the coming week while watching the Food Network on Saturday morning. This is all well and good until it is 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, we arrive home from work late, and our nearly 15-year-old son is hungry. At that point, neither of us really wants to chop the onions or hover over the stove stirring the rissotto. So we agreed to plan a few extra meals that are more convenient. We bought frozen pizza for Friday night movie watching. We picked up a loaf of sour dough, muenster, and swiss for grilled-cheese heaven. We added some hot dogs to throw on the grill. I know this sounds basic, but I think we have forgotten that homemade doesn't have to mean gourmet - although it's fabulous when it does! In addition to these convenience foods, we'll still have a few meals I've gleaned from Nigella or Giada, but we'll have something to grab at home instead of heading for the drive-thru or dialing up Chinese take-out (one of my personal favorites).

As I was thinking over our menu for the week (Yes, I write it down and post it on the fridge.), it occurred to me that the best solution is a mixture of these things. We can have hot dogs, but I'll make some fabulous barbecue beans to go with them. While the sandwich maker toasts our grilled cheese, I'll roast some sweet potatoes for a side. All-in-all, I think we'll be much happier eating at home, since most restaurants (even McDonald's) frown on customers wearing pajamas and fuzzy slippers.