Our Little Eat-At-Home Experiment

Image via : Papa Razzi1

My family and I decided to carry out and experiment over August and September. We did this because every year without fail, our customer base dips beginning September. I don’t know why - maybe it’s the weather, maybe people just don’t like eating in September, maybe there are lots of holidays in September. Whatever the reason, Sara, Sam, Mum and I decided to prepare ourselves for the slow months by trying to save as much as possible. I suggested that we try eating at home as much as possible.

You know how it goes. Even though we’re in the food business and there is ALWAYS delicious, home cooked food at the end of the day, the kids (me included) like to eat out once in a while. Well that “once in a while” eventually became :

• KFC on Friday afternoons after school
• Wednesday evening at the Food Court because Sam would come home from school activities late and it’s easier to just eat out and let someone else wash up
• Saturday dinner after our regular trip to the mall.
• Sunday dinner because it’s Sunday

Then there would always be one excuse or another to grab a snack once or twice a week, and these snacks would eventually end up costing as much as a dinner for four.

We decided that other than our weekend meals, we would eat at home. Each meal we ate at home allowed us to save at least RM25 to RM45. At the end of two months of eating at home, I calculated (based on our average eat-out bill, 3 times per week) that we saved RM905! Whoa! That’s RM450 a month just for eating out and snacking. And that’s only eating at my kids’ favorite budget places like McDonalds, KFC etc. Imagine how much we would be spending if we were in the habit of snacking at more fancy restaurants.

So the whole point of this post is this. If you think you’ve got it tough trying to make ends meet, try looking at what you’re spending to fill your tummy.

We’ve decided to keep eating in. At an average of RM400 savings a month, it adds up to RM4800 a year! That money would be better off in our holiday piggy bank or in the children’s education fund.

Think about it. Eat in and save. It justs takes a little self-control!

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