I'm actually surprised how little "cooking for yourself" is mentioned in this discussion. By far the best thing you can do is cooking more for yourself. Going from a $10 takeout to a $5 cooked meal on weeknights saves you over $1000/year.
It really is a matter of changing habits, since it's all together way too easy to get in the habit of not cooking (or "cooking" a pre-prepared meal), and once you're in that habit it's hard to break. The best thing I've found is to just find a couple of dead simple meals to cook in <15 minutes and always stock the ingredients. The cheaper the meal is, the better, so salads and noodle dishes shine here, and are usually quick and easy to make.
Eating out is what kills my paychecks the fastest, so I always try and keep good healthy food around. Is there a tribe yet for cheap and healthy eating? That would be a solid addition
I'm actually surprised how little "cooking for yourself" is mentioned in this discussion. By far the best thing you can do is cooking more for yourself. Going from a $10 takeout to a $5 cooked meal on weeknights saves you over $1000/year.
It really is a matter of changing habits, since it's all together way too easy to get in the habit of not cooking (or "cooking" a pre-prepared meal), and once you're in that habit it's hard to break. The best thing I've found is to just find a couple of dead simple meals to cook in <15 minutes and always stock the ingredients. The cheaper the meal is, the better, so salads and noodle dishes shine here, and are usually quick and easy to make.
Eating out is what kills my paychecks the fastest, so I always try and keep good healthy food around. Is there a tribe yet for cheap and healthy eating? That would be a solid addition