The first thing a financial adviser tells you when pairing down your finances is to avoid restaurants. Eating out is the one thing I love even though it can be precious to the allocation and hard on your waistline with secret calories in those decadent dishes.
Still, gourmet meals, elegant atmospheres, a bit of pampering along with a new kind of wine or appetizer are one of my indulgences. The sad news is it costs fullness and one of those weekend bills can equal your water bill for the month.
When I lost my state job in November, those weekend excursions have disappeared. I find on Friday and Saturday nights, I get antsy about what to do for dinner. I ultimately found a solution. Early in the month when I am doing my large shopping, I plan ahead for those hunger pangs to strike.
At the local buyers club, I noticed potential meat for lower cost. If I buy a loin, the butcher can slice it to get more servings from the piece than usual. This past month, I purchased a rib loin and had him slice it 3/4" thick. The loin yielded an whole meal more than if I had purchased them already sliced and in a package. At home, I package and freeze the meat in two meal-sized packs, so that they can be removed easily.
I also watch for sales on pre-packaged shrimp. When they go on a buy one/get one free sale, I pick up as many as I can afford. This gives me the potential to surf and turf. Of course, you resolve what meats you tend to order more and look for ways to keep them on hand.
By grilling the meat and doing a low maintenance side like baked potato or sweet potato, the clean up is a snap. Recently it has occurred to me that staying in has its advantages. You can relax, avoid the crowds and the waiting. You can visit in the quiet ease of your home.
Perhaps if you still want to go out, you can hear some live music or walk the downtown after dinner, ending with an after-dinner drink or dessert. The wide savings adds up to as much as 50% of the original cost. In this case it's having your steak and going out too - with your allocation intact.
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