Figuring out how to stop eating out to save money when you’re working full time and/or managing a family can be a challenge. As a stay at home mom, there were many days when I got to 4pm and still had no idea what we were going to eat for dinner. Many families work long hours and want to spend time with their kids when they get home rather than cooking meals. Eating out or ordering in seems like a good solution until it starts to slowly take over your budget, leaving nothing for retirement contributions or savings for other goals. 

This struggle is a perfect example of the time versus money paradox. Time and money almost always have to be balanced against one another. You spend time driving to another store in order to save money. You take a more expensive non-stop flight to save time. In this situation, you pay more for prepared food to free up time. Making intentional choices about where you spend money versus time is an important step toward living a satisfying life. 

There is nothing wrong with eating out or ordering in when you’re exhausted or need time for other things as long as it is not causing you to go into debt or sacrifice other savings goals. The great news is that there are ways to stop eating out and save money while not significantly taking time away from your family. 

Build awareness by tracking your expenses

First, start tracking your money for a few months so that you know exactly where it is going. You could even go back through the last few months of bills and categorize your expenses. It is likely that the numbers will tell you what you already know, but seeing the exact numbers can help you identify the extent of the spending in certain categories and help you set some goals. 

To do this, you can use anything from a pen and paper, to a spreadsheet, to a budgeting app like mint.com or YNAB. Use whatever works best for you and don’t think about what everyone else is using or what you think you should use. The key is finding something that you will actually do. 

In terms of spending less on food, the cheapest way is to buy inexpensive ingredients and prepare everything yourself, but that doesn’t work for everyone. Instead, find prepared foods that cost less, do some meal planning and prep on weekends, and incorporate cooking and food prep into your family time. 

Related: 5 Blogs and Websites That Will Help You Make Cheap Meals on a Budget

Stop eating out by using a meal delivery service

Depending on what kind of food you are ordering in, you might find that it is cheaper to have some of your meals delivered from a meal delivery service such as EveryPlate, Blue Apron, or Hello Fresh. (I have never tried any of these and am not officially endorsing them, but they have good reviews.) Meal delivery kits are not exactly cheap, but they might be cheaper and could provide an easy alternative to simply ordering in. 

Related article: Are Meal Subscription Boxes Worth It?

Buy precooked or ready-to-cook items from the grocery store

Another option would be to use more prepared foods from the grocery store. I’m thinking of rotisserie chicken or frozen bags of orange chicken with frozen or pre-cut vegetables and precooked rice. Grocery stores have extensive deli sections where you can pick up prepared foods that you can take home and eat. Sometimes you can find kits that are designed to just go in the crockpot. For pizza night, check out some of the amazing frozen options that are available now and a premade salad kit. Take a few hours one day to visit a couple different grocery stores nearby to get a sense of what options are available. Grocery stores offer so many options these days for busy families. Once you know what is out there, I think you’ll find that this is a fairly easy option that doesn’t require a lot of thought. 

Plan ahead on weekends

A little bit of planning, a well stocked pantry, and a bigger freezer can also make a difference when it comes to making quick, affordable meals on busy weeknights. Many recipe sites online offer resources for fast meals. You can even find ready meal plans with shopping lists and instructions. Using these resources and/or making a plan on the weekend can help on those days when you just don’t have the energy to figure out dinner. For me, half the battle is the mental energy used for deciding what to make. If that’s figured out in advance, I find it is a lot easier to execute the plan. 

Combine making meals with family time

This probably sounds like one of those pieces of advice from people who don’t actually have kids, but cooking together can be a great way to combine meal prep time with family time. I’ll be the first to admit that there have been many times where I end up losing it and kicking everyone out. Cooking with kids can require a lot of patience, but with practice it will get easier. Have the kids set the table, fill up cups of water, peel vegetables, or put in ingredients. It might take some practice, but I’ve found that the work and frustration eventually can make it quite enjoyable once the kids become more competent. 

It might seem difficult to stop eating out and cook more at home. If eating out is working for you, then go for it! The reality is that most of us don't have the budget for it. Let me know in the comments what how you've managed to stop eating out and save money without sacrificing family time.