Eating Out is fun.

But saving money and calories is MORE fun! Terry and I have always gone out to eat several times a week, not because I can't cook, but because we enjoy dining out, not having KP afterward, not needing to plan ahead, etc. And when you have kids, McDonald's is sooo easy to drive thru!

This week I determined that we would NOT eat out. At all. I spent a bit more than usual on groceries, but the savings on dining out made up quickly for that! I have a stocked freezer, and we've eaten well this week. I made bratwurst and cheddar in the crockpot; ham, broccoli, pepper and onion quiche; hot and spicy wings; and now tonight we are having planned-overs of more quiche! Tomorrow we're having beef sandwiches, cooked in the crockpot.

I went to Saving Dinner and ordered the summer crockpot mailer. It's a wonderful tool, including the grocery list for the week and 5 meals per week for 13 weeks in the slow cooker. There is a great variety and I've always loved Leeann's recipes. I go through the ads on Sunday, clipping coupons and determining what is the best sale. Then I look through the summer mailer and find recipes that use food I already have or that is on sale.

It feels so good to keep money in my pocket, rather than forking it over to McD's or Panera! The "little" fast food trips really add up over the course of a week. I have been drinking water instead of buying coffee at Dunkin Donuts and Panera, and having boiled eggs leftover from Easter made great breakfast with toast this week! Quick and cheap! And healthier!

One interesting thing I've noticed is that the dishwasher is filling up more with plates than cups now. It's always been the other way around! I guess that's a good way to tell at a glance if we're being responsible or not for the week!

And since we're not going out for meals, I'm home more. My home is the cleanest it's EVER been, and I'm so proud of it. I can invite people in without apologizing for the mess!

I'm loving this.