• About
    • Work With Me
    • Contact Me
    • Privacy Policy
  • New? Start here!
  • How To Budget
    • Ways to Save Money
    • Set Up A Budget
    • Stick To A Budget
    • Budget Printables
  • Easy Meals
    • 15 Minute Meals
    • Easy Lunch Ideas
    • Meal Planning
  • Home Organization
    • Home Management
    • Save Time
    • Home Routines
    • Home Management Binder
  • Make Money
    • Work From Home
    • Side Jobs
    • Money Making Apps
    • Hobbies That Make Money
  • Shop
↑

The Busy Budgeter

A balanced life for busy people!

  • Work with Me
  • Contact
  • Home
  • About Me
  • Shop
  • How to Budget
  • New? Start here!
  • Home Organization
  • Make Money
  • Easy Meals
    • 15 Minute Meals

Cheap Restaurants: How We Spend Less Eating Out Than Cooking at Home!

By The Busy Budgeter | 19 Comments | This post may contain affiliate links

2215 shares
  • Facebook126
  • Twitter
  • Yummly

 

Cheap Restaurants: How we spend less eating out than cooking at home sq

Photo courtesy of Michael Shaechang. Edited.

 

 

I’m an advocate of cooking at home, I really am. I cook almost all of my meals at home and enjoy doing it. But I’m also an advocate of spending less and knowing my weaknesses. Every once in a while, I find myself in a sticky situation and I’m in danger of doing the worst thing you can do when it comes to your grocery budget… buy food for the house and then eat out every night, letting your food go bad. Our grocery budget is $120 per week and in these situations, I have a few back up plans that allows us to eat out for a week, spending less than what we spend to eat at home. Don’t just stick to my tricks though, you may live in an area with even better options! It’s a really good idea to find the cheap restaurants in your area, and even more important figure out what to order to get the most food for the smallest price.

 

Situations Where You May Need To Eat Out Frequently:

  • A new baby
  • A loss in the family
  • Having multiple members of the family sick
  • Being sick yourself or recovering from an operation.
  • Moving
  • General insanity

 

There are absolutely alternatives in these situations to eating out. Freezer cooking is one of them, but keep this idea in the back of your head if you ever need it. Sometimes, we get so set in our head about what’s “right” that we don’t think of less popular alternatives. The situations listed above are when you are at your absolute worst. Those are my “Screw the budget, I don’t care, I’m ordering $80 worth of Dominos and eating in bed” moments. Yup, I still have them. Likely you will too. The first thing to go in those situations is your routines. You start skipping the dishes after dinner, not switching the laundry, not thawing tomorrow night’s dinner. The concept of eating out is my dinner version of the red panic button. Only to be pressed as a worst case, “‘I’ve tried everything else” scenario. But we aren’t recklessly spending here. We’re recognizing our state of mind, our weaknesses and planning to handle ourselves at our worst. Think about this now, when you aren’t dealing with anything on this list. So when something like that happens, you have your panic button ready to go. The worst case scenario is if we say “No way, It’s cheaper to eat at home, I’m not eating out every day”, then ordering Pizza and Chinese every night in your weakest moments. We’re thinking ahead and saying, okay if this happens then this is what I’ll do. This “panic button” saves you on time, dishes, kitchen clean up and grocery shopping.

 

Obviously, you’re not going to eat the exact same thing for 7 lunches and 7 dinners in a row. That’s not the idea here. It’s to show you what a week of meals at these places cost and then you can mix and match to suite your needs. Most of these meals are priced similarly.

In some cases, these aren’t the healthiest meals. This isn’t a suggestion for how to live every day, but for how to minimize the financial impact of these events and get you through a chaotic period. Despite being cheap, you’ll notice that traditional fast food isn’t on the list. Even by buying a burger, fry and drink from the dollar menu, I find the prices, quantity and quality of the food choices below to be a better value.

 

 

My Top 4 Favorite Cheap Restaurants

Photo Credit: Bev Sykes. Edited.

Photo Credit: Bev Sykes. Edited.

Olive Garden

Olive Garden has a “Buy One, Take One” deal where you can eat dinner there, and they’ll wrap up a second portion to take home for tomorrow’s dinner. You can choose from 4 entrees and you’ll get unlimited soup, salad and bread sticks when you eat out, plus a second chilled entrée (which can be different from your original selection) off of the same menu for tomorrow night. If you pair this with milk and cereal for breakfast, and have leftovers (those meals are huge!) for lunch, (filling in with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and yogurt if you run out of leftovers), this makes for a pretty cheap week.

Cost for 2 adults for a week:

7 Buy One, Take One Deals: $90.93

Peanut Butter: $2.49

Bread: $3.49

Jam: $3.29

Yogurt: $4.99

Bananas: $4

Milk: $2.82

Cereal: $1.99

Total: $ 114 for two people in one week (you can likely feed a toddler or two in this for the same price).

 

 

Wegmans

Wegmans has a fantastic thing called Meals “Ready to Eat”: It’s a complete meal made for you at their deli with a ton of choices. I’ve had their French buttered chicken, fried chicken, meatloaf, lemon grilled chicken, chicken parmesan and more with sides like steamed broccoli, apple squash cakes, macaroni and cheese, butternut squash and more for about $6 per meal (a few options cost more, but you can get an amazing complete meal here for $6). They come in microwavable containers and they can be refrigerated at home and eaten within two days (according to Darryl, our local Wegmans deli guy who is worth his weight in gold). We used this option for the insanity that followed our last baby when I came down with an infection and was bed ridden (even more so) for a few days. You can pick up 4 meals at a time, and eat them for dinner for two days. You can pick up a container of lunch meat or peanut butter and jelly and bread for sandwiches with baby carrots and chips at Lunch, and milk and cereal for breakfast.

 

Cost for 2 adults for a week:

Ready to Eat Meals: $84

Peanut Butter: $2.49

Bread: $3.49

Jam: $3.29

Yogurt: $4.99

Bananas: $4

Milk: $2.82

Cereal: $1.99

Total: $ 107.07 for two people in one week (you can likely feed a toddler in this for the same price).

 

Subway Cheap Restaurant Deals

Photo Credit: Pat Durkin. Edited.

 

Subway

The key to subway is to just go for the sandwich and skip the drink and chips. Get a foot long sub, so you can eat the second half for lunch the next day. Drink water at home and pair it with anything found in your house: yogurt, chips, ice cream, raisins and peanuts, or anything you can find.

Cost per person for breakfast and Lunch per day: $5.57 assuming you eat milk and cereal for breakfast that week, the cost for 2 people in a week to eat subway with a cereal breakfast is:

14 foot long subs with extra veggies: $77.98

One 12 pack of yogurt: $4.99

1 large bag of chips: $1.99

1 box of cereal: $1.99

I gallon of milk: $2.82

Total Cost: $89.77 for 2 people in one week.

Hint: You can order online and just walk in and pick it up with no wait.

 

 

 

Chipotle

You can get a Chicken Burrito Bowl for $6.80, then ask for extra veggies and cheese to make it a good sized bowl. Eat half for dinner and save the rest for lunch the next day (If you’re squeamish like me, have them pack the sour cream and lettuce separately so it heats well the next day). Add cereal, bananas and milk for breakfast.

14 Burrito Bowls with extra veggies and cheese: $95.20

Bananas: $4

Milk: $2.82

Cereal: $1.99

$104.01 for 2 people in one week.

Hint: You can order online and just walk in and pick it up with no wait.

 

 

Just need a quick meal out at a cheap restaurant? Try these ideas…

 

Little Caesars

Try out their $5 Hot N Ready Large Pizzas. You have to stop in to pick them up, but you don’t need to call ahead, and you don’t have to wait for them to be made. Perfect to take to a soccer game and eat in the stands rather than taking everyone to the drive thru. Just load up on fruit and veggies after the game.

Cheap Restaurants: Pizza

Photo Credit: Janine. Edited.

 

Wegmans

Try their ENOURMOUS Pizzas for about $11. These pizzas are so big that they don’t fit in the grocery cart, you have to balance it on top. We can usually get 3 meals out of one pizza. When we do order pizza (which is extremely rare because I married a man that makes pizza from scratch better than a NYC food truck), this is where we head to. Perfect for company coming over on a busy day (we pair this with a $4 bag of salad and use our stock up of salad dressings that we got on sale for $1.). Even with company, you’ll likely have enough left over for lunch the next day.

Olive Garden

Soup, Salad and Breadsticks Lunch for $6.99. If you’re not a soup person, give it a try anyway. I was so impressed with their chicken gnocchi soup and I’m definitely not a soup person (except for broccoli and cheese soup, which barely counts. It’s like a giant bowl of cheese dip). Perfect for a super frugal date night out.

Ikea

With a $.99 breakfast plate available every day with sausage, scrambled eggs and hash brown potatoes, I’m a HUGE fan of Ikea’s food. You can grab 2 Hot Dogs, a bag of potato chips and a soda for $2.50. If you have potty trained children, they also have 30 minutes of childcare available in a really fun space with climbing equipment and ball pits. Send the kids to play, go find a comfy couch to test out while you recharge and then have a quick lunch. Perfect for a quick lunch on errands day.

 

 

 

 

 

What’s your favorite cheap restaurant?

 

How we spend less eating out than cooking at home!

how we spend less eating out than cooking at home fb

This post may contain affiliate links. If you click & make a purchase, I receive a small commission that helps keep the Busy Budgeter up and running. Read my full disclosure policy here.

FTC Disclosure of Material Connection: In order for us to maintain this website, some of the links in the post above may be affiliate links. Regardless, we only recommend products or services we use personally and/or believe will add value to readers

Filed Under: Budget, Budget, Cutting Costs, Frugal Foodie, Get Organized, Meal Plan Tagged With: Get Organized, Meal Plan

Comments

  1. Aspen | Aspen Jay says

    April 9 at 3:36 pm

    I am ALL about going out to eat for avoiding insanity! 🙂 Thanks for the breakdown of meals Rosemarie. I wish we had a Wegmans close by again… I love that grocery store!!!

    Reply
    • The Busy Budgeter says

      April 14 at 4:20 am

      Happy to share Aspen! I just told my husband last night that proximity to a Wegmans would be a huge factor in deciding where we move to. 🙂

      Reply
  2. The Wellness Wife says

    April 10 at 5:14 pm

    We are very frugal and don’t make a lot of superfluous purchases. However, dining out is one thing we really enjoy. But, we never go without a coupon or a deal. It really does make it as cheap as eating at home. Especially if you can control your portions and bring leftovers home.

    Reply
    • The Busy Budgeter says

      April 14 at 4:06 am

      We usually save eating out for when life gets in the way, since dining out with a 2 year old and a newborn is soooo not fun. But writing this post made me so hungry for Olive Garden, that we ended up there the day I finished this. 🙂

      Reply
  3. Sarah O. says

    July 24 at 1:58 am

    I realize this is well-meant… but are you suggesting that a human being can survive for a week on nothing but Olive Garden and PBJs?

    Reply
    • The Busy Budgeter says

      July 24 at 7:50 pm

      Technically yes. People can survive on much, much worse. Whether or not you would want to is totally up to you.

      Reply
    • Eric says

      April 5 at 11:08 am

      There have been more weeks than I can count surviving off PB&Js and nothing else. It’s possible, not great for the waste line – but when you’re broke, you’re broke.

      Reply
  4. Heather says

    July 25 at 3:39 pm

    The main reason we eat out so much?… 2 kids in 2 different sports. Games and practices from 5:30pm to 8:00am. No time to cook when you’re at a field all night!

    Reply
    • The Busy Budgeter says

      August 1 at 3:52 am

      I’m not looking forward to those days!

      Reply
    • Jenny G says

      August 14 at 4:31 am

      OH Girl I am sorry that’s hard but when I am wiped at the end of the day what helps us is pre planning for the next day, seriously crock pot it works wonders. My husband noticed that I do best on days when I fix all the days meals during breakfast-when my energy is higher and I am not drained. So I toss stuff in the crockpot on low in the morning or on high depending on if the meat is frozen or not around 11-1pm. I hope that helps and invigorates you to keep going with the at home dinner. Nothing beats coming home pooped to a warm meal and the house smelling like dinner that all you did was dump together lol PS> There are a TON of crockpot recipes on Pinterest!

      Reply
      • The Busy Budgeter says

        August 20 at 3:55 pm

        Love crockpot cooking! Especially the freezer ones where you can make them ahead!

        Reply
  5. Jackie says

    August 29 at 1:46 pm

    We love Wegmans too! Another cheap option that we love is Noodles & Company. If you sign up for their email list you get – buy one meal get one FREE! They send the coupon out every once in a while but you can use it over and over until expires! Dinner for two only costs us about $9!!!

    Reply
    • The Busy Budgeter says

      September 28 at 6:20 pm

      We LOVE Noodles & Company! We may have to try that for a date night! Thanks Jackie!

      Reply
  6. Belladonna says

    September 8 at 1:47 pm

    Another option my husband and I found just last night–Moe’s Southwest Grill. (if you like Chipotle, you’ll like Moe’s–in fact I think I liked it better!) On Mondays, you can get any of their burritos (i think this did include their burrito bowls, too) plus a side of chips and queso or guacamole and a drink for $6.99. The burritos were plenty big enough that we each brought home leftovers! They also have a salsa bar–there five different ones available when we went.

    Reply
    • The Busy Budgeter says

      September 24 at 5:48 pm

      Moe’s is good and we have one nearby! We’ll have to give that a shot. I know they also have “Kids Eat Free” nights as well! Thanks! “Welcome to Moe’s!”

      Reply
  7. Jeanette says

    December 1 at 6:28 pm

    Costco is pretty cheap for a slice of pizza or a hotdog. Taco Bell bean burritos are one of our regular cheap eats. Carrots and peanut butter for lunch, or peanut butter and/or jelly toast is always a yummy breakfast. Some of the local area restaurants have lunch deals which could be saved and reheated for dinner, too!

    Reply
  8. Gertrude says

    May 19 at 2:29 pm

    Get IKEA’s shoppers card and have free coffee to go with your meal.
    Taco Bell has a $5.00 box that has enough food in it for two meals.

    Reply
  9. Marilyn says

    August 14 at 2:44 pm

    Well, I think this is still true, but 15 yrs ago when we were remodeling the kitchen I’d take the kids to dinner at Souplantation. For the 3 kids (6mo-5yrs old) & myself this was the BEST deal in town. If I arrived BEFORE 5pm I could get dinner at lunch price and my kids ate for free. We would usually stay at the restaurant for close to an hour. More recently I have gone with my mother and she always gets a baked potato to go – to add to her scrambled egg in the morning.

    Reply
    • The Busy Budgeter says

      August 14 at 5:25 pm

      That’s awesome! 🙂

      Reply

Tell me what you think!Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Success! Now check your email to confirm your subscription.

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

Recent Posts

Best Books On Home Organization (By Personality).

Best Books On Home Organization (By Personality).

February 21st, 2025

Free Printable ADHD Routine Charts for Busy Families

Free Printable ADHD Routine Charts for Busy Families

February 21st, 2025

How to Budget With ADHD, Depression, or Anxiety.

How to Budget With ADHD, Depression, or Anxiety.

September 10th, 2024

Cape Cod Chicken Salad Recipe: 15-Minute Picnic Meal

Cape Cod Chicken Salad Recipe: 15-Minute Picnic Meal

June 29th, 2024

Optimal Daily Schedule for Working Moms (In Every Situation)

Optimal Daily Schedule for Working Moms (In Every Situation)

April 9th, 2024

Busy Budgeter Inc. is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Ready to get started?

WHAT DO YOU NEED?

Start Here

If you’re new around here... and need step by step help for where you're at, start here.

Get Started

Save Money

Everything you need to budget, reduce your spending, find cheaper substitutions and curb impulse spending.

Start Saving Money

Make Money

Increase your income by making money on the side or find ways to work from home.

Start Making Money

Get Organized

Master the routines that matter and learn what you can let go to have an organized home and life.

Get Organized

Recommendations

These are the things I recommend over and over... all in one place.

View Recommendations

Start A Blog

Are you a blogger or want to be one? Everything you need to know is here.

Start A Blog

Ready to save a TON of money?

Get step by step budget help with the FREE 90 day budget bootcamp!

Success! Now check your email to confirm your subscription.

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

  • How To Budget
    • Ways to Save Money
    • Set Up A Budget
    • Stick To A Budget
    • Budget Printables
  • Easy Meals
    • 15 Minute Meals
    • Easy Lunch Ideas
    • Meal Planning
  • Home Organization
    • Home Management
    • Save Time
    • Home Routines
    • Home Management Binder
  • Make Money
    • Work From Home
    • Side Jobs
    • Money Making Apps
    • Hobbies That Make Money
Copyright ©2025, The Busy Budgeter. All Rights Reserved. Contact [email protected]. Privacy Policy
Design by Pixel Me Designs