Money Management

Frugal Meals
Tips on Making Frugal Meals

Frugal Meals. There are many ways to eat frugally, both at home and while dining out.

Find Tips on:
Creating Meals
Dining Out
Dinner Parties
Dining Out While Travelling

Creating Meals

Creating meals can be easy with a few tips and recipes. It isn't how much you spend on the meal but how you use the ingredients that you purchase. Here are a few tips.

Don't always choose meat as the main part of your dish
Find frugal recipes for new ideas
Choose pasta more
Try eggs for dinner - add a couple of vegetables and cheese to scrambled eggs or omelet
Eat leftovers for lunch
Use only fruits and vegetables that are in season
Freeze leftovers for meals later in the week
Subsidize the meal with homemade bread
Add soup to your meal
Try popcorn for snacks
French toast for breakfast goes a long way

Get your family involved. Ask them what they like and don't like. Give them an opportunity to "vote" on the meals you try out. They will be more excited about it if you involved them in the process of creating your frugal meals.

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Frugal Meals- Dining Out

Dining out can be really expensive, but it doesn't have to be. With a bit of planning you can enjoy lovely meals at a lower cost!

Dine out less each month. By cutting out a few of your dining out experiences - even just once more per week - you will notice a difference in your savings.

Do your research for local area restaurants. Try to stay away from the chain restaurants as they are usually more expensive then local or family run restaurants. Local family run restaurants are usually less expensive.

Order from the appetizer menu - usually the portions are huge (especially in North America) - Sometimes I choose a quesadilla or salad as my main meal.

Only order side items for your main course. Money Management

Split a meal. My husband and I have similar tastes - so we will usually share something - even if it is just a sandwich in a shop where we know the portions are large.

Go during happy hour or early bird specials times. My In-Laws LOVE taking advantage of that.

Try restaurants that have just opened up. Usually their prices are a little lower to attract business.

Choose water as your drink - ice water not bottled. Soft drinks or Pop as we call it, are quite expensive in restaurants, avoid the cost by drinking water with lemon.

Go out for lunch instead of dinner. Many restaurants have the same or similar menus but for a lower price at lunch.

Choose the lunch or dinner specials - but make sure they are specials - and not features - so they are a bargain.

Take leftovers home and have them for lunch.

Go out for coffee and dessert instead of a whole meal.

Find discount coupons for restaurants. Use the Entertainment Book for your area, or other internet sites for promotions for your favorite restaurants.

Take advantage of special days. i.e. children eat for free on Tuesdays.

Whatever you do though, don't skip out on the tip - TIP according to your service. Plan your tip into the cost of your meal.

Plan out a splurge night for a special occasion - remember to live life not skimp out on it!

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Frugal Meals- Dinner Parties

Creating frugal meals for dinner parties requires some imagination and creativity.

Potluck Party
The traditional Potluck party is where each guest brings a dish. As the host/hostess, you can assign a dish to each guest, or sometimes the best parties come from letting the guests bring what they want. You may end up with lots of side dishes, but sometimes it ends up more colorful that way.

Set a Theme
Like a Hawaiian Luau, Mexican Fiesta or a Spanish Paella. These types of foods may be cheaper, and it will put a fun spin on the party.

Make it Brunch instead of Dinner
Brunch foods can be less expensive and most people don't drink alcohol at brunch.

Have a Barbeque
It is possible to reduce your costs by having a BBQ, you can choose burgers instead of steaks. Also you can buy them in bulk easily.

Make it a Buffet Style Meal
Less expensive to prepare buffet style foods than sit down dinner foods.

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