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http://frugalhacks.com/2009/02/10/frugality-and-time-series-cooking-like-you-have-all-day/
Frugality and Time Series: Cooking Like You Have All Day
Posted by: Frugal.Homemaker.Plus on Tuesday, February 10th, 2009

It’s common wisdom that cooking at home will save money and your waistline. It’s one of first things you hear in any “how to be more frugal” talk. So readers, why don’t we do it? While I do cook the majority of our meals at home, I confess to succumbing to fast food here and there. Why do I do that?

The simple answer is time. We don’t cook because we feel like we don’t have time. We’re frazzled, we’re tired, we’ve had a bad day and the last thing we want to is stand in front of a stove and deal with dinner and dishes. I know. I know this exact feeling. Even people who truly never hit up the drive thru have this feeling at least some of the time!

There’s a way around this, of course. It’s planning. The majority of the times that I’ve met my husband at the door with the “we’re going out to dinner” glare have been on days when I’ve failed to plan. Suddenly everybody is hungry and I have a headache and just am not in the mood. Plus everything worth eating is frozen and I don’t have any pasta or sauce or...well, you’ve been there. Before you know it, a pizza is on the way. Or you’ve loaded up the kids to head out to the golden arches. This is what happens when we don’t plan.

We know that dinner happens everyday, so it is something we can plan for. Here’s some things that I do that help keep me away from fast food:

1. Make a menu. I do my menus weekly, although some people do them daily or monthly. Having an idea of what you’re planning on eating this week is important. I start by seeing what I have, then going from there. I make my menu before I make my grocery list for the week. Having a menu and shopping around it prevents having a pot of boiling water before realizing that you’re out of spaghetti.

2. Cut things up right away! I learned this trick from Rachel Ray. When you get home, cut up the veggies and herbs before you put them away. Or have one day where you do a lot of the cutting! Sometimes the only thing between me and Taco Bell is cutting up onions. I’ll cut up veggies in front of the TV. Another trick is to buy pre-cut frozen veggies or “meal starter” packs. I get them when they go on 10 for $10 sales. With frozen pre-cut peppers and fridge dough, I can have a pizza in the oven faster than I can dial the pizza place.

3. When you make your menu, look ahead! It’s best not to make a complected new recipe on the day that you don’t get home until 6 and have to leave at 6:45 for church activities. Save that for the days when you have a lighter schedule, and use other methods on the crazy days.

4. If your life is insane or you just don’t feel like cooking? Cook all day- literally! Dust off your crockpot. When people think crockpot, they often think of cheap cuts of meat cooking for hours. That’s delicious, and one way to use it, but not the only way. There’s crockpot options for everyone, including vegetarians or people on special diets. Get everything ready the night before you use it and store the insert in the fridge.. Nobody wants to be chopping onions at 5:30 AM! If you’re prone to forgetting to putting it in the heating element, put the element somewhere you will see it, like in front of your door or at your place at breakfast. Instant delicious dinner waiting for you!

5. If the crockpot is not your thing, that does not mean you can’t cook ahead. Some people cook one day a month and fill their freezers. While I’ve never personally done that, I often double a recipe and put the extra in the freezer for a busy day. I also often mix up casseroles and the like the day before and put them in the fridge, oven ready for when we get home. Knowing that dinner is practically already done can ease up the urge to head out to Chipotle.

6. Keep a reserve of emergency boxed meals. I have a stock of Tuna Helper and Lean Cuisine TV dinners for days when I just can’t deal. As a rule, we try to avoid processed and other convenience foods, but they’re good to have on hand for every now and then. While Tuna Helper is hardly a winner on the nutrition scale, it’s better than a Big Mac Value meal.

7. Think about how much time going out is really saving you. Making a simple meal may take 30 minutes or so. How long does it take you to drive to a restaurant, wait to be seated, get the meal, pay, and get back home? Sometimes it is not the time saver that people think it is.

8. For the days when all of the above fails you- keep a stash of coupons for local pizza and restaurants. You may also check online. I’ve ordered pizza and gotten a far better deal by ordering online than we would have with the coupons and specials we had in our eating out envelope. We all fall short of perfection. It’s okay. Keeping coupons will help keep it from completely derailing your financial plan.