Comments on: Comparing Dining Options: What’s The Best Deal For Your Time And Your Money? http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/08/07/comparing-dining-options-whats-the-best-deal-for-your-time-and-your-money/ Financial talk for the rest of us Sat, 16 Feb 2013 01:14:45 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 By: SavingWithMe http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/08/07/comparing-dining-options-whats-the-best-deal-for-your-time-and-your-money/#comment-71876 SavingWithMe Sun, 16 Sep 2007 02:42:40 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/08/07/comparing-dining-options-whats-the-best-deal-for-your-time-and-your-money/#comment-71876 Good framework recipe. Casseroles are great time savers and typically make solid leftovers. We typically prepare about three meals for the week and eat them as leftovers for lunch and dinner. It takes time to get into a system that works for you.

]]> By: Jenners http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/08/07/comparing-dining-options-whats-the-best-deal-for-your-time-and-your-money/#comment-59887 Jenners Tue, 21 Aug 2007 11:11:34 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/08/07/comparing-dining-options-whats-the-best-deal-for-your-time-and-your-money/#comment-59887 Thanks for your framework recipe. I am teaching a friend to cook and I think this will be a great help. She’s been married for 7 years and either relies on her husband or expensive packaged foods. Now her hubbie is working more hours and can’t always be there in time to cook, so she realizes it’s time to bite the bullet and learn.

]]> By: Katy http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/08/07/comparing-dining-options-whats-the-best-deal-for-your-time-and-your-money/#comment-55654 Katy Fri, 10 Aug 2007 04:37:55 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/08/07/comparing-dining-options-whats-the-best-deal-for-your-time-and-your-money/#comment-55654 And wow, that is just full of typos and missed words. (I seem to have saved money on verbs this week.) Sorry!

]]> By: Katy http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/08/07/comparing-dining-options-whats-the-best-deal-for-your-time-and-your-money/#comment-55653 Katy Fri, 10 Aug 2007 04:35:36 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/08/07/comparing-dining-options-whats-the-best-deal-for-your-time-and-your-money/#comment-55653 Well, I’m a radical saver (I saved 40% of my take-home pay last year to finance a move to NYC, and although I couldn’t do it all the time, I can do it a lot of the time). And I really, really hate to cook. I’m with the person who says, 30 minutes? That’s cooking for a holiday.

I eat a lot of uncooked food–a typical dinner might be an apple and sliced cheese with a salad or with bread and a handful of pecans. Lately in a quest to add veggies I’ve been asparagus in the toaster oven (a drizzle of oil and balsamic and some salt and pepper–10 minutes max).

I also eat out…a lot. But I get a doggie bag or order carryout, and then I make that restaurant meal into three meals, minimum. Because dude, there are more than enough calories in there. A $15 pasta dish is $5 a serving, and it’s way better than anything my cooking non-talent would produce. At home I add a slice of bread and my own roasted garlic (do a batch and store it in an airtight jar), and I obscenely indulgent. And dude, if you can’t stretch an $18 pizza to two nights, then you are ordering from the WRONG pizza joint (or feeding more people–I’m single).

It’s true, eating out is an indulgence, but if you truly hate to cook, you’ll find a way to make it pay you better.

And to Jennifer’s point, planning is key, even if you don’t cook. If I have apples and nothing to eat them with, then they’re snacks, not meals. And if I have no plan, then I’m on the sofa thinking about the number for the local takeaway…

@Liz – LOL! I think I “anger” everything except the AllRecipes breakfast casseroles. They are my only successful cooking excursions.

]]> By: Christine http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/08/07/comparing-dining-options-whats-the-best-deal-for-your-time-and-your-money/#comment-55515 Christine Thu, 09 Aug 2007 19:15:51 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/08/07/comparing-dining-options-whats-the-best-deal-for-your-time-and-your-money/#comment-55515 There is another option between prepackaged foods and making foods at home. There are several places in the Minneapolis are such as Supper Thyme, Let’s Dish etc that allow you to come in and prepare foods to freeze and cook later. You pick things off their menu and prepare to your families taste. I like it because in a couple of hours, I have 10-12 ready made meals that I can take out of the freezer that only cost $3-4/serving.

]]> By: pam http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/08/07/comparing-dining-options-whats-the-best-deal-for-your-time-and-your-money/#comment-55502 pam Thu, 09 Aug 2007 18:42:09 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/08/07/comparing-dining-options-whats-the-best-deal-for-your-time-and-your-money/#comment-55502 I like to use Jiffy pizza crust mix and everyone makes their own pizza. I also use canned pasta sauce. We don’t have any stores that double coupons, but tomatoes are expensive here, and can’t really grow without a greenhouse.

Not necessarily a timesaver, but the kids love it! And still cheaper than delivery.

]]> By: Anna http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/08/07/comparing-dining-options-whats-the-best-deal-for-your-time-and-your-money/#comment-55258 Anna Thu, 09 Aug 2007 02:26:43 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/08/07/comparing-dining-options-whats-the-best-deal-for-your-time-and-your-money/#comment-55258 Trader Joe’s has frozen dinners that are very healthy, contain fresh ingredients and no or few preservatives and cost $2-3 apiece. Much healthier than regular grocery store frozen dinners (or, for that matter, restaurant meals and most of the stuff I prepare for myself), and quite cheap. I eat a lot of them.

]]> By: Critterknit http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/08/07/comparing-dining-options-whats-the-best-deal-for-your-time-and-your-money/#comment-55254 Critterknit Thu, 09 Aug 2007 02:08:46 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/08/07/comparing-dining-options-whats-the-best-deal-for-your-time-and-your-money/#comment-55254 While it doesn’t necessarily leave me at a 1/2 hour, I’ve made pizza crust from unrolling a canned Pillsbury french loaf (bought on a great sale, with a doubled coupon), and spreading it on a cookie sheet sprinkled liberally with oat bran or cornmeal (extra fiber). Precook it for about 10 minutes, load it up, and cook for another 20 or so. But, precooking the meat/veggies takes the extra time. I also used a jarred pasta sauce for the pizza sauce (also bought on sale with a doubled coupon). So, it fit the relatively cheap for me, but not the short-time qualifier. On the plus side, with all the “goodies” on top, it only took a couple/three small squares to fill up my husband, who normally can eat 1/2 a take-out pizza on his own.

]]> By: Michelle http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/08/07/comparing-dining-options-whats-the-best-deal-for-your-time-and-your-money/#comment-55075 Michelle Wed, 08 Aug 2007 16:00:11 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/08/07/comparing-dining-options-whats-the-best-deal-for-your-time-and-your-money/#comment-55075 I can usually find frozen packaged meals for less than what he is quoting above. Yesterday I bought a bunch of Healthy Choice dinners for $2 each plus I had a coupon to save more if I buy 5 of them. This comes out to around $1.80 per meal. I can’t find ingredients to give me a balanced, healthy meal consisting of meat, starch, veggie and dessert for this price if I cooked it on my own.

]]> By: Jesica http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/08/07/comparing-dining-options-whats-the-best-deal-for-your-time-and-your-money/#comment-55072 Jesica Wed, 08 Aug 2007 15:55:40 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/08/07/comparing-dining-options-whats-the-best-deal-for-your-time-and-your-money/#comment-55072 Eating at home is good in theory… but for a lot of us even that 30 minutes to prep and cook is asking a lot. (How about 5 minutes?) I work full time + go to school full time at night which leaves me out of the house for about 14 hours a day. The only healthy and quick options I’ve found so far are instant oatmeal or scrambled eggs… good thing I like breakfast food! I do revert to take out or cheap tv dinners a little more often than I’d like to though.

]]> By: Mitch http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/08/07/comparing-dining-options-whats-the-best-deal-for-your-time-and-your-money/#comment-55053 Mitch Wed, 08 Aug 2007 14:45:57 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/08/07/comparing-dining-options-whats-the-best-deal-for-your-time-and-your-money/#comment-55053 Liz,

LOL–I will try your suggestions, but even if they don’t work I will feel SO much better saying, well, I’ve simply angered the pizza sauce. I’m surprised you can’t find molasses unless you live somewhere pretty teensy–or maybe there’s a regional difference? I’m in Missouri & we picked up a bottle for when he wants brown Splenda.

]]> By: Liz http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/08/07/comparing-dining-options-whats-the-best-deal-for-your-time-and-your-money/#comment-55038 Liz Wed, 08 Aug 2007 13:37:55 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/08/07/comparing-dining-options-whats-the-best-deal-for-your-time-and-your-money/#comment-55038 Just don’t let the pizza dough rise for forever – make, stick in oven for 10 minutes while the oven is preheating, (it’s been rising for maybe 20 minutes by this point, what with all the fiddling) spread and go. Bake it for 20-25 minutes – yeah mine still comes out at 45 minutes if I make my own dough. If I get some pizzaria dough, or use frozen (yes, once-risen dough freezes spectacularly, but it needs thawed….so there’s 20 minutes….Trent, where do you get half-hour pizza? Do you use the crappy Dijourno premades? Tortillas?)

As for the splenda, that works if the bitterness comes from the tomatoes, though it’s my personal preference to use brown sugar (I’d prefer molasses better if I could get it) If it’s coming from the herbs, you simply added too much. Herbs are meant to flavor, but when food snobs say they are “overpowering” it usually means because they can actually taste the herbs separately from the food – and most herbs, straight, taste like bitter, angry grass. If you really like your herbs in there and you insist on having that many, use dried (you’ll have to use physically less) and COOK everything together for a while until it’s not bitter. That *should* work. However, in the case that it doesn’t, you’ve simply angered the pizza sauce. Or something. I would thereafter be completely stumped.

]]> By: yvie http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/08/07/comparing-dining-options-whats-the-best-deal-for-your-time-and-your-money/#comment-55011 yvie Wed, 08 Aug 2007 11:40:44 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/08/07/comparing-dining-options-whats-the-best-deal-for-your-time-and-your-money/#comment-55011 We make pizzas regularly at our house. The crust is a large flour tortilla. Any tomato sauce will do, cheese, and topping of your choice . Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. La voila, delicious, fresh, easy ultimate thin crust pizza.

]]> By: Mitch http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/08/07/comparing-dining-options-whats-the-best-deal-for-your-time-and-your-money/#comment-54940 Mitch Wed, 08 Aug 2007 04:42:40 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/08/07/comparing-dining-options-whats-the-best-deal-for-your-time-and-your-money/#comment-54940 Three of us often have pizza on the weekend. What I want to know is where he’s getting flour–around here whole wheat flour is about $6 for a five-pound bag, so the flour alone (3 cups per pizza) is almost a dollar. Amazon is the same price as the little “Foods for Health” store. If we bought the brand the others don’t like it would still be $4 or $5 for five pounds. Maybe there’s a mill somewhere here? that sells in quantities small enough for a couple of students to dump in a click-clack in the fridge?

Actually, what I really want to know is why the pizza sauce comes out a little bitter. Is it the Hunt’s tomato sauce? The heat? The choice of herbs (although dry vs. fresh doesn’t matter)? The person it bothers most tried stirring in a little Splenda, but that magically made it worse. Oh, well, one day we will sort it all out.

]]> By: Penny Nickel http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/08/07/comparing-dining-options-whats-the-best-deal-for-your-time-and-your-money/#comment-54937 Penny Nickel Wed, 08 Aug 2007 04:19:43 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/08/07/comparing-dining-options-whats-the-best-deal-for-your-time-and-your-money/#comment-54937 One thing that helps keep me eating at home instead of eating out is learning how to recreate my particular restaurant favorites. Finding an enchilada recipe I loved means when I’m craving them I don’t have to go for Mexican. It’s a fun challenge trying to see how close you can get to recreating your favorite items.

I’m sure it’s not Trent’s pizza-from-scratch solution, but Trader Joe’s has $0.99 pre-made pizza dough which is super easy…

]]> By: Amy K http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/08/07/comparing-dining-options-whats-the-best-deal-for-your-time-and-your-money/#comment-54875 Amy K Wed, 08 Aug 2007 00:35:00 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/08/07/comparing-dining-options-whats-the-best-deal-for-your-time-and-your-money/#comment-54875 I second Vincent – what is your secret to half hour pizza?

Mine is “get everything in the bread machine in the morning, and set the delay to have the dough ready when I get home” but I’m guessing you have another strategy.

I haven’t tried freezing pre-baked pizza crusts (Boboli style) but it’s on my to-try list. If it works, it will give me one more no-time-to-cook option.

]]> By: Vincent http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/08/07/comparing-dining-options-whats-the-best-deal-for-your-time-and-your-money/#comment-54867 Vincent Tue, 07 Aug 2007 23:43:01 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/08/07/comparing-dining-options-whats-the-best-deal-for-your-time-and-your-money/#comment-54867 Trent, pizza in a half hour?

I always thought pizza was a time consuming dish to prepare, only because of the dough. Is it possible to freeze pizza dough and still have it come out of the oven tasting (and feeling!) good?

]]> By: Livingalmostlarge http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/08/07/comparing-dining-options-whats-the-best-deal-for-your-time-and-your-money/#comment-54835 Livingalmostlarge Tue, 07 Aug 2007 21:32:48 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/08/07/comparing-dining-options-whats-the-best-deal-for-your-time-and-your-money/#comment-54835 Problem is making in large quantities doesn’t work when you are feeding say 3-4 adults. Then the size you are cooking is crazy. And I do cook in bulk, but I never freeze, it’s always tomorrow’s lunch.

]]> By: Jennifer http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/08/07/comparing-dining-options-whats-the-best-deal-for-your-time-and-your-money/#comment-54815 Jennifer Tue, 07 Aug 2007 20:32:46 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/08/07/comparing-dining-options-whats-the-best-deal-for-your-time-and-your-money/#comment-54815 My boyfriend and I love cooking, but we still have trouble finding motivation to cook after work. One of the things that works for us is meal planing for the week. I take about ten minutes to make a list like:
Monday- Chicken & garlic bread
Tuesday- Veggie Pasta & salad
etc

And then check allrecipes.com for tasty sounding recipes that are quick. I’m also one of those strange people that likes grocery shopping so I go during my lunch break (For those who don’t like grocery shopping: the stores are nearly empty of customers, but the shelves are completely stocked midday on weekdays). Not having to shop after work and the idea that we’re going to be trying something totally new a few times a week is exciting for us and keeps us cooking.

Besides, there’s nothing like the envious stares of coworkers when you pull out leftover broccoli salad with fresh peas and crumbled bacon when they’re all eating Arby’s.

]]> By: Fabulously Broke http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/08/07/comparing-dining-options-whats-the-best-deal-for-your-time-and-your-money/#comment-54811 Fabulously Broke Tue, 07 Aug 2007 20:16:46 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/08/07/comparing-dining-options-whats-the-best-deal-for-your-time-and-your-money/#comment-54811 I do the same thing – make a ton of the same dish like chicken pot pie, and freeze portions. It keeps my husband from moping around, saying how he doesn’t want to eat anything even though he’s hungry :P

]]>