Every year I fail at this financial solution. But I will try again in 2024.
As a working mom, weekdays are pretty busy. And that’s putting it mildly.
There are times when I take my kids out to activities before 5 p.m. and return home after 7:30 p.m. There are nights when a quick stop at McDonald’s or the local pizza place can be a lifeline.
Actually, I think I tend to spend a lot of money on takeout due to my busy schedule. I love to cook and I’m pretty good at kitchen chores, but most of all, I’m short on time and end up running up a big credit card bill on takeout meals every month.
Meanwhile, efforts have been made to reduce takeout over the past few years, but without success. We will start off strong in January, where the schedule will be a little less busy due to the lack of outdoor sports. But I usually start shaking in the spring when activities like soccer start up again and I go home a lot less often.
This year, I once again resolve to reduce my takeout costs. If I can get that done, I can add more money to my savings account. But I’ve failed at this particular resolution many times in the past, so I’ll have to approach it a little more strategically this year. And it may take some compromise to pull it off.
It’s important to be realistic
Whether your upcoming New Year’s resolution is saving for a new car, paying off credit cards, or funding an IRA for retirement, the key to success is being realistic. If you have a $14,000 credit card balance and cutting back on discretionary spending only leaves you with $200 a month based on your paycheck, you may not be able to reduce your $14,000 balance to $0. You can find a lucrative side hustle and invest a lot of time into it.
Likewise, you need to set your goals realistically so you don’t beat yourself up about not achieving them or giving up too quickly. So, with that in mind, we’ve set some ground rules.
First, I don’t promise never Order takeout. Rather, I’m just aiming to cut back. If I can consistently eliminate one takeout meal a week all year long, I’ll consider that a win.
Second, I know I may need to switch some of my takeout meals to meal delivery services. And you might argue that this is actually the same thing, but it’s not.
Sometimes I order food from a service called Mosaic, which offers plant-based main dishes. If you order a bulk box of 18 vegetable bowls (each bowl is one meal), you can save by about $10 per bowl.
Now, I’ll admit that I can get away with eating cheaper than if I just stuck to McDonald’s or pizza. But neither do I want My family eats way too much junk food, which is another reason I’m interested in cutting down on takeout. And plan to spend more than $10 per person for a healthier takeout meal.
Now that my kids and husband don’t necessarily want to eat plant-based meals like I do, I’m thinking about looking into other meal delivery services that are more expensive than groceries but cheaper than takeout. I think it’s a reasonable solution.
Positive changes for our families
To be honest, my family can handle our current takeout habits. You may bring food 3-4 times a week (usually less), but there is no risk of not being able to pay your bills.
Rather, the reasons I want to trim my budget are partly financial and partly health-related. I know I can save a lot of money by cooking more and getting food delivered rather than taking out. And I think eating less takeout will help us eat more nutritious food.
We hope that 2024 will be the year when we can finally achieve this goal. But I guess we’ll just have to keep watching.
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