on eating in...

I read a travel article today that contained a link to not eating out in ny, a great blog on dining in.

To me (and perhaps any other person of average to below average means), spending less and planning toward travel go hand in hand. While, as of late, I haven't been exactly frugal, I have many years experience on living on less. Something about spending a lot of money has always made me feel sick. I know that spending can be exhilarating to some...who hasn't read an article on shopping addicts at some point? ...but it's taken years (and seeing the pitfalls of overspending in others' lives) for me to feel comfortable with being more conservative with money.

Ever since I was a child, I leaned more toward saving than spending. At the end of each year, I had a wad of cash saved to spend on Christmas presents for my family, while my brother would have barely anything to spend. Since then, he's upgraded his income (and wised up on saving, and even taught me a bit about the stock market).

So back to the point...one of the ways we save money is by eating mostly at home. When people say they can't cook, I get the feeling that what they mean is that they really just consider it too much of a bother. Anyone who cooks dinner every night at home will "know how to cook" in just a few years (or less). And if you're determined enough to eat certain dishes while curbing your dining out habit, you're bound to learn how to make them.

For instance, once craving the Jamaican beef patties my father used to buy after church on Sundays throughout my childhood (but living in New Zealand where said patties were not available), I learned how to make them using a recipe online. Flaky, curried pastry and all! Cooking at home (at least for me) inspires creativity. Of course when you start off, some meals will be a disaster, but I encourage everyone (savers or not) to get more in touch with your food by making it yourself.