• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
The Budget Diet Logo

The Budget Diet

Earn, Save & Live Smart.

  • Make Money
    • I Made $62,430
    • Rebate & Cashback Apps
    • Surveys That Pay
    • Side Gigs
    • Career
  • Smart Money
    • Saving Money
      • Save $400/mo
      • Budgeting
      • Coupons
    • Loans
      • Personal Loans
      • Auto
    • Bank Accounts
    • Investing
    • Debt
    • Insurance
    • Taxes
  • Smart Food
    • Meal Delivery & Subscription Services
    • Groceries
    • Recipes
    • Dining Out
  • Smart Life
    • Seasonal & Holiday
      • Summer
      • Valentine’s Day
      • Mother’s Day
      • Father’s Day
      • Lent
      • Easter
      • Fourth of July
      • Halloween
      • Thanksgiving
      • Christmas
    • Cheap Dates
    • Frugal Living
    • Cheap Thrills
    • Baby / Children
    • Utility Bills
    • Books
    • Clothing & Accessories
    • Electronics
    • Gifts
    • Health & Beauty
    • Home & Garden
    • Weddings
    • Pets
    • Back to School
    • Home Decor
    • Travel
    • Earth Friendly
  • About
  • Rebate & Cashback Apps
  • Cut Spending by $400 a Month!
  • Investing
  • Recipes
Home » Smart Food » Dining Out » Eat In, Not Out – 5 Ways to Ditch the Drive-Thru

Eat In, Not Out – 5 Ways to Ditch the Drive-Thru

By The Budget Diet Team 12 Comments
THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS. PLEASE READ MY DISCLOSURE FOR MORE INFO.

Special Offer: $30 OFF your first order at Home Chef. Start Now

Don't waste money and nutrition. Give up fast food and save with these frugal tips of eating IN, and not eating OUT.

Are you a drive-thru diva? Take this quiz and be honest!

How many times a week do you do the fast food drive-thru?

Have you ever added up how much you spend each week on fast food?

Do you go to the fast food drive-thru to grab breakfast on the way to work?

Is the Starbuck’s drive-thru part of your daily routine?

How often do you find yourself in the fast food drive-thru line for a quick lunch or after school snack for the kids?

When your kids ask what’s for dinner, is your answer the drive-thru?

Fast food has become the American way. We use it as a crutch whenever we’re in a time crunch, but in an effort to save time – we’re wasting money and nutrition.

If you’re ready to give up fast food and save money, try these 5 tips.

  • Save the Money – Take an entire week off from the drive-thru / fast food, and put the money you would have spent in a jar. Will you have $30, $50 or $100 at the end of the week? Why don’t you use that money to treat yourself to a pedicure or a new pair of shoes, or better yet, pay off some credit card debt!
  • Let Your Kids Do The Cooking – If your busy work schedule leaves you no time to cook, and your children are old enough, it’s time they did a little cooking!
  • Learn to Love Your Crock Pot – The internet is filled with crock pot recipes! Put a few ingredients in the pot each morning, and your dinner is ready and waiting! Try The Budget Diet’s easy crock pot recipes.
  • Stop by Costco or Sam’s Club – Instead of the drive-thru, buy prepared foods from a warehouse club. They’re cheaper than fast food. How about a Chicken Enchilada Bake from Costco – 5 servings, 5 minutes in the microwave, $12.49? Of course, it’s always cheaper to cook from scratch, but if time is not on your side, prepared food is a good alternative.
  • Be Your Own Barista – Buy a coffee pot, some Starbucks coffee beans and a few fancy flavored syrups. The internet has plenty of recipes for copycat Starbuck’s beverages, so be your own barista and save money!

Once you give up fast food, you’ll be well on your way to saving more money!

~~~~~~~

Image: Suat Eman / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Tweet
Pin312
Share50
362 Shares

Related Posts

  • eating organic on a budget
    6 Ways to Eat Organic on a Budget

    You've read that growth hormones in milk might be causing early puberty. You're concerned that…

  • Five Easy Ways to Cut Your Grocery Bill and Eat Better

    Do you need to cut your grocery bill? Wondering how to reduce your grocery budget…

  • Is that food safe to eat? An illustrated guide to food storage.

    [Source: Daily Savings from All You]

Filed Under: Dining Out, Grocery

Must Read

How I made $62,430 – Ebates

7 Ways to Stow Your Stuff on a Limited Space

12
Leave a Reply

10 Comment threads
2 Thread replies
0 Followers
 
Most reacted comment
Hottest comment thread
7 Comment authors

  Subscribe  
Notify of
It's The Budget Diet's Birthday! | The Budget Diet

[…] Eat In, Not Out – 5 Ways to Ditch the Drive-Thru – If you’re ready to ditch the drive-thru and save money, these 5 tips will get you started! […]

Reply
5 years ago
What are You Giving Up for Lent? Things to Give Up for Lent | The Budget Diet

[…] Eat in, not out for lunch! Check out 5 Ways to Ditch the Drive Thru! […]

Reply
5 years ago
Your FREE Personal Organizer for September | The Budget Diet

[…] New School Year, New Routine This is the month we transition from the lazy days of summer to our hectic, over-scheduled lives. If you’d like to spend less time rushing around, I’ve got some great tips for you in Time Management for Moms. If back to school means back to the drive-thru for your family, make an effort this year to eat in, not out! You’ll save money when you try these 5 ways to ditch the drive-thru. […]

Reply
7 years ago
Emma

Some good ideas here but I urge everyone who buys non organic mass produced meat, and dairy and pre-prepared foods to consider the long term health costs of regularly consuming these. Fast food- forget it for health as well as financial reasons.

Reply
7 years ago
The Budget Diet Team

So true! I’m just trying to get people to take the first step & prepare food at home.

Reply
7 years ago
Cut Your Spending by $400 a Month! | The Budget Diet

[…] = $35 a week, $140 a month, $1820 a year! Could you brown bag it to work a few days? Check out 5 easy ways to ditch the drive-thru. • Make your own Starbucks and save about $3 a day, $21 a week, $84 a month, $1008 a year! • […]

Reply
7 years ago
Cynthia

Great post! For the most part I have ditched the Drive Thru. Occasionally I’ll slip but soon after: regret it. Awesome tips!

Reply
7 years ago
Andrea

Love the tips! We actually live in a pretty rural area with almost no fast food so I actually am the opposite. I WISH I could have it more often. But I guess that’s a good thing.

Reply
7 years ago
The Budget Diet Team

Believe me…those $5 trips to the drive thru quickly add up!

Reply
7 years ago
I Thought I Knew Mama

Stumbled!

The crock pot is the answer to my prayers! 😉

Reply
8 years ago
Nicole Rivera

Great post. I think the money alone is SUCH an eye-opener when you stop and calculate it. My cousin used to have a tradition of getting a Carvel chocolate shake numerous times during the week. She stopped to calculate the costs and couldn’t believe how much she was spending (they were nearly $3 each time). Since the Carvel was located next to the nail salon, she decided to do exactly what you said – take that money and pamper herself and on those days ONLY she would also treat herself to a shake!

Reply
8 years ago
Poppy @ From Fried Chicken to Tofu

Great Post! I love tip number one. I think people would be surprised by how much they spend on fast food in just one week. Think of what else you could do with that money!

Reply
8 years ago

Primary Sidebar

Search

Popular Posts

How to Save Money – 98 Ways to Cut Your Spending by $400 a Month!How to Save Money – 98 Ways to Cut Your Spending by $400 a Month!1M Total Shares
DIY Teeth Whitening for Any BudgetDIY Teeth Whitening for Any Budget916K Total Shares
Southern Homemade Baked Macaroni and Cheese RecipeSouthern Homemade Baked Macaroni and Cheese Recipe469K Total Shares
How To Make Oreo Balls Cookie Recipe | No BakeHow To Make Oreo Balls Cookie Recipe | No Bake363K Total Shares
How Not Using Coupon Codes Makes You a Savings RookieHow Not Using Coupon Codes Makes You a Savings Rookie277K Total Shares

Footer

The Budget Diet is all about showing you budget friendly yummy recipes and life hacks that shrinks your budget and earns you money. It’s not just a diet for your wallet…but for your waistline too.

  • About
  • Contact Us
  • Become a Contributor
  • Advertise
  • Free Newsletter
  • Home Decor
  • Organize My Life
  • Parties
  • Seasonal
  • Back to School
  • Christmas
  • Father’s Day
  • Fourth of July
  • Halloween
  • Mother’s Day
  • Summer
  • Thanksgiving
  • Electronics
  • Smart Life
  • Baby / Children
  • Books
  • Cars
  • Clothing & Accessories
  • Health & Beauty
  • Home & Garden
  • Homemade Gifts
  • Pets
  • Travel
  • Utility Bills
  • Weddings
  • Weekly Challenge

Copyright © 2019 The Budget Diet · OMC V4M LLC
Made with in Seattle

  • Sitemap
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA
  • Affiliate Disclosure
  • Contact Us
wpDiscuz