Recent comments

  • Ask the Readers: How Often Do You Cook at Home?   12 years 2 weeks ago

    I cook at home 7 days a week for the most part!!! We do not eat out hardly ever, sometimes we will get take out or order a pizza, but that is about once a month maybe.

  • Ask the Readers: How Often Do You Cook at Home?   12 years 2 weeks ago

    I cook at home about 90% of the time. We go out to eat once on the weekend.

  • Ask the Readers: How Often Do You Cook at Home?   12 years 2 weeks ago

    I usually pick one day a week and cook a few things that day that I hope will last for a while! Soup is one of my favorites. You can pack it full of healthy vegetables and beans, make a ton at once, and freeze it if you have leftovers.

  • Ask the Readers: How Often Do You Cook at Home?   12 years 2 weeks ago

    I cook at home as often as I can! I make breakfast at home 6 days at week usually, buy lunch at work 1-2 times per week, and then make dinner probably 5 nights per week. I give my boyfriend and I one date night where we go out for dinner, then I usually grab dinner with a friend one day a week after work! I try to make it a special occasion thing as much as I can. So much cheaper and healthier!

  • Ask the Readers: How Often Do You Cook at Home?   12 years 2 weeks ago

    I cook every meal at home, except for maybe 5x a month we get lunch out. I shop once a week and try to buy a new ingredient each time, so I can have fun with cooking and so we don't get bored with the same meals. I like to prep things ahead of time, so I do a lot of crock pot cooking. I prep at night, and in the morning it goes in the pot, then I don't have to worry about it all day.

  • Free and Cheap Things to Do in Seattle   12 years 2 weeks ago

    Planning to come to Seattle for this Christmas & thank you andrea for the nice collection

  • Ask the Readers: How Often Do You Cook at Home?   12 years 2 weeks ago

    Someone in the house cooks 5 nights a week. I personally cook maybe 2 nights a week.

  • Ask the Readers: How Often Do You Cook at Home?   12 years 2 weeks ago

    When I'm in the groove of being good I cook at home every night. When I fall off the wagon (dining out is my worst spending habit) I might only cook at home 2 nights a week. I'm trying to be more consistent, but I'm not a very good cook.

  • Ask the Readers: How Often Do You Cook at Home?   12 years 2 weeks ago

    We try to cook at home for most meals, but I would say we make it out to eat about once a week. Using the crock pot helps a lot, and my go to recipe is pulled meat...cook pork or beef or chicken breasts in the crockpot with a bottle of barbecue sauce all day. When I get home, I shred the meat and add more sauce. Serve on buns with a side and you've got a great meal that lends itself well to leftovers, too.

  • How One Young Entrepreneur Paid Off $40,000 in Student Debt By Age 24   12 years 2 weeks ago

    $5,000/month in income out of college? Dang, not bad...

  • Ask the Readers: How Often Do You Cook at Home?   12 years 2 weeks ago

    We cook almost all our meals at home. Maybe go out once or twice a month

  • Ask the Readers: How Often Do You Cook at Home?   12 years 2 weeks ago

    I cook at home almost every day. My go-to meal is a bean soup, but quiches are also easy too. I highly recommend a slow cooker for easy, hands off recipes and also lookin online for all sorts of interesting yet simple recipes.

  • Ask the Readers: How Often Do You Cook at Home?   12 years 2 weeks ago

    I cook almost every day. Eating out is just a special occasion thing usually with a coupon/Groupon. I also pack my lunch 4 days a week.

  • The 6 Least Expensive Dog Breeds to Own   12 years 2 weeks ago

    Yeah, not a great post since it ignored the personal and financial benefits of adopting a dog from a local rescue, shelter, or breed rescue.

    What's worse are the accompanying google ads that promote internet dog sales from puppy mills. Puppy mill animals bring a high personal cost to the people who buy their "products" as well as the high social costs the businesses bring to their neighborhood.

    Perhaps you can research a future post sharing the cost-saving benefits of adopting a dog from a shelter or rescue?

  • Ask the Readers: How Often Do You Cook at Home?   12 years 2 weeks ago

    Usually I cook at home seven days a week. Some nights it's not a great dinner, but cooked by me none the less. Breakfast I make over night oatmeal, and I pack lunch for my husband and I everyday. We will eat out for special occasions sometimes.

  • Ask the Readers: How Often Do You Cook at Home?   12 years 2 weeks ago

    I cook at home several times a week, but we do go out to eat on a regular basis.

  • Ask the Readers: How Often Do You Cook at Home?   12 years 2 weeks ago

    We cook most of our meals at home. We are vegan and now eating clean so it is hard to find anyplace to eat out. A good side effect from eating this way is that it is so much cheaper. Processed food is more expensive than fresh veggies from the farmers market.

  • Ask the Readers: How Often Do You Cook at Home?   12 years 2 weeks ago

    I cook 5 times a week. I'd do it more but my husband finds it a real treat to order carry out on the nights I work late and once on the weekend.

  • Ask the Readers: How Often Do You Cook at Home?   12 years 2 weeks ago

    I cook twice a day for our 5-personn family, so I produce 70 meals/week !

  • Ask the Readers: How Often Do You Cook at Home?   12 years 2 weeks ago

    I never used to cook at home despite a love of cooking. Because I was always preparing food for just myself, it always seemed 'easier' to order in, hit up Carrabba's car side service, or sneak in a fast food meal on my way home. Then I began noticing how much money my lazy habit was depleting me of, and I do not earn a substantial salary as an administrative assistant to begin with. I was not actually committed to addressing my problem until I happened upon a garage sale in my neighborhood with my Mother one Saturday morning. I approached a table filled with books, and, upon closer inspection, realized that the majority were in fact cookbooks. And one pile of magazine-like cookbooks looked remarkably like something I knew instantly that I needed to have. They were how-to's for both beginner and advanced chef's who were trying to perfect by simplifying rather than perfecting by cramming a recipe full of unnecessary (and expensive) ingredients. So, I purchased three seasons worth of these how-to's, bundled and tied together in date order with twine, for $1. BEST $1 I HAVE EVER SPENT! Now I cook these tried and true (and in most every case) economical recipes seven nights each week, taking leftovers for lunch to work the following day, or food-saving and freezing them for later. Since February of 2014, around the time I became fully committed, I have run my budget numbers based on old bank statements versus what I am spending now, and have found a savings to myself of $1,848. That is counting what I was spending out as well as what I spend weekly on pre-arranged groceries based on the recipes. And I almost never go out for lunch anymore except when I join co-workers for a birthday or other celebration. Spending on food and beverage anymore, hurts my head as much as it hurts my wallet!

  • Ask the Readers: How Often Do You Cook at Home?   12 years 2 weeks ago

    I make almost all my meals at home. I also keep a grocery supply at work so I can make quick meals there. I tend to make simple, quick foods like grilled cheese or soup but once or twice a week I will make something more involved and eat the leftovers for a few days. A great first step if you do want to start cooking more is to keep groceries you like in your home. Start with simple things so you can throw together a sandwich or make some pasta when you start getting hungry.

  • Ask the Readers: How Often Do You Cook at Home?   12 years 2 weeks ago

    It is a rare night we eat out. I batch cook every Sunday, and sometimes Saturday afternoons to make a couple dinners and my husband and my lunches for the week. During the week we usually have a crockpot meal on Wednesdays and quick to put together meals Thursdays and Fridays. I make a tentative meal plan and shopping list before I grocery shop every Saturday. I grow a big garden in the summer and a small garden in the fall. I grow at least 2-3 herbs inside all year around. We budget 150 dollars a month for food and we usually come in under that number. I am a dietitian, so that amount includes lots of fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains. About 10% of our purchases are processed foods that are boxed or canned (coconut milk, tomato paste) With such a small food budget, it is almost impossible to stay within our budget and eat out at fast food or a restaurant.

  • Ask the Readers: How Often Do You Cook at Home?   12 years 2 weeks ago

    Almost every single day! With the exception of traveling, I cook at home 6 days a week-- the other day is a make-it-yourself or leftover day. We rarely go out to eat, my kids actually would rather I cook for them and stay home than going out. What can I say? I'm a good cook!

  • Ask the Readers: How Often Do You Cook at Home?   12 years 2 weeks ago

    I cook most meals, most days. Instant meals would generally be pasta with meatballs from the freezer [usually homemade - though someone just trying to stop the takeout machine could buy them - trader joes has good ones] or a meatloaf that I churn out in batches of 6-8 on a planned day and freeze. Fried rice is good if you have leftovers and leftover rice LOL - quick and cleans out the fridge.

    I also make a lot of baked items that go in the freezer - just put away a few batches of flash frozen bacon pancakes that will toast into easy breakfasts - english muffins, waffles and muffins are good too - if you make enough to last a while and do this once a week you'll wind up with a good variety - breakfast sammies can be premade this way as well - my kids won't eat them though ;)

    Best advice I can give is that if there's something you eat regularly by choice [not panic mode necessity] then learn to make it, make a lot and freeze it - then add another favorite to the rotation - it will give you an easy meal when you need it - pasta sauce is a good choice, soups too, ground beef dishes freeze well and reheat easily [for less people you can freeze a meatloaf sliced and just defrost as needed]

    I'm less impressed with frozen cooked chicken - I often cook a tray of some sort of chicken and just leave it in the fridge - can be reheated, shredded to use in a million ways - soups, enchiladas/tacos, salads etc. But then I have a teenaged boy and food never goes to waste in there . . .

  • Ask the Readers: How Often Do You Cook at Home?   12 years 2 weeks ago

    We cook or otherwise make our meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) at home 90% of the week. For me it's easier, cheaper and healthier -- a win-win-win! I think we average one lunch and one dinner out per week.