Discover how to stop ordering takeaways and save money on groceries. Learn simple frugal meal planning tips to recreate your favorite meals for less.
6th Sept 26
It was saturday night so my partner and I decided to have a chicken tikka masala for tea. I saw the sauce jar in the cupboard so we went to Lidl and bought the chicken and rice. Cooked in less than 20 minutes. Just a bit of washing up to do.
We often try to cost out our meals, more out of curiosity than anything else, and because maybe we're just a little bit sad. But none the less we did.
2 x rice @ 55p each
Chicken @ £2.99
Sauce @ £1.69
Total meal for 2 - £5.78
I asked my partner what it would cost as a takeaway - he reckons, over £30.
I've just been online and it's approx. £20.
Even £20 is nearly 4 times as much. Plus we weren't tempted to buy a naan or any other side dishes.
If you buy a takeaway every week, even for one person. Lets call that £10 a pop. That's £520 a year.
If you made it yourself, just for you, it would cost approx. £2.89. x 52 weeks = £150.28. A saving of £369.72
You aren't paying the delivery charge or your fuel to go and collect it.
20 mins is probably how long you'll wait on a Saturday night for it to be delivered too, so you've not lost anything time wise
If you've got debts, or can't seem to get ahead, or save for Christmas, making your own takeaway meals is one area where you can easily make big savings.
You don't have to go without. Just change the way you have your takeaway, homemade!
Yes, its been a long week and you deserve a treat.
But isn't it time to treat yourself by having some savings behind you? Your own little pot for Future You and your dreams? Have a bath instead!
Trading a lazy takeaway app order for a simple, quick supermarket alternative keeps your hard-earned money exactly where it belongs. Head over to the Non-Essentials Calculator right now to tally up your own hidden weekly habits, see your true annual leak, and start building that pot for Future You today.