April is NAB month, so we spent a few days in Las Vegas, upping our “out of home” meal expense.
The averages for this month:
- Lunch prepared at home $1.62 ($2.20 in March)
- Lunch eaten or purchased outside the home: $8.36 ($5.95)
- Dinner eaten at home: $6.63 ($5.81)
- Dinner eaten out: $18.35 ($15.20)
This month lunch prepared at home was the only category that dropped, with the others increased slightly, probably due to the travel and more eating away from home.
Our most expensive meal was the night at Yard House Las Vegas at around $22.23 per serve. Our most expensive at home meal was the Pork Chop with Apple Endive Salad at $12.68.
Lunches at home cost 22% of the cost of eating food prepared outside the home, while dinners at home cost 37% the average of dinner out this month.
Had we purchased every lunch and prepared none it would have cost us $250.80 per person in April. We actually spent $32.39 for lunches at home plus $84.28 for lunches purchased or eaten out: $116.67 in total.
Had we purchased every evening meal out and prepared none at home, it would have cost us $550.50. We actually spent $150.01 for dinners at home and $91.75 for dinners out: $241.76 in total.
We saved $442.87 by preparing and eating most meals at home, plus we have better control over what we eat.
Over the month we prepared 19 different recipes for evening meals.