(This post was originally posted on June 21, 2016, and has been updated.)
Eating at home instead of eating out is beneficial in a number of ways …
Our rural-ish county is slowly catching up to the 21st century. It was only a few years ago that we got a Walmart, and this year we got a Starbucks.
The choice of restaurants has been a bit sparse compared with surrounding cities that have a more built-up commercial area. We've had a few sit-down restaurants but the only chain places to speak of have been fast-food places.
Eating at home is a good option
One of the better ones was an Indian restaurant. It's the only restaurant I've been in that the owner has flat-out refused to give someone more than moderately-spicy food on their first visit. Even after I've gotten food that was fairly spicy, he still refused to give me dishes that native Indians eat.
It's been one of our favorite places to eat in the county.
Sadly, it's been shut down for a while, which is is a giant bummer.
(He opened a location across the bridge in Maryland, and he's closing up ours. It wouldn't be that big of a deal, except there's a $6 toll to get home. As such, we don't cross that bridge often.)
That was 2016. Fast forward to 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic, eating out at restaurants is currently more of a chore and not nearly as pleasant with all of the safety measures we all have to go through.
Getting into eating at home
But the bright side is that we are newly encouraged to prepare our own meals and start eating in a bit more. Here are a few benefits of preparing meals as opposed to eating out.
Eating at home can save money
This is the most obvious benefit of eating in.
When you dine out, you're not only paying for the food, but also for the overhead of the restaurant or fast-food place. There's not as much extra overhead preparing meals at home, beyond the infrequent equipment purchases like pots, pans, utensils, etc.
Controlling portions is easier
Restaurant meals are big: way bigger than a normal serving size.
It's very easy to eat too much at a restaurant, especially when it's all so good. When preparing meals at home it's easier to prepare more reasonable portion sizes so that staying within sane dietary guidelines is easier.
Cooking skills are useful
The first time can be a bit of a challenge and can take a bit longer than it should, but cooking is a useful skill to have.
Knowing how to prepare meals beyond opening a microwave meal or a frozen dinner is satisfying. And now we have good reasons to try to replicate our favorite dishes from the Indian restaurant, like naan (which my wife just found out we can make in our bread machine!) and chicken pakora.
Eating socially-responsible food can be gratifying
Some restaurants use socially-responsible dining as a marketing point but if eating local or fair-trade or grass-fed or whatever makes a difference to you, sourcing your own ingredients is the surest way to do this.
Eating organic or non-GMO food can be healthier
For some people (including my family) products that are not genetically-modified organisms (non-GMO) are the difference between getting a splitting headache and being just fine.
Being able to choose healthy food over highly-processed foods can really make a big difference. (Note: GMO vs. non-GMO isn't always a cut-and-dried argument.)
Eating in can be more comfortable
Eating fast food in your vehicle is decidedly uncomfortable, but restaurants sometimes aren't a whole lot better.
Midrange restaurants are busy places. Even under good circumstances, they're comparatively noisy, less comfortable, and fraught with interruptions. Then there's getting to and from the restaurant.
Eating in doesn't pose these problems.
Preparing for special dietary needs is easier
Many restaurants have gotten a lot friendlier in catering to special dietary needs like reduced salt, dairy free, gluten free, etc. (It's good for business!)
When you prepare your own meals, it's less a matter of searching for something on the menu that you can eat, and preparing exactly what you'd like.
There's more opportunity for family time
When I was growing up, we almost always ate together as a family at the dinner table.
My family's schedule now is a bit different than what I experienced growing up, so we're needing to take action to bring some of the family time back to dinner.
Eating out becomes an occasion, not a routine
When I was young, we didn't go out to eat a whole lot. Going to McDonald's to get a Happy Meal was a treat. By eating in more, those times when you go out to eat are more special.
Nailing a new recipe is awesome
My wife has nailed more recipes than me, but the ones I've done I've gotten immense satisfaction from them.
Eating at home can be a lot healthier
Some restaurants (even fast-food restaurants) are known for their wholesome meals with fresh ingredients, but it's far easier to monitor what is going into your meals when you make them yourself.
You can opt for natural ingredients if you like, and avoid trans fat, refined carbohydrates, added sugar, and other ingredients lacking nutritional content.
Eating at home promotes good eating habits which can lead to a healthier diet, and stave off weight gain.
The savings for a family of five growing up was immense when we ate at home. Like $2 per person per meal versus $12 each going out. Places like the cheesecake factory really give you three meals and salt the heck out of it to make it taste good. Restaurants are so tempting and so bad for dieters and the health conscious
Haven’t been to Cheesecake Factory but I can see other restaurants being similar.
When we go out to eat we rarely get anything but water to drink. It’s complimentary in Virginia but not in all places. Saves us a few bucks each time.