Eating at Home

There’s little doubt consumer food buying habits have shifted as the nation heads deeper into a recession, said Richard Feinberg, a researcher with the Purdue University Retail Institute.

He said consumers are putting necessities in their shopping baskets and leaving out luxuries.

“People are being careful about what they buy, as they should be,” Feinberg said.

More families are eating home cooked meals and the benefit of eating at home because of the economy. Eating home isn’t bad and even if you wanted to try something a little fancier with the help of a cook book, trying a dish that you make at home as opposed to trying a restaurant that you don’t like will definitely save you money.

This is true, even if you buy items that are packaged. I had a great, filling, Indian dinner last week for about $2, plus a glass of wine that I had at home already, which would increase the cost of my meal to under $4 (the wine wasn’t costly).

There is a big markup on food. Many times it is because of the convenience. If you make a hot dog at home and put relish peppers and all of the things on it would cost much less than the $4 you pay at a sporting event.

As more people are eating at home, this will make a difference in controlling the foods that you eat. The more you make from scratch, the fewer preservatives you eat and you can eat healthier. Cooking at home does not mean that this will spell domestic bliss for many people because honestly, not everyone wants to eat at home all the time, whether or not you can afford it. But by reversing the trend of eating out all the time it would be possible to regain portion control and eat healthier.

Restauranteurs may not like the fact that people are eating at home more often, but it was bound to happen and the cause was because of our dieting wallets not fattening waistlines.

I think that people should include one or two luxuries that are affordable, even if the luxury is an exotic fruit that is on sale that you use for a dessert. Depriving yourself of everything can create a backlash and make you miserable.

People are careful what they buy but that doesn’t mean that everyone eats the same thing or even knows how to prepare a balanced healthy meal.