As if high calorie counts weren’t enough reason to keep you at home, now there is the high fuel costs making that take out dinner not quite the bargain it once was. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, food cost rose by 6.3% in the first five months of 2008 compared to the 5% for all of 2007. That’s significant and that hurts.
Four dollars a gallon for gas seems to be America’s break point for gas. Higher prices are starting to trickle down, sometimes significantly. That’s where an at-home meal can help. It’s cheaper to cook at home, if you think about it. Just compare the cost at the grocery store of something pre-packaged and ready-to-eat versus one you prepare yourself. There are other advantages to in addition to cost.
Control. You can control how much fat, how much salt, how much of everything goes into your food. No more picking out the olives of your quesadilla because you don’t like them. ; My husband and I are boaters. We adore boating. Part of the ritual, as it were, of the weekend trips is to eat out. The crowds. The docking. The parking meters at the dock (yes, it’s happened). So, we’ve taken to lunch on the boat.
It’s lovely. Waterside dining. A nice bottle of wine. A nicely prepared meal. Just the other day we had a lovely crab salad over spring greens with a chipotle-lime dressing served with a Pinot Grigio. Cost: $14. I tell you, it doesn’t get much better than that.
