I've been watching the ads on tv from Walmart lately. They will point out how much it is to eat ice cream (and other things) out and how much $$$ you would save if you bought ice cream at WM and ate it at home.

I'm not saying that Walmart is THE place to shop, but I am amazed at how much $$$ people can save if for example they eat pizza at home instead of going out to a pizza place.

It's something to think about !

In my own life I am not spending $6.00 for a Thick Burger at Hardee's. Instead I buy a box of Bubba Burgers on sale for $7.99 for 6 1/3 pound burgers or 9 mini burgers and I eat at home. I buy frozen potatoes on sale. I buy Cokes on sale. I also am making the switch to iced flavored coffees at home instead of hitting Starbucks or McCafe at McD's.

I am able to save $$$ by being realistic about where I want to cut corners. I buy things like Doritos on sale.

They tend to overdo the savings I think... Given the economy today, who really gets a take-out/delivery pizza once a week? Or goes out to breakfast everyday at a fast food restaurant? But I agree that they are pointing out how to help people think outside of the whole easy-takeout-thinking that has been driven into our society, and save money by eating simple things at home.

Virginia Needlewoman:

In my own life I am not spending $6.00 for a Thick Burger at Hardee's

Probably a good idea given how much fat content is in those things!

 

I had in-laws who ate out all the time. My sil was not a cook ! Lol !!!!

I blot my Bubba Burgers with a paper towel before I put it on my plate.

A season pass to Busch Gardens is slightly more than what my friend pays for her grandkids to go to the movies one time. To my way of thinking, a season pass is a better deal than one time at the movies. Yes...you would have to pay for a season pass per person, but it is good for months.

Luvd_Lioness:

They tend to overdo the savings I think... Given the economy today, who really gets a take-out/delivery pizza once a week? Or goes out to breakfast everyday at a fast food restaurant? But I agree that they are pointing out how to help people think outside of the whole easy-takeout-thinking that has been driven into our society, and save money by eating simple things at home.

There was a time when we were on this fast track. Mostly because I was working and the kids were at home. We never gave it a second thought. Now that its DH and I, we get a 4 pack of Boboli pizzas (2 personal size pizzas in each pack) for $7.99 at BJ's wholesale club that comes with packs of sauce. We just add whatever toppings we want to it. There also was a time when keeping quarts of ice cream in the freezer would cost more because the boys wouldn't just have a cone size serving, so we'd go through it a lot faster. Its economical IF you practice portion control.

I seen them and sometimes I laugh .. I cook that

You would be surprised how many people DO still eat pizza out every week and breakfast out every day. I do think Wal-Mart is smart to market to these people. While all of the country is in this deep recession, not all of it is suffering like California, Florida, etc. So some families have cut back, but they still have some discretionary spending. Also keep in mind that different things cost different amounts depending on where you are in the country, so you'll have to take the savings with a grain of salt.

There are plenty of people who have no idea how to cook and may not want to figure it out. These commercials are a godsend to them because it gives them ideas on ways to save money without having to learn to cook. While I don't necessarily agree with this, I have to recognize that not all people are the same and not all people have the same abilities.

Jill

There are plenty of people who eat out multiple times a week, and don't ever think about what it costs; it's a normal thing for them.  Those ads are aimed at those people.  My mother, for example, used to eat out more than in, until my step-father was laid off a few years ago; one of her primary complaints was that they'd had to cut back to eating out only 2x/week, and to even do that, they had to go to restaurants that averaged $10/entree instead of $20+, and quit getting acholic drinks and desserts with their meals... and she didn't understand why I wasn't more sympathetic - I go out to eat maybe once a month, and usually at places like Black Eyed Pea, where the servings are so large that I bring home enough for 2 more meals when I'm done.  When I was a kid, we didn't go out very often, but that was a long time ago, and she became so accustomed to eating out several nights a week that it was a significant change for her, and in many ways hit her harder than changing her shopping habits, looking for generic equivalents for on-going medication, and so on.