In Your Fridge and In Your Wallet

A few weeks ago, the inside of our refrigerator was so absolutely pathetic that I had to take photos to prove it.

Nearly empty shelves... not an uncommon sight at Casa de Claremont Road.

Our sparse freezer... complete with some frozen mystery meats and a half-assed shelf because our freezer doesn't have one. Pretty, eh?

I don't dislike grocery shopping, yet some weeks we just don't make it a priority and we end up with next to nothing to eat in our apartment. Often, this leads us to eat out. However, dining out regularly is no longer an option for us as Hubby got laid off a few weeks ago (boo) and we have to pinch pennies until we know what is next for us (double boo). Economy, you're a poopie head.

The plus side of this situation is that now Hubby has his days free to not only grocery shop, but cook me yummy dinners as well (only after job searching, of course). Every night since his layoff, I have come home to an apartment smelling of a yummy homecooked meal and a set table. (He even does the dishes!) And now that we really have to put careful thought into the money we spend on food, we have been absolutely stunned by how quickly it was adding up before without us even noticing. $8 for lunch one workday turns into $45 a week when we don't have any groceries at home, which can easily turn into $190 a month. For one person. Just. For. Lunch. That's insanity!

I certainly don't wish a layoff on anyone, but being forced to reevaluate our spending habits has already been an immense learning experience for us, and I'm sure we're not the only ones. We now have a stocked fridge, and yet our wallets aren't suffering — dare I say they're even more stable than they were before because of how much we've already wised up.

Do you watch how much you spend on dining out, or do you splurge more than you should because you don't have time to grocery shop?