<prompt> Human: A couple of months ago I was looking at my bank statements and each month I was spending about 200 on eating out. The first piece of advice I see when someone wants to pay off their debt is to cut back on expenses. Eating out seems to be the main offender. I decided to take a different approach. Every time I wanted to order take out, I took the amount of what my order would be and placed it into my savings. In the past couple of months Ive saved a little under 200. This included everything from fancy burger places to dollar pizza. Even little things like going to the store across the street to buy a can of soda. Watching my savings grow has been really motivating me to cook at home more and stay away from junk food. I used to eat takeout at least twice a week and now Im down to once or twice a month because of it.---Edit: So Im getting a lot of mixed feedback here and some are very valid. Note that this is not something that works for everyone as everyone is under different circumstances but I do find that this works for a lot of people. This isnt a catch all by any means. For those of you calling it stupid, while thats your personal opinion, remember that different techniques work for different people. If eating takeout is more beneficial to you then thats great. This post is for those that want to save money but eat out regularly. Personally, I think its helpful to see things on paper.Additionally I never said to stop eating out entirely. I understand the necessities of enjoying ones self for their mental and emotional well being. I will eat out every now and then especially if its a special occasion. Im talking about those of us who eat out multiple times a week. There are benefits to each, its just a matter of picking whats most important and sensible for you. To those that are saying that they dont want to eat boringbland food learn how to use spices and herbs properly. Assistant: I like the idea of figuring out where Id like to go, then cooking something similar at home. Even if we have to go to the store for ingredients, its still less than half the price usually. Human: Thats a great idea as well. I actually did this last week. I wanted stuffed shells and was about to order in from a restaurant it wouldve cost me 20.00. So I got up, walked my ass to the store, got all of the ingredients and made it myself. Saved 13 which went into savings.  <response>: Wow this a good idea. Much more achievable for me personally than completely cutting out takeaway 