<prompt> Human: I recently created an account with mint.com to keep track of my expenses and monitor my budget. Initially, I wanted to keep my spending around 500 this includes transportation costs, shopping, groceries, dining out and other social activities. I increased this to 600 when I realized how difficult this would be. We still have a week left in June and Ive already spent 209 on restaurants, 147 on groceries, and 50 at bars. I feel like Ive eaten a lot at home, but I realize this area still needs some significant improvement. Im trying to take my lunch to work more often as well, but obviously, I need to do better at this. I guess my issue is that I dont generally like to cook, so I tend to eat out often. Im trying to get over this. How do you combat laziness when it comes to cooking especially when you dont enjoy it very much? Also related, my friends and I tend to hang out in environments that require spending money ie happy hours and so the alcohol and food costs add up. They all enjoy going out, so its not really something I want to ask them to change. For those with a similar social life, how do you minimize costs?Edit: Wow, you all have given me some really good suggestions! I have added a bunch of new bookmarks and am eager to try out some of these recipes. This thread has made me excited about cooking again, so thank you!  <response>: Cook in large batches so you have to cook less often. When you go out with friends you can just get water or soda instead of alcohol and eat before you go. 