We spend too much money eating out

Reader nicknamed Nguoixala, who lives in Germany, shares that every time she visits her hometown in Vietnam, she sees people like to eat out for one reason: cooking for a small number of people is sometimes more expensive than eating out.

"Every time I come back to Saigon to visit, I see people like to eat out. They rarely cook at home and always buy breakfast. In Germany, I either cook daily or prepare simple meals like bread, sausages, or cold cuts for breakfast. For a taste of Vietnamese cuisine, I prefer cooking it myself and even pack lunch for work.

Food costs in Germany are relatively low, except for Vietnamese vegetables in Asian markets. Hence, cultivating Vietnamese vegetables and cooking at home proves to be the most cost-effective and satisfying approach. Delicious, economical, just right for your taste, and clean."

Xuan Thi suggests that while cooking a single meal might appear more expensive than eating out, preparing all daily meals can actually reduce food expenses.

"Planning ahead for all three daily meals - breakfast, lunch, and dinner - can lead to significant savings. My food expenses for a day range from VND80,000 to 110,000 (US$3.20-4.41), which is more economical than not cooking, where breakfast alone can cost around VND45,000 and lunch even more at VND60,000, based on my workplace prices."

Reader susu_thienthangaycanh_1992 shares their experience of saving money by cooking at home, leveraging discounts on goods at convenience stores.

"I buy my own food to cook and find that I save a lot of money compared to buying outside. I often buy vegetables, fruits and some discounted items at convenience stores. They are usually 40% off so they are very cheap. Even though the items are on sale, they are still very 'ok', not damaged items. If I don't buy them, they will just be thrown away, which is very wasteful. Therefore, my food cost per week (three meals a day) is only about VND300,000-400,000 ($16).

One specific example to show that food prepared at home will always be cheaper than outside (if you know how): one day I bought a glass of guava juice for VND20,000, of which 3/4 of the glass was ice. I then went to the supermarket and bought two kilos of guavas for VND23,000 (40% off because I bought it at night), then pressed it to get pure juice and drank it for three days. Without the discount, those guaves would only cost VND40,000, still much cheaper than buying ready-made juice outside. I have money to eat out, but I don't because I find it too expensive."