Eating at Home vs. Dining Out: Your Guide to Saving Money With Fetch

“What’s for dinner?” is the question that haunts every adult on Planet Earth, as we rummage through the cabinets at home or try to decide where to pick up a ready-made meal. Before you get too hangry, download the Fetch shopping rewards app so you can begin to build a grocery list for meal-prepping, rack up reward points for online shopping in Fetch Shop, and earn free gift cards to use towards a night out. 

Compare the cost of cooking at home vs. eating out

Aside from heightened calories and nutrition concerns, cost is one of the most significant factors when deciding whether to cook at home or eat out. As it’s been a while since a McChicken cost 99 cents, the cost of dining out–even fast food–can really add up. Americans specifically save about $12 per person by choosing to cook at home. Experts say that the average home-cooked meal costs $4.23, while a meal at an inexpensive restaurant will run you about $16.

In a single year, it would cost Americans over $13,000 more to eat at restaurants than the cost of preparing the same amount of food at home. The more you know!

How does the time of cooking at home vs. eating out compare?

The convenience of fast-food is unmatched, however, and we’re all guilty of treating ourselves at the slightest inconvenience. Thinking about how the time of cooking at home vs. eating out compares really boils down to factors, like:

• What meal you’re cooking
• What prep-work you have done
• Where you would be going if dining out

Eating out really only saves time if it’s nearby and reasonably fast at getting your food to the table. Cooking at home, on the other hand, can be a long process if you are baking, cooking a traditional meal or complex recipe, or if you haven’t done any prep work. Not every meal has to be a complicated one, but you could also cook a large batch of a traditional recipe and store the rest for meals that week, or freeze for a later date.

While the average person may not want to spend more than 20 minutes preparing a meal, modern inventions like the Air Fryer or Instant Pot have really changed the game for quick meals from scratch.

Earn rewards on in-store & online grocery shopping

As you debate eating at home vs. eating out, Fetch is there to help you earn rewards and save money either way. Use the Fetch grocery rewards app to build your grocery list, find personalized offers available near you, and earn reward points by snapping pics of your receipts or by doing your grocery shopping online through Fetch Shop. Those reward points can then be redeemed for free gift cards you can use at dozens upon dozens of restaurants (more on that below) or even at the supermarket to save money on groceries.

Here are some of the grocery store gift cards you can get for free when you shop using Fetch:

• Albertsons
• Amazon
• Instacart
• Kroger
• Meijer
• Sam’s Club
• Target
• Visa (use anywhere it’s accepted)
• Walmart

Whichever choice you make for dinner, we at Fetch won’t judge: we’re just here to offer you rewards and ways to help offset your spending!

Save money eating at your favorite restaurants with Fetch gift cards

With the points you earn using Fetch, you can even dine out for free by choosing from a wide range of restaurant gift cards. Looking to treat yourself tonight? Consider converting your reward points into gift cards for the likes of:

• Applebee’s
• Bonefish Grill
• Buffalo Wild Wings
• California Pizza Kitchen
• The Cheesecake Factory
• Chili’s
• Chipotle
• Cracker Barrel
• Dunkin’ Donuts
• Maggiano’s
• McAlister’s Deli
• Moe’s Southwest Grill
• Olive Garden
• Outback Steakhouse
• Panera Bread
• Papa John’s 
• Smashburger
• Starbucks
• Steak ’n Shake
• Subway
• Texas Roadhouse
• TGI Friday’s
• Uber Eats
• Visa 
• …and so many more!

Rely on the Fetch shopping rewards app for your dinner plans

When deciding between eating at home vs. dining out, there’s not a right or wrong answer (especially when you have Fetch), as long as our families get fed, and we’re mindful of our budgets and health in the overall scheme of things. Rely on Fetch to get the most for your grocery dollars spent, and use our shopping rewards app to earn free gift cards for those special nights out. 

Don’t have Fetch yet? Download America’s Rewards App today!