How to Spend Less on Takeout and Delivery (Example Numbers)

By Cedar & Ledger

Takeout is easy to underestimate because each order feels small. Add delivery fees, tips, and a few coffees, and it can turn into one of the bigger lines in a month. This guide shows how to find the real number, set a limit you can keep (not zero), and plan for the nights you'd usually order in, using example numbers.

Every dollar figure here is a made-up example to show the math, not a typical price or fee, and not a recommendation. Menu prices, fees, and tipping vary by place and app. This is general information, not financial advice.

Quick checklist

• ☐ Add up last month's takeout, delivery, and coffee
• ☐ Look at what one delivered order really costs
• ☐ Set a monthly eating-out number, not zero
• ☐ Notice when you usually order in
• ☐ Keep 3 backup meals at home for those nights
• ☐ Make ordering a little less automatic
• ☐ Check the number weekly and move what you save

The steps below walk through each one.

Step 1: Add up last month

Go through last month's bank and card statements and add every restaurant, delivery app, drive-through, and coffee charge. Keep grocery store charges out of it; groceries get their own line.

Example (made-up numbers):

Step 2: See what one delivered order really costs

The menu price is only part of it. Look at one recent receipt and split it into food, tax, fees, and tip.

Example (made-up numbers):

In this example, picking up the same order costs $7.80 less. Some restaurants also list different prices in apps than in the store, so it's worth comparing a few you order from often.

Step 3: Set a monthly number, not zero

A plan with $0 for eating out usually breaks in the first busy week. Pick a number below what you spend now and decide ahead of time what it covers.

Example (made-up numbers): a $200 a month eating-out line could be 6 orders at about $22 ($132), 8 coffees at about $6 ($48), and a $20 buffer. That's $180 of planned spending plus the $20 buffer.

Step 4: Notice when you usually order in

For two weeks, write down the day and the reason each time you order: worked late, nothing quick at home, too tired to cook, plans with friends. Most people find one or two repeat situations. Those are the nights to plan for, not every night.

Step 5: Keep 3 backup meals at home

For the nights from Step 4, keep a few meals you can make in about 15 minutes without a plan: a frozen meal, eggs and toast, pasta with a jar of sauce, a rice bowl with frozen vegetables, or a portion you froze from an earlier recipe. How to Batch Cook on a Budget (Example Week) shows how one cooking session can stock the freezer with these. How to Make a Go-To Meals List for Easier Meal Planning shows how to tag a few of these as pantry backups.

Example (made-up numbers): if 8 of last month's 14 orders become backup meals at about $4 each, that's about $32 more on groceries. Being honest about that cost keeps the savings number real. How to Meal Plan on a Grocery Budget shows how to build those meals into your weekly list.

Step 6: Make ordering a little less automatic

You don't need to delete every app. Small bits of friction help:

• Move delivery apps off your home screen and turn off their notifications.
• Remove the saved card so ordering takes an extra minute.
• Choose pickup when you're going out anyway (Step 2).
• Plan your treat orders on purpose, like one set night a week, so they feel earned instead of accidental.

Step 7: Check weekly and move what you save

Once a week, add up eating-out charges and compare them with about a quarter of the monthly number. At month's end, move what you saved to a goal so it doesn't get spent somewhere else. How to Save Money on a Tight Budget has more small places to find room.

$380 − $200 − $32 = $148 a month, or about $1,776 over a year ($148 × 12). Even half of that is real money for an emergency fund or a bill you're behind on. How to Track Spending Without an App covers the weekly check-in.

Common snags

• Setting the limit to zero. It tends to break fast, then the plan gets dropped.
• Forgetting fees and tips. Counting menu prices only makes the problem look smaller.
• No food at home on the hard nights. Backup meals are what make the limit possible.
• Moving the money nowhere. If savings aren't moved to a goal, they often end up spent elsewhere.

A simple way to track it

A note on your phone works. If you'd like a spreadsheet, the Meal Plan + Grocery Budget ($5, Excel and Google Sheets) plans 4 weeks of meals, builds a grocery list by store section, and tracks weekly spending vs. target, so the backup meals are on the list before the busy night (details). The free Starter Budget Sheet is a simple monthly budget with planned vs. actual lines you can label, like groceries and eating out (details).

Honest note: I make these templates and sell them under Cedar & Ledger, so I'd earn from a purchase. General information only, not financial advice.

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Related template: read about the meal plan grocery template

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