We spent the second half of December in Australia where the time was split between our home town of Newcastle where we still have family, and Tasmania where Foodie Philip was born, but has not explored as a tourist as his family left Tasmania before he was 10.
The averages for this month:
- Lunch prepared at home $2.77 ($2.71 in November)
- Lunch eaten or purchased outside the home: $8.13 ($11.62)
- Dinner eaten at home: $5.13 ($6.63)
- Dinner eaten out: $22.39 ($22.13).
Our lunches at home average in a fairly narrow band and this month is only a few cents per serve up from last month. Lunches prepared outside the home are also lower.
Our most expensive meal for the month was at the Mud Bar and Restaurant in Launceston where we had some excellent sushi as a starter and an Asian flavored braised lamb for $42.00 per person.
Our most expensive at home meal was Prime Rib with Garlic Butter Mushrooms and Asparagus for Foodie Philip’s birthday at at $11.46 per serve. This month’s meals at home are slightly lower than our long term averages.
Lunches at home cost 34% of the cost of eating food prepared outside the home, while dinners at home cost 23% the average of dinner out this month.
Had we purchased every lunch and prepared none it would have cost us $252.03 per person in December. We actually spent $49.91 for lunches at home plus $73.16 for lunches purchased or eaten out: $123.07 in total.
Had we purchased every evening meal out and prepared none at home, it would have cost us $694.09 per person. We actually spent $107.77 for dinners at home and $89.56 for dinners out: $197.33 in total.
We saved $625.72 by preparing and eating most meals at home, even when traveling, plus we have better control over what we eat.
Over the month we prepared 17 different recipes for evening meals.
The meal cost €28.25 (US$32.87) per serve and was well worth it.