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Omg, you are brave. I am too scared to add up those $$$.

Oh man. This is our weak spot. Umm we ate out for every meal yesterday.

I have no advice but I'm interested to see responses!

Also, what are the staples of your diet? With that info, some of us can probably point you towards some really good cooking blogs.

my go to seasoning for everything is a drizzle of olive oil and salt, pepper and sometimes garlic - my favorite thing to do is put this on veggies and roast them (peppers, zucchini, eggplant, asparagus, anything) - i throw them in the oven for about 30 to 40 minutes at 350-400 (depending on the veggie) i do big batches, and then for weeknight dinners just pull out some and heat it up on the stove

for a good, easy, salad dressing, i do the 3:1 rule - three oil to one vinegar, i normally go olive oil and balsamic, but you can totally change that up to your taste (and, my measuring is by "big spoon" but as long as its 3:1, it should work out) - add some salt and pepper and any other spices you like and you're good to go

oh, and our go-to spice for most things is crazy mixed up salt - its like salt, pepper, garlic and a few other spices together that are good in just about everything (eggs, veggies, etc.)

Have you heard of e-Meals? Its a weekly meal planning service that focuses on whatever kind of meals you like to eat (regular, low fat, low carb, vegetarian, whatever) and sends you a plan based on what's on sale at the grocery store that week. It saved our butts when we were first married and spent a fortune on eating out! You can get a year subscription for like $30 I think? It lists the exact ingredients you need to buy at the grocery store for the entire week, and I've found all the recipes to be easy.

If you're spending that much a month eating out; make an investment in spices and a more stocked pantry. Penzey's spices are really great quality and they sell very small jars, which are cheaper and then you also don't feel like you are wasting $$ by ordering tons of spices you won't use often.

What kinds of foods and spices do you like eating? What sorts of dressings do you prefer for salads? We just use olive oil/balsamic or lemon juice (and a little s&p) on salads. If you are used to eating heavier, creamy dressings, it will take your system a little while to get used to a dressing without so much sodium and sugar in it.

@Mrs. Champagne: yup, i just use regular old olive oil, and normally whatever is on sale, at that

@Mrs. Champagne: Hmm... well, one of my favorite go-to sites is Epicurious, since they have a huge store of recipes from Self, Gourmet, Bon Appetit, etc. You can easily search for what you want and you have the option of searching by season, for quick and easy things, diet-friendly, etc.

The other sites I use pretty often are Smitten Kitchen and Homesick Texan. Smitten Kitchen is written with a good sense of humor and the blogger, Deb, does everything in her tiny NYC kitchen, which goes to show that it can be done. Most things I make from that site are a hit.

Homesick Texan is written by a woman who currently lives in New York, but misses the food she grew up with in Texas. I love it for anything Tex-Mex. The pulled pork is to die for, especially. I think people are put off by the required spices for the rub + the amount of required cooking time, but it's seriously easy - just make the rub, put on the pork and cook for 8 hours. Beats any crock pot pulled pork I have had by a ton. There is just no comparison.

Do you have a Home Goods/TJ Maxx/Ross near you? You can get a spice rack with 15 different spices included for around $20. It usually includes the basics (dried basil, oregano, Italian seasoning, etc.). Also, if you have the space, try growing an herb garden. It only costs a few bucks, and fresh herbs make everything better!

Buy (or make) some vinaigrette. Then you can marinate meats or fish in it. Add some fresh herbs and grill it.

@futuremama: You can get a similar "stocked" spice rack for a similar price off of Amazon if you don't have a Marshall's or TJ Maxx close by!

I don't even want to know how much we spend. Need to get back on a budget. I should have taken advantage of that YNAB deal last month.

For salad dressing, I like a vinegar/olive oil/mustard/salt and pepper combo. Often what you're missing at home from a bottled dressing is sugar, so adding a touch of honey can make it much better, and still cheaper/better for you than a product that contains a ton of sugar or high fructose corn syrup.

Websites like Kraft, Pillsbury and Campbells have lots of great easy recipes.
Pasta is always an easy go to option you just cook it an add a sauce or bake it.

My favourite salad dressing is 3:1 EVOO and lemon juice. Sometimes I go 2:1 for more flavour. I also put crushed garlic in there. Tastes amazing on everything, even the plainest of greens.

Easy & tasty dinners:

Grilled fish tacos - grill so fish with lemon juice and a little olive oil, serve soft or hard tacos with red cabbage slaw (cabbage is mega cheap and goes a really long way. Just shred some cabbage =, mix with lime jiuce a little honey and cumin. You don;t have to use cumin, just adds a nice kick) plus avocados and some hot sauce.

Burgers - I prefer turkey but just buy some ground meat, chop up a bunch of peppers and onions, mix together with one egg to bind and shape a few patties. I ususally make a big batch and freeze individually in saran wrap. That way we can just put some in the grill pan fro a quick dinner with some salad.

Stirfries are also very easy over some rice or couscous.

Whole chicken is also always a winner. Baked potatoes, so easy no real work for you.

I have a million of these, and you don't really need a ton of spices. Salt, pepper, garlic, cayenne, oregano and you are set IMO.

@regberadaisy: @StbHisMrs: penzeys is my mecca. I was so sad when they closed their NYC location.