As the busy single mom of an 11-year-old daughter, Ellen Hornberger loved the convenience of having a restaurant meal deposited on her doorstep until she realized just how much that home delivery was costing her.
After downloading a money management app last year, Hornberger took a hard look at her household finances and discovered she was spending about three-quarters of her food budget – $942 a month – on takeout.
“I used to just do what’s easy even if it was a little more expensive,” Hornberger said.
No more. She canceled DoorDash and started whipping up dinner at home, saving hundreds of dollars each month. Not only is she cooking more, she said, her daughter is, too.
“I hated cooking. Now I am wearing an apron. Who am I?” the 33-year-old sales program manager from New Jersey said. “But if I’m changing my habits, you know the economy is changing.”
Dining in – not out – is becoming a more affordable and popular option as high food prices force Americans to cinch their belts.
Sheltering in place during the pandemic turned even culinary novices into home chefs skilled at mincing garlic and cracking eggs. But the moment the world opened up for business again, sourdough starters were abandoned for the joys of eating out again.
Now Americans are giving their food processors and salad spinners another whirl. According to a recent YouGov survey, three-quarters of Americans now cook at least a few times per week. Only 2% never cook and another 10% cook once a month or less.
Research suggests saving money is the top reason why – never more so than now as high prices strain pinched household budgets.
Wages are still growing faster than prices on average, but the sour national mood over the high cost of living has persisted even as President Donald Trump touts a strong economy and a bevy of fixes ahead of the midterm elections in November.
Already, 1 in 5 shoppers rate their ability to afford everyday expenses as poor or terrible, an increase of 8.5 percentage points over the past five years, according to market research firm Kantar.
More than half of Americans – 53% – have dined out less often in the last 12 months to save money on food, Kantar found.
Now analysts fear food will only get more expensive as the Iran war drives up oil and gas prices.
“When oil shocks occur, the effects tend to ripple quickly through household budgets, sharpening consumers’ focus on everyday costs and often prompting trade-offs in spending including dining out, travel, entertainment, apparel and retail,” Dave Marcotte, senior vice president of strategic advisory at Kantar, told USA TODAY.
Even before this economic crunch, Americans had started to spend more time in the kitchen.
More U.S. adults are cooking today than they were two decades ago, according to a 2025 National Institutes of Health analysis. That analysis found the percentage of men who cook on an average day rose from 36% to 52% and from 69% to 72% for women.
Annika Andring, 33, and her husband cook most of their meals at their Colorado home, from a steak salad on a bed of arugula to an “elevated” boxed mac and cheese topped with savory meat and roasted vegetables.
“We don’t necessarily skimp on meals,” said Andring, who works in human resources. “It’s always going to be cheaper at home than eating out, even if it’s $10 a person that’s cheaper than $20 or more per person when we go out.”
Feasting on home-cooked meals is far more common than ordering takeout or delivery or eating at restaurants, according to Pew Research. Nearly 9 in 10 people eat home-cooked meals at least a few times a week, compared with 17% ordering takeout or delivery and 12% eating at restaurants that frequently, it found.
Fueling the trend are rising restaurant prices and delivery fees that eat into disposable income. The cost of food away from home jumped 3.9% over the last 12 months, while groceries rose more modestly at 2.4%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Planning weekly meals helps home cooks stay on budget, they told USA TODAY, and choosing fresh ingredients helps them eat healthier.
Eating at home not only saves money but leftovers stretch their food dollar further while avoiding hidden costs such as tips, delivery fees and service charges, they said.
On a recent evening, Robert Belpasso, 31, was simmering homemade bone stock in his New York City apartment. On the menu was a chicken vegetable soup made from a $5 Costco rotisserie chicken and fresh vegetables from Whole Foods.
This foodie’s mom trained him to be cost conscious and to scout for deals without sacrificing flavor or freshness. He can stretch tasty dishes he creates at home for $10 to $20 into four or five meals.
“I don’t overdo the budgeting or think too deeply about it,” said Belpasso, who works in the tech industry. “If I leave the supermarket and I have spent under $100, I’m happy.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Food prices too high to stomach? Home-cooked meals are having a moment
Reporting by Jessica Guynn, USA TODAY / USA TODAY
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
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