Last month we went out to have the traditional Thanksgiving dinner. The cost for the meal person was within a few cents. Besides we did not have all that prep time, and clean up afterwards. We just walked into the restaurant, order, ate and left.  This Christmas we are going to do something different.

Each family member is picking a course in the dinner to fix. This way no one individual will get stuck with fixing the whole meal. Each family member is responsible for staying withing budget, and cleaning up their mess, afterwards.

The main dish has a budget of $7 per person, while the side dishes and desert is $3 per person. This makes the meal costing $10 each. Leftovers will be count for future meals. Not Christmas dinner.

Money is tight, some weeks there is not enough money to pay the bills. The family is looking at you as if you are a cruel slave master, because they want to just go out to McDonald’s.

What about all the bad press concerning restaurants? Life Hacker publishing an article why Restaurant specials should be avoided. Then there was the article from The Wall Street Journal’s Smart Money section on 10 Things Restaurants Won’t Tell You. I guarantee you, it would not be hard for me to find a 100 more examples.

If you do the math it is cheaper to cook a nice meal at home than go out. $10 person and more for good adventurous meal. If you add a movie of visit to the arcade, you have spent at least a $100. That same meal at home could be half or less.

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This is a time to dig out some old family favorite recipes. If you are feeling adventurous, I recommend going to some place like the FoodNetwork.com. There you can find something that sounds and looks good to everyone.

My personal favorites are Paula Dean and her Upside Down Cake. Sunny Anderson with New Orleans Shrimp Pot Pie. Of course there is Rachael Ray’s 30 minute meals. The list goes on and on as to what you can cook at home.

Now don’t leave it to one person to cook the whole meal. Get everyone one involve in fixing something. The kids can do prep, help mom cook, and decorate the dinner table. Dad can be the waiter, sitting everybody and serving. Then everyone gets involve in doing the dishes. A nice family night topped off with a movie or a board game.

Everything I have described can be done for about $20, and a little imagination. This may not be a substitute for eating out, but it does get everyone feeling good and having fun as a family.