We just got back from our get-a-way. Everyone needs to take a few days as a family and get a way from the pressure of life. This year, in quite a few years we took a vacation. It was largely because of the money we were able to save through practicing and writing about it in The Shopping Nazi.

Now for the numbers as to what it did cost us for our little vacation.

Lodging – First night was in a Holiday Inn, which cost us $109. The next two nights were a little motel in Sumpter Oregon. That was $120 for the two nights.

The true test of any product or service is the amount of repeat business it gets. New customers will come and go, but the ones that keep coming back is the true test of the business’s merit.

Repeat business is dependent upon that first impression. Rarely does a business get a second chance to WOW a customer to the point when they will return. Most of the time a customer does not return to that business because there was no overwhelming WOW factor.

Years ago we went with Tmobile as our cell phone carrier, because they offered a great deal on a nice flip phone for my wife and myself. Over the years they have always given us good service at a reasonable price. So we keep using them for our cell phone carrier.

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.

Do you want to known the rest of the story? Do you want to know the real cost?  Just log-in.

{+}

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.