When Jen McLaughlin and her then-fianc� started planning their wedding a few years ago, they needed creative ways to save some cash.
One of the first expenditures McLaughlin put under the microscope was the couple's monthly food tab.
"Between groceries and eating out, we were spending between $700 and $900 a month for two of us - which is insane," she recently told CTV.ca.
Faced with that bulging tab, McLaughlin's penny-pinching instincts kicked into action: soon, she was clipping coupons and planning out two-week menus.
"Doing that, we've found we're doing between $200 and $250 a month on groceries, and another $50 for eating out," she said.
It seems McLaughlin, who works at Research in Motion Ltd. in Kitchener, Ont., got a head-start on a cost-cutting trend, which is taking off in many parts of the country.
With a flood of daily headlines warning Canadians about a dimming economic picture, economists say household spending will likely decrease over the next year.
In fact, a report released this week by TD Bank predicted that "a convincing and sustainable recovery in consumption" for Canadians won't materialize until 2010.
Looming slowdown?
So far this year, Canadian restaurants have enjoyed a small boost in business over the same period last year, but that was before Wall Street's meltdown further strained markets both here and the U.S.
"As of June, sales (at restaurants) have increased over the 5 per cent range, but we're expecting to see a softening of that growth," said Jill Holroyd, vice-president of research and communications for the Canadian Restaurant Foodservices Association.
Holroyd told CTV.ca in a telephone interview that restaurants in communities near the border "have been feeling the pinch," and she added that trends vary across the country.
"It really depends where you are in Canada," she said.
In western provinces such as Alberta, where high prices for oil have kept the economy afloat, the restaurant business is robust.
But in central Canadian provinces such as Ontario, where troubles in the manufacturing sector have resulted in layoffs, the numbers are weaker.
"They're a little less strong the further east you go," she said.
Meanwhile, U.S. restaurant trends paint a clearer picture, according to BIGResearch, an Ohio-based consumer research firm.
This year, about 45 per cent of Americans are saving money by eating out less; an increase of almost 12 per cent from last year, the firm said.
Cut costs by staying in
"Honestly, I don't make that much money so I can't afford to eat out," said Toronto's Mark MacRae in an interview.
"As a general rule, I probably save about 50 per cent over eating out," he said, adding that cost-cutting isn't the only reason for breaking bread at home.
Earlier this year, MacRae, who calls himself a "starving actor," and his housemates decided to plan mealtimes as a way to relax and spend some time together.
"Because I live in a house with roommates, it's kind of like having a family at home," he said.
Still, MacRae added that picking the right foods at the supermarket is integral to cutting costs.
"You can buy a ton of flour for nothing ... you just have to watch which ingredients," you buy, he said, adding that he tries to limit costly items such as shredded cheese.
Another sure-fire way to save cash, said McRae, is to cook up meals like tacos that keep for several days in the fridge.
"If you're eating out two meals a day, that's a whole other meal you could have had at home. Especially during the work week, it adds up a lot."
So you think you can cook?
Enrolment in cooking classes also appears to be on the rise, according to Susie Reading, executive chef at Toronto's Calphalon Culinary Centre.
"We used to offer classes five times a week, and now we're offering them six times a week," she said, adding that demand has led to the addition of a second cooking class on some days.
Alongside economic concerns, Reading noted that learning to cook your own food has major health and environmental benefits, too.
She added that younger men have taken an interest in sharing meals and buying local ingredients, which can reduce carbon foot-prints and mean less waste.
"For a while, it wasn't cool to be cooking, but now, especially with guys, it's okay to enjoy."
With files from The Associated Press
