Jersey introduced us to ALDI. Well, not literally. A state did not verbally introduce us to a grocery store chain. Just the same, it was our stay in the Garden State which led us to discover one of the simplest grocery shopping experiences of all time.

Wife and I were armed with a tight budget and a ridiculous drive to be debt-free. Specifically, we were doing our best to punch old Sallie Mae in the face. Well, not literally. Debt is not a physical entity which can be attacked with one’s fist.

Still, it meant cutting our lifestyle down to a minimum in order to throw every last penny at student loans. And that meant attacking every budget category with a scalpel — if not an axe!

Again, not literally.

And that meant cutting back the cost of groceries.

[ALDI enters heroically from stage left]

Eating out often while sticking to a tight budget is not as hard as it sounds. You’d be surprised how far you can stretch out the restaurant fund. To do it, though, you will need to change what and how you order.

While getting out of debt, Wife and I were passionate about cutting our lifestyle. We saw each obstacle as a challenge. This time, the challenge was figuring out how to eat out as many times as we could on just fifty dollars a month.

Both of us agreed it was better to have more meals together than have one or two fancy dinners. Which encouraged us to find a few $7 meals at various food establishments.