Leftovers, the new glamour food

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Put your money where your mouth is...

With the tough economy it appears the new "most" American meal is not hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken or spaghetti.

It's leftovers.

According to a study by the Food Marketing Institute, 58 percent of Americans are having leftovers for dinner on any given night. People are eating out less these days, while two-thirds of Americans are buying less fancy foods and 60% are buying store brands. At least home cooking is getting healthier -- according to 39% of the study's respondents. Another 41% claim to be very concerned about the nutritional value of what they eat. That means it's time to go organic. But, more conventional food outlets are dropping the organic brands because of pricing levels. Yikes.

U.S. workers are putting in nearly 44 hours of work every week. (They have it easy -- try making a living as a journalist and blogger). In addition to the 43.6 hours folks rack up on the job, about 36% of employees spend an average of 5 to 10 hours a week commuting according to a Gallup Survey. Another 8 percent of commuters reported spending two or more hours a day just getting to their workplace, all of which probably seems a whole lot longer on the way home for leftovers.

It also gives them a whole lot less time to shop for Christmas. The average $740 consumers predict they will spend on Christmas gifts this year is down from $801 recorded at this time a year ago, but higher than the $639 prediction Americans gave two months later in the economically troubled 2008 holiday season.