To Cook or Not To Cook!

I have to confess that this question is pretty daunting in my life!  It is the great debate for this wife!  Michael and I are eating out constantly.  Not only is this not the best thing for our figures...it's not the greatest thing for our bank account either! ....or is it?  I cannot figure out if spending tons of money on groceries or eating out is more cost efficient.  I know you are thinking..."of course, groceries."  Well, I have a husband who is veeerrrrryyyy picky!  If it were up to him we'd eat cereal every night which seems so cheap...but I cannot eat cereal for dinner every night.  I'm pretty much the opposite when it comes to food.  I'll eat anything and I love variety!  Anyway, I sat down last night with some cookbooks and recipe cards to make a shopping list of things I can cook in the next few weeks.  My list was so long...I'm sure that trip to the store would probably be $200 or more!  Geez...what is the answer to this dilemma?  We are really busy and we don't do leftovers well.  I'm really up for suggestions.  I want to cook, not just for Michael and I, but I need to be able to cook when we have a family!  Eating out for 2 may be ok, but when our family gets larger, this will be a very expensive habit.  I am asking for HELP!  If you have simple, fast recipes that you enjoy please share!!!  If you have money saving tips for grocery store adventures...please share!  Hopefully I will find an answer to my question:  to cook or not to cook?!