With the cost of just about everything on the rise, households are wanting to cut back. For some that may mean cutting out those takeaways or eating out less.
That's why we decided to put Iceland's TGI Fridays range to the test to see how it compares with the restaurant itself.
Read more: Things to do with the kids in and around Manchester this summer
Having been at least a decade since I last tried the restaurant itself and having never sampled the frozen food range, I had no idea of what lay in store.
I knew it would most likely involve burgers - for one this place specialises in them and you can pretty much guarantee I'll pick a burger if we're heading out for lunch or tea.
It was the Bolton branch at Middlebrook Retail Park that we opted for, thinking it would probably be quieter than our other nearest one at The Trafford Centre. However on a Friday night, at the end of the school summer term, it was never going to be that quiet.
After a short stay at the bar while we waited for our table, we were soon in our booth and perusing the menu. There was loads to choose from, but essentially you're talking burgers, steaks and chicken as the main offerings.
Three of us went for - you guessed it - burgers, while my daughter opted for chicken fingers. Sadly halloumi sticks weren't available so we went for some mozzarella dippers to share from the starters menu, along with some nachos and onion rings.
There was nothing wrong with any of it, all pretty standard really, but if I could sum it up in one word, it was just a bit 'meh'. My burger was a bit tasteless, the chips a bit dry and the mozzarella dippers a bit too thick and stodgy.
It filled us up mind - and that was without eating it all - so when it came to desserts, we just went for the one to share between two of us.
Won over by the picture of the S'mores Sunday on the back of the menu, it seemed like the obvious choice.
Described as 'crunchy Biscoff biscuit pieces, crumbled chocolate flake and a caramelised Biscoff sauce between layers of dairy ice cream with a toasted mallow topping', it sounded tantalising to say the least.
Let's just say it didn't quite live up to our expectations. There was some sauce in there amongst the ice cream, but it was a little sparse on the other ingredients - which could mainly be found in a sunken blob at the bottom - partly because we were handed it without a spoon and had to wait five minutes before one finally arrived.
So after our rather disappointing meal out, let's just say we didn't particularly have high hopes for the frozen version. How wrong we were. With like-for-like products where possible, there were some slight changes to what we ate in the restaurant.
Iceland don't do TGI nachos for instance, so we opted for loaded bacon and cheese potato skins instead. Every single bit of it went down a treat. The burgers were succulent and tasty - with the American style flatties with sweet bbq glaze a particular hit. Even the fussy teen commented on how nice the skin on fries were, high praise indeed.
The chicken fingers were lapped up, as were the more regular sized mozzarella sticks, which this time didn't feel as though you were eating a brick of cheese.
Of course we had to try their S'mores dessert too, and while it also didn't quite look like the picture on the box, it was pretty tasty with quite a strong cinnamon flavour to it.
Plus it fed four of us, despite it costing almost half the price of the restaurant dessert. And for many people that's what it comes down to, doesn't it? - affordability.
While our restaurant bill came to £84.25 without drinks, our Iceland bill was just £23.75 - with an extra £4.04 for burger buns, a full pack of tomatoes, an iceberg lettuce and a block of cheese, taking it to £27.79 in all and a massive £56.46 difference.
On taste alone it's a no brainer, but when you throw in the long wait time for food, the fact we waited an age for a milkshake, and were served the dessert without a spoon, I think we already know which one's the winner here.
Add to that a £50+ price difference and I know where I'll be going for my next TGIs fix. I don't even mind that we have to do the washing up. Prices in Iceland's range start from £2 and can be ordered online.
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