How much do you eat out?

[LaurenLC]

We go out or get take-out once a week.. I cook 6 days a week; either Friday or Saturday is my night off.

 

[DawnM]

WhooHoo! Just got an email for Pei Wei's 10 year anniversary special.

Buy 2 adult meals for $10. One coupon PER CUSTOMER!

So, again, we can all eat for $20, meaning we will get FOUR adult meals!, although I will probably spend $30 and get some for an additional 2 meals so that we have more to take home for leftovers.

Pei Wei is another of our favorites.

Dawn

 

[disneydreamersx4]

WhooHoo! Just got an email for Pei Wei's 10 year anniversary special.

Buy 2 adult meals for $10. One coupon PER CUSTOMER!

So, again, we can all eat for $20, although I will probably spend $30 and get some for an additional meal.

Pei Wei is another of our favorites.

Dawn

So the 5 of you share two adult meals?? I guess that could work if your children are really young

 

[LuckyMamaInDE]

I chose "never" which isn't strictly true------we eat out once a day on vacation, Disney or otherwise.

We stopped eating out because of dd's allergies and continue to not eat out as a way to afford private school tuition

 

[DawnM]

NO!

Each of us is able to get two full meals. I said we would either get $20 worth (4 adult meals) or spend $30 and get 6 adult meals.

Dawn

So the 5 of you share two adult meals?? I guess that could work if your children are really young

 

[disneydreamersx4]

Oh, sorry, I didn't read that right. That is some deal getting 4 adult meals for $20

 

[DawnM]

Do you have a Pei Wei near you? I can forward you the coupon.

PM me if you want it.

Dawn

Oh, sorry, I didn't read that right. That is some deal getting 4 adult meals for $20

 

[disneydreamersx4]

thanks anyway but the closest is 43 miles away.

 

[mistysue]

For those of you who sound so discouraged, if you watch menus are places it is really simple to eat out for very little. Many places have not only the kids eat free, but kids 99 cents (and usually you can get adult type food for that, just a smaller portion) and "2 for X" deals. You also need to watch for the places that give you free bread or free chips because it stretches your meal a ton.
We have a local mexican place, which is fairly well known, where we can go and eat for $10 for the four of us and get two more lunches out of it. DS eats off our plates, but even if we had 6 heavy eaters, that would only be $20. It seems obvious but most people don't seem to realize that you can share and split things at restaurants, or order a side that you know is huge rather than a meal. Usually people eat much less at home than out- just because they offer it or put it on your plate doesn't mean you alone have to eat all of it and now.

$20 after tip (so usually ~$15) is generally the high end of what we spend and we often leave places with a meal or two in leftovers. We even frequent a steakhouse that we can get out of for $4 each stuffed without being creative.

 

[tinkmom2]

We are eating out about once a week recently. There have been a lot of good Groupons and Restaurant.com certificates lately. My DH and I are having our first date night in a long while and using a gift certificate I bought online. Otherwise I don't think we would go out.

 

[mhsjax]

For those of you who sound so discouraged, if you watch menus are places it is really simple to eat out for very little. Many places have not only the kids eat free, but kids 99 cents (and usually you can get adult type food for that, just a smaller portion) and "2 for X" deals. You also need to watch for the places that give you free bread or free chips because it stretches your meal a ton.
We have a local mexican place, which is fairly well known, where we can go and eat for $10 for the four of us and get two more lunches out of it. DS eats off our plates, but even if we had 6 heavy eaters, that would only be $20. It seems obvious but most people don't seem to realize that you can share and split things at restaurants, or order a side that you know is huge rather than a meal. Usually people eat much less at home than out- just because they offer it or put it on your plate doesn't mean you alone have to eat all of it and now.

$20 after tip (so usually ~$15) is generally the high end of what we spend and we often leave places with a meal or two in leftovers. We even frequent a steakhouse that we can get out of for $4 each stuffed without being creative.

Enjoy it now, when that 1 year old son of yours reaches the age of about 11 or 12, maybe 13, he will eat anything not tied down. The joke aournd here is hold on to your food, if it sits too long DS!# will think you are done and start in on yours. He won't share with anyone, he is still way to hungry for that.
You really can't compare sharing food when you have 2 small ones, versus 3 bigger ones like I have. My youngest orders the adult at the Japanese steak house, the waiters look at us like we are crazy, then they see him eat and they are amazed. My grocery bill has gone through the roof now that they are older.

 

[PatriciaH]

We go out to eat about 3 times a week. Usually with friends. Lunch sometimes mostly dinner. It is one of my favorite things! Travel, dining out and going to the movies We have an old car (1)-I walk everywhere. We do not spend a lot on clothing (I buy quality and keep for a long time), jewelry, purses, etc. We do like to cook as well. We are just all over the place on weekends (Boston, White Mountains, FL, Montreal, Vermont and NYC coming up) and eat when we are traveling. We never get fast food-yuck. I rarely eat meat. We like all different kinds of food and have some great restaurants here.

 

[3boymthr]

I put 1-2 times a week, but generally that's for takeout. I was getting lunch takeout an additional 2 times a week before my hours were cut to 9-12. We actually only eat out - at the restuarant every other month when we are at home. I'm not counting when we are on vacation.

 

[mistysue]

Enjoy it now, when that 1 year old son of yours reaches the age of about 11 or 12, maybe 13, he will eat anything not tied down. The joke aournd here is hold on to your food, if it sits too long DS!# will think you are done and start in on yours. He won't share with anyone, he is still way to hungry for that.
You really can't compare sharing food when you have 2 small ones, versus 3 bigger ones like I have. My youngest orders the adult at the Japanese steak house, the waiters look at us like we are crazy, then they see him eat and they are amazed. My grocery bill has gone through the roof now that they are older.

I guess I am used to making it work because I grew up with 4 siblings and we also always went out. When I was young we would spend a good 2 months of the year on vacation- so eating out almost every meal. We are essentially a family of 7 chronic over-eaters who still knew how to get a great deal on a crazy amount of food.

The same meals we go to cheaply I have done with my (adult at the time) siblings and with crowds of people. You just have to make the choice to find good deals and take advantage of the deal rather than back down. I'm just saying watch for what you can get because great deals on eating out are all around you, many people just don't seem to believe they could do it. The same Mexican place we now go to for $10, we used to go to for $30. My brother took me there in a crowd of 8 adults once for a $20 total bill... so now I know how to use their menu better. We get some different things but it's just as good, it's just as easy, and we have extra meals left.

Though we rarely use coupons, it can be a lot like couponing, my sister pays over $2 for one box of hamburger helper... if she just knew to wait and plan, she could get three boxes for less at the right store but instead she is just sad that I got three boxes and a sunday, and she only has one little box of noodles with powder.

 

[VAfamily1998]

I don't know...
Maybe I'm the odd one, but I "feel bad" if I go too cheap eating out--meaning I feel bad for the waiter/waitress. Honestly, I kind of feel like I'd be cheating them, if we're taking up a table for 6 but only buying 3 meals because we're "sharing"...I'd feel compelled to heavily tip to compensate...and then, well, I wouldn't really be saving as much money

 

[mhsjax]

I guess I am used to making it work because I grew up with 4 siblings and we also always went out. When I was young we would spend a good 2 months of the year on vacation- so eating out almost every meal. We are essentially a family of 7 chronic over-eaters who still knew how to get a great deal on a crazy amount of food.

The same meals we go to cheaply I have done with my (adult at the time) siblings and with crowds of people. You just have to make the choice to find good deals and take advantage of the deal rather than back down. I'm just saying watch for what you can get because great deals on eating out are all around you, many people just don't seem to believe they could do it. The same Mexican place we now go to for $10, we used to go to for $30. My brother took me there in a crowd of 8 adults once for a $20 total bill... so now I know how to use their menu better. We get some different things but it's just as good, it's just as easy, and we have extra meals left.

Though we rarely use coupons, it can be a lot like couponing, my sister pays over $2 for one box of hamburger helper... if she just knew to wait and plan, she could get three boxes for less at the right store but instead she is just sad that I got three boxes and a sunday, and she only has one little box of noodles with powder.

I know it can be done fairly cheaply but my kids just eat so much. I do love to go out. I just can't do it as cheaply as you do, my kids eat more and don't eat off of the kids menu anymore, well the youngest one does but that is it.

I did order pizza tonight, hubby wasn't here and the one kiddo can't eat it so I had to order chicken strips. cost me $29.00 and I do have leftover pizza. And I still feel guilty.

I will say that when we go on vacation (WDW) I never eat breakfast in my hotel room, I never brink snacks and I don't worry about our own water bottles. Maybe that is why I am so cheap when at home, I am just saving up for vacation.

 

[MoniqueU]

I accidentally clicked the wrong thing I think. We don't have any set days or restaurants we go to. My husband has a different day off each week. If he is home we do a lot to takeout meals, if he is not we mostly eat at home or I give the kids money for fast food and I eat at home. To me the chain fasts foods are all tasting exactly the same no matter what you get on the menu. To me the fries taste the same as the hamburgers LOL. I like takeout mexican food or chinese by mom and pop places and we will do a sit down maybe on average 2 times a month but I won't always be at that meal. Today my husband has my 2 girls down in San Diego and is doing a sit down meal and my DS is out at the beach and doing fast food while I am eating at home. So personally I don't eat out that much but the rest of our family does.

 

[KS Dis Mom]

We use to eat out alot when both DH and I were both working full-time. Plus we have two very busy children involved in many activities. Now that I have quit working, I am cooking more at home (which I love)! Once a month (tomorrow is the day), I cook most of the day to fill up my freezer with easy to put together meals. Eating out less has helped me to lose 25lbs in the last few months.

 

[kirstenb1]

I put never, because there wasn't a once every few months choice. However, we often have 'make your own sub" or "taco" or "pizza" night at home. I try to stay on a budget, yet still make it feel more like takeout, if that makes sense.

I know we'd do takeout much more often if I were working.

 

[disneydreamersx4]

25 lbs. in a few months CONGRATS!!
Besides eating out less what type of exercising are you doing? I can use the motivation