Stop Eating at $&%@#$! Restaurants So Much 2016

[Stachey]

I know what you're talking about Kaspian.  I used to bike to work and it was always the best part of my day even when I was biking in a snowstorm or a through a downpour.

Oh but what were talking about?  Restaurants.  Yes restaurants!  I haven't eaten out in a month or so and have noticed the savings (pat on back).  Although a couple days ago I was thinking about treating myself to Vietnamese and it's amazing how going out for a meal becomes a real treat when it's only once in awhile.  I found when I ate out all the time that it just became passé very quickly.

[marble_faun]

Failure! 

Today I was incredibly exhausted.  Had to be out of the house all day.  Had crockpot leftovers to eat back home but I was tired of that particular meal.

So I ended up crashing.  Fast food sausage biscuit for breakfast!  Nasty, watery macaroni & cheese for lunch (I ended up eating only half of it because it was so terrible)!  Burrito for dinner!

AHHHHH!!!!  Three meals out in one day!!

I will destroy you, heretic!! Um, I mean, we all fall off the wagon sometimes...

Haha!!  I joke that MMM is a cult but "the good kind of cult where you save money and ride bikes around and help the environment..."

[marble_faun]

Yesterday I went to brunch. 

We used to go out for brunch a lot -- sometimes multiple times per week.  We were yuppy brunch FIENDS! 

Now we have decided to become more intentional consumers of Brunch. I hadn't had any eggs benedict, bacon, or pancakes for maybe three weeks or a month.

And this brunch meal, it just... it tasted SO GOOD.  The biscuits.  The hollandaise.  The home fries.

I appreciated the meal more.  Because it's no longer routine.  I luxuriated in it.

And it was so filling!  In the past I was accustomed to huge restaurant portions. Now this meal was overwhelming to me.

Lesson learned: Brunch is even MORE amazing when you don't eat it all the time.

[monstermonster]

Lesson learned: Brunch is even MORE amazing when you don't eat it all the time.

Yup, I have learned this man times. I particularly like brunch as a reward for 1) physical activity and/or 2) a late night. Food tastes so much better when you've biked 60+ miles or run 10 miles for it...

Report back: I managed to get through the fundraiser at the bar for just $10 in restaurants (vegan bahn mi) and $2 in coffee, so $12 all together. I think I will be able to go for no more restaurants out of pocket all month since I get a per diem for my work trip next weekend.

[SoccerLounge]

Report back: I managed to get through the fundraiser at the bar for just $10 in restaurants (vegan bahn mi)

That is some Portland-ass shit, my friend :D

I have been spotty the last couple weeks. The extra visit or so per week just seems to slide on in there without my noticing. Barely having time to check the forums isn't helping. I'm gonna put a Post-It on my door, or something.

[Snorremeid_Dutch]

I'm with you. We've been trying to make dining at home more fun than the option of going out to eat, and my husband said it's silly to pay a babysitter so we can go eat somewhere else and sit in a movie for a few hours not talking to each other, then come home exhausted and pass out - as is the expectation for the "weekly date night" for parents. Last week instead we just waited until after bedtime, ate a delicious homemade lasagna with a good bottle of wine, and played Monopoly together. It was the closest we've felt in months!

I love this idea for a date! Dating is not about spending money on activities, it's about doing fun things together and finding a connection.

[clarkai]

The low-spend August thread is really helping me out here; I haven't gone out to eat once this month. And actually, we didn't eat out once even when we were moving. I'm pretty proud of that, because it's definitely a first. That makes it 2 months without eating out.

[monstermonster]

I've decided to quit my job and take a month off next month so I'm going to see if I can extend my no-restaurant streak through September to keep expenses low.

[marble_faun]

I hardly went to restaurants at all this month.  Quite a change from my usual habits!

So couple days ago I looked at my bank account and saw that I had more money than I usually do right before payday.  I hadn't blown so much ordering take-out multiple times per day!

What I should have done: transferred that $1,000 or so right into my investment accounts

What I DID do: bought a piece of original artwork, and also a bunch of clothes from ModCloth and some fun shoes

AHHH!!  I had been doing so well!!  It's as though I have a latent desire to spend $$$, and if it doesn't go to restaurants, it will go somewhere else.

This has been my first month trying to achieve Mustachian principles.  I have made some major modifications to my life, & have also saved a huge chunk.  But apparently I still have a long way to go. 

On the plus side, I sold some old stuff thru Craigslist. In the past I would have just put it out on the curb. Instead I made $20.  Movin' on up!!

[akzidenz]

oh man, i know that modcloth impulse far too well…

i really need this thread. i had a terrible eating out habit for a few months. august was an improvement! ate out 10 times, averaging $18 per meal. i live in a high COL area but maybe i could do even better in september?

i need to start picking cheaper places when i go out with friends (i'm usually the planner, so no excuses!) and forgoing appetizers. i did get into the habit of buying fruit and chocolates and keeping them at home, so i'm less tempted to indulge myself when i'm out…i know i can come back and eat something that's delicious and much cheaper.

[SaskyStache]

Just compared this year's restaurant/bar expenses to last year, and I'm on pace to be well over 2015. It didn't "feel" like I was going out more or spending more while out; I guess I wasn't paying enough attention.

Time to glue my wallet shut for a little while.

[SoccerLounge]

A new schedule at work, as well as being the reason I've barely touched this place in weeks, has helped somewhat with this. But I've still slipped up a little over the last few weeks. Time to refocus!

[TheStrenuousLife]

Despite being fairly Mustachian in other respects (no car, no debt, $80,000 per year salary, $700 a month rent), eating and drinking out is my biggest failing. I am embarrassed to calculate how much money I have wasted in the last few months through eating out.  I am just beginning to learn to cook now at the age of 26 and my repertoire is still pretty limited, which makes eating out often more appealing than what I can make at home.

To be honest, I am also not a fan of cooking, but that is just laziness speaking.

[SoccerLounge]

I'm pondering switching my goal from a 'times visited' goal to an 'amount spent' goal. But the notion of any kind of 'fun money budget' sticks in my craw. My general frugality philosophy is just so minimize discretionary expenditure as much as tolerable, rather than set aside a blanket amount I'm 'allowed' to spend on it. Any thoughts from the crowd?

[monstermonster]

I'm pondering switching my goal from a 'times visited' goal to an 'amount spent' goal. But the notion of any kind of 'fun money budget' sticks in my craw. My general frugality philosophy is just so minimize discretionary expenditure as much as tolerable, rather than set aside a blanket amount I'm 'allowed' to spend on it. Any thoughts from the crowd?

I totally understand where you're coming from on this, but I'm all about sustainable budgets. And I often see that NOT giving yourself permission to spend some "fun money" drives you into either a feeling of deprivation or guilt. I'm not saying that not going out to eat = despair, but if it's something you enjoy and you're out of debt and able to afford some pleasures, it's better for your longterm mental health to give yourself some "play money" rather than feel like you need to be totally deprived in order to be truly frugal. For me, I have a LOT of trouble spending money on things, and giving myself a budget for pleasures gives me "permission" to spend (and know it won't impact my long-term goals) rather than just a MASSIVE guilt spiral.

You might vary. I have seen that folks that focus on not spending money on anything ever usually become burnt out on frugality compared to the folks that choose to spend where it gives them value.

[Libertea]

I'm pondering switching my goal from a 'times visited' goal to an 'amount spent' goal. But the notion of any kind of 'fun money budget' sticks in my craw. My general frugality philosophy is just so minimize discretionary expenditure as much as tolerable, rather than set aside a blanket amount I'm 'allowed' to spend on it. Any thoughts from the crowd?

I'm curious about what is different to you about your "fun money" that makes it an exception in your monthly expenses.  What I mean is this: I assume from how you've worded this post that you have a set amount that you budget for other things like housing, transportation, etc., and that this does not "stick in your craw."  Let's say you're renting an apartment.  What I mean then is, you do not say to yourself, "well, I'll just minimize my rent this month as much as possible."  Rather, you had an idea in mind before you ever signed the lease about how much you're willing to spend on rent, and along with location and other criteria, the price is a major influence on how you choose where to live.  And if the landlord raised the price enough, you would move, because now it doesn't fit your budget any more.  So what is different about your food budget where you feel like this is a deprivation in a way that you don't have that feeling about your housing budget?

FWIW, I just give myself a set amount of money to spend on everything each month.  I can divvy it up however I like, but when it's gone, it's gone.  I'm not as much of an aficionado of going out to eat as you seem to be, and I enjoy cooking, so I often go months at a time without eating out.  But if I wanted to go out to eat every single day, that would be fine in terms of affording it financially; I'd just have to cut back my expenditures somewhere else.  Maybe trying a strategy like that would be helpful to you?

[FIstateofmind]

New to posting here, but as of today I want to challenge myself to NO MORE eating at restaurants - period.

Days I might decide to eat at restaurants are EXCLUSIVELY anniversary, birthdays and holidays.

I have one aunt who likes to go to restaurants to hang out. Should be able to avoid this except on holidays.

I used to eat out every other day and now I am pretty much down to twice a month, and feeling pissed, ripped off and unhealthy every time I eat out. :] Hence why I want to stop all together from now on.

[TheStrenuousLife]

I've been doing pretty well on not eating out the last few weeks....but I still need to cut back on the amount I spend at bars.  So far I've spent $1,630.01 CDN on alcohol this year.   That figure includes all alcohol consumed, both at home and out, but I imagine that most of the cost is from drinking out. 

In my city each pint, after tip (pretty much mandatory in Canada to tip 15%) and tax, is about $10, so it adds up really quickly even if you are a moderate drinker.

[monstermonster]

I've been doing pretty well on not eating out the last few weeks....but I still need to cut back on the amount I spend at bars.  So far I've spent $1,630.01 CDN on alcohol this year.   That figure includes all alcohol consumed, both at home and out, but I imagine that most of the cost is from drinking out. 

In my city each pint, after tip (pretty much mandatory in Canada to tip 15%) and tax, is about $10, so it adds up really quickly even if you are a moderate drinker.

That made me add up, I'm at $707.70 USD, with $430 of that being bars and the balance being beer/liquor cabinet for home. At least $100 of that bar tab was a trip to NYC, which was expected.

My new goal is to make sure that doesn't go above $900 for 2016!

[TheStrenuousLife]

A most excellent goal!  I think mine is just to keep it as low as possible for the rest of the year, which will have both health and fiscal benefits.

I am curious, how much is the average drink (ie a pint of beer) in your area?  I often find when I travel to the States that even with the negative effects of the exchange rate, alcohol at bars is much much cheaper than in Canada (particularly true in popular vacation spots like Florida).

[SoccerLounge]

Monstermonster - I guess I don't really get feelings of guilt, etc, as you describe, so that's a difference there. But a big difference between what I do and what (it seems like?) a couple respondents have assumed is that I do not just strive to drive my discretionary expenses down to zero and then Feel Bad if I can't manage it. :) That's not the case. I just... don't really worry about them too much, while still making an effort to minimize them? I'm not always fully in alignment with MMM when it comes to specific frugality practices, but one area in which he and I are pretty strongly in sync is that I typically do not use budgets on a micro level. I just attempt to optimize my spending, but don't really feel guilty or bad if I don't optimize it allllll the way to [goal]. Over time, I note trends and adjust as necessary. I quit worrying about money years and years ago; I just focus on keeping my discretionary spending as low as tolerable, rather than just always sweating over driving it to zero. :)

Thanks for the comments, all!

[marble_faun]

Despite being fairly Mustachian in other respects (no car, no debt, $80,000 per year salary, $700 a month rent), eating and drinking out is my biggest failing. I am embarrassed to calculate how much money I have wasted in the last few months through eating out.  I am just beginning to learn to cook now at the age of 26 and my repertoire is still pretty limited, which makes eating out often more appealing than what I can make at home.

To be honest, I am also not a fan of cooking, but that is just laziness speaking.

You sound a lot like me!  I've made a lot of progress by using Blue Apron and ordering staple groceries online once a week.  This removes the drag of having to plan meals and lug groceries around town.  Once I have the food ready-to-go in my house, I feel less like going out or waiting for an hour for the delivery person to come.  Essentially eating IN becomes the lazy way to do things.

[OurTown]

This would be a good thread to bring back for 2017. 

So, I think to make it actionable, the first thing to do is to track the spend.  This is probably the biggest unstructured mindless money drain we have, so it would be a real benefit to spend in this category consciously and in accordance with our goals.  I'll bet you dollars to donuts that the very act of tracking the spend will in fact lower the amount of the spend.

Once we get some data, I will probably go the "x dollars per week" route rather than "x times per week."  In the past, we have had good success with making this a cash only category.  As in money, cash, currency, greenbacks, pictures of dead presidents, paper dollars.  So Sunday afternoon we will go to the ATM and get out x dollars each, which will be our eating out allowance for the week. 

 

[monstermonster]

My new goal is to make sure that doesn't go above $900 for 2016!

Hey, I succeeded! The total for the year was $856. I am aiming for sub-$600 in 2017 (kinda hard considering I'll be in Russia for part of the year!)

I'd love this thread to come back this year.

[marble_faun]

Well, I'm pretty pleased with my 2016 lifestyle changes in terms of restaurant-ing.

I still go out to brunch once in a while, and order pizza or takeout just a little more than I should, but it's no longer my default way of eating.

BEFORE: "I feel hungry!" --> orders $40 takeout meal

NOW: "I feel hungry!" --> makes sandwich

I'm saving SO MUCH money compared to my previous way of being, it's ridiculous. And all that savings has been poured into investments (as well as charitable giving).

I have to thank this site for helping me kick the restaurant habit!

I could do better of course, but I'm trying not to beat myself up over lapses.  Just going to feel positive about having mostly-broken this ingrained, unhealthy & expensive pattern.

[OurTown]

In the interest of public humiliation, just this week alone we are up to $130 spent at restaurants.  I think the week is only half over.

[Metric Mouse]

In the interest of public humiliation, just this week alone we are up to $130 spent at restaurants.  I think the week is only half over.

Sounds like a good week! Anything special?

[monstermonster]

Went out for a burrito this week, after I determined I only ate 8 burritos last year, which is too few for how much value they bring me relative to the price. It was rather convenient as I had an appointment downtown in between another appointment, and nowhere to heat up leftovers. Made me remember what I love eating out for:

• Convenience when it truly ads that to my life - overcoming a logistical challenge of packing 2 meals that can be eaten without heating up, etc
• Fast
• Fresh food
• Supporting a local business
• Relatively inexpensive
• Involves a burrito
• Feels like a treat

But, the key part of what was nice was that last one - because I eat out ~twice a month, it's a true treat to go out and get a burrito, rather than a daily behavior. That is what makes it great.

[OurTown]

In the interest of public humiliation, just this week alone we are up to $130 spent at restaurants.  I think the week is only half over.

Sounds like a good week! Anything special?

Work lunches with the wife, dinner out with the wife, keepin the wife happy.  Which is a good thing.

This week I am bringing shakes to the office for lunch.  Wife will go to her office cafeteria.  We are planning a big deal Lucile eat-out event Saturday night with my daughter.

[SoccerLounge]

The 2017 thread is here: 2017 thread

[Metric Mouse]

In the interest of public humiliation, just this week alone we are up to $130 spent at restaurants.  I think the week is only half over.

Sounds like a good week! Anything special?

Work lunches with the wife, dinner out with the wife, keepin the wife happy.  Which is a good thing.

This week I am bringing shakes to the office for lunch.  Wife will go to her office cafeteria.  We are planning a big deal Lucile eat-out event Saturday night with my daughter.

Sounds like great things, to me.