Author Topic: No Fast Food for a Month  (Read 7246 times)

Ascotillion

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No Fast Food for a Month
« on: May 24, 2014, 07:03:52 AM »
I'm tallying up all of my spending to see where my problem spots are, and this month is the final month of this semester, including all my end of semester assignments piling up and tests out the wazoo. On the plus side I'm reasonably motivated to spend hours upon hours at uni studying and working, but on the negative side my uni is in the centre of a city and close to a million fast food places, and while I can usually fit a tub of lunch in there, bringing food to last from the morning to dinnertime in my overstuffed bag is usually too much hassle. Plus it means I have to cook two meals in advance.

So with all that self justification, it was kind of a shock to see my fast food costs for May so far are $150. Face punchers, please line up to the left.

Semester finishes next Friday, with my exams finishing exactly a month from today. Originally I was going to say I'll start after the stress is over and I'm on holidays, but what's the point in giving myself an extra week to run financially wild?? :P

So for the next four weeks, no fast food or restaurants. Who wants to join me?

KBecks2

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Re: No Fast Food for a Month
« Reply #1 on: May 24, 2014, 07:20:35 AM »
This is a good challenge.  Can we just make it for the calendar month of June?  That is what I will do.  No fast food!  Ooooohhhh!!!   Fast food is one of my big "luxuries"! 

Again, good challenge, good thinking!
Karen

zataks

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Re: No Fast Food for a Month
« Reply #2 on: May 24, 2014, 08:11:29 AM »
$1800 annually on fast food is a ton of money.  That is my entire eating out budget for the two of us (GF spends a little on us eating out too, though.) and I think that's probably pretty high for this forum.  Working on whittling that down though.  I think I eat fast food maybe 2-3 times/year.  And typically it's a In-N-Out burger and a strawberry shake!

Good luck on the challenge; you got this!

Ascotillion

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Re: No Fast Food for a Month
« Reply #3 on: May 24, 2014, 06:52:53 PM »
I went through a bunch of my food blogs and made a list of some exciting meals to cook over the next week, since I tend to do better when I have a nice stock of tasty food at home. Pulled pork and homemade pizzas are on there, yum!

This is a good challenge.  Can we just make it for the calendar month of June?  That is what I will do.  No fast food!  Ooooohhhh!!!   Fast food is one of my big "luxuries"! 
Sure thing! Hopefully I can keep it going, at least in part, after the challenge is over. At the very least I'll be cutting down to maybe one meal a month.

$1800 annually on fast food is a ton of money.
I know. What makes it worse is that this is post-mustache awakening! It just goes to show how stuff can slip away from you when you're focused on other things.


Also what makes it worse is living in the little Italian district of my city, with amazing pizzas...

Hedge_87

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Re: No Fast Food for a Month
« Reply #4 on: May 24, 2014, 09:06:33 PM »
Does Chipotle count as fast food? ?? Just wondering because I've been wanting to throw down a huge burrito next time we go to the big city on a shopping trip. However I don't see a shopping trip for a few months so either way I'm in. (But really where does Chipotle lay in the restaurant business)

horsepoor

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Re: No Fast Food for a Month
« Reply #5 on: May 24, 2014, 10:12:43 PM »
I think I can do this one until my next major work trip starting June 23.  I get a pass if I end up having to do any short trips before that (though I do make an effort to pack food and not eat out).

I think Chipotle counts as fast food, sorry.  Sucks for me, too, because it's what I usually get when I splurge on going out to lunch during the week.

Ascotillion

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Re: No Fast Food for a Month
« Reply #6 on: May 25, 2014, 12:32:40 AM »
It lies wherever you want it to lie, it's your interpretation of the challenge!

I'm making a huge bunch of burritos next week, which is a lot cheaper AND gives me a bunch of tasty meals in the freezer to pull out whenever I'm lazy.

Hedge_87

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Re: No Fast Food for a Month
« Reply #7 on: May 25, 2014, 10:27:36 AM »
It lies wherever you want it to lie, it's your interpretation of the challenge!

I'm making a huge bunch of burritos next week, which is a lot cheaper AND gives me a bunch of tasty meals in the freezer to pull out whenever I'm lazy.
I do the same thing. I made WAY to much pulled pork one time and made burritos out of the left overs and froze them. Now I make pulled pork just for burritos lol

ArbitraryGuy

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Re: No Fast Food for a Month
« Reply #8 on: May 26, 2014, 05:34:00 PM »
I like Chipotle as much as the next guy, but the way you guys were yearning for it on this thread made me check Chipotle's stock price (CMG).

522.32

That's a (trailing) P/E ratio of... 49!

Wow.  Just wow.  Sorry in advance for hijacking the thread.

Ascotillion

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Re: No Fast Food for a Month
« Reply #9 on: May 26, 2014, 07:43:25 PM »
Well, I'm about three days in, and already attempted to convince myself that I need to break and order a burger. Funny how the urge is so persistent! Fortunately it seems like just acknowledging the problem makes it a bit easier to deal with.

Eating all the food out of my freezer for my last week of classes, and going home for an hour to eat dinner then coming back to uni seems to be working. If I can get to Friday, I'll be totally fine for the rest of the challenge :)

Mrs.FamilyFinances

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Re: No Fast Food for a Month
« Reply #10 on: May 28, 2014, 12:08:46 PM »
WOW! $150 on fast food???? Face punch indeed! I don't care for fast food, so I doubt I've spent that much on fast food in the last 5 years, perhaps even 10...

Now, if this was a no diet coke challenge, I'd be receiving 10 million face punches four our spendy pop habits....

apfroggy0408

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Re: No Fast Food for a Month
« Reply #11 on: May 28, 2014, 01:11:50 PM »
Avoiding fast food and junk for that matter is a lot easier when you want to live as much of a healthy lifestyle as a mustachiean one.

I haven't eaten fast food since early January and that's because I was on vacation!

Ascotillion

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Re: No Fast Food for a Month
« Reply #12 on: May 29, 2014, 06:48:21 AM »
Well, I broke. Had a meal out today, although I don't feel too bad since it was a cheap, good quality meal (discounted!) and it was as a result of a 8am-10:30pm study day, so at least I accomplished a lot for it.

I suppose I'll start again from now. Here's to the next month!

KBecks2

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Re: No Fast Food for a Month
« Reply #13 on: May 29, 2014, 05:27:34 PM »
I had given myself a budget line item of $70/month for fast food, and my reaction to the challenge was to eat fast food a few times before the month changes over to June.

Now, I will need to stock up on food and have a lot of options at home for cooking.  This is good because I want to cook more, eat more healthfully, and have more family dinners at the dinner table.  What a great challenge!  :)

KBecks2

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Re: No Fast Food for a Month
« Reply #14 on: June 06, 2014, 01:18:42 PM »
So far so good!  Well I have spent $15 on the kids but have not had any fast food myself, and I will cut back on the kids too.

Hedge_87

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Re: No Fast Food for a Month
« Reply #15 on: June 09, 2014, 05:45:38 AM »
I resisted today!! Had to go do some wiring at the mother in law's house. Nothing went right and we ended up not geating done till around 2 p.m.  drove right past all the fast food on the way out of town and didn't stop (even though I was starving). Waited the whole 40 minutes until I got home and ate some left overs. My digestive system is thanking me lol.

Frugalicious

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Re: No Fast Food for a Month
« Reply #16 on: June 09, 2014, 06:30:13 AM »
Today is day 9 of no eating out June.  So far so good.  I hate to even tell you guys how much money I'm saving, but it's a lot!

Ascotillion

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Re: No Fast Food for a Month
« Reply #17 on: June 10, 2014, 08:29:33 PM »
I resisted today!! Had to go do some wiring at the mother in law's house. Nothing went right and we ended up not geating done till around 2 p.m.  drove right past all the fast food on the way out of town and didn't stop (even though I was starving). Waited the whole 40 minutes until I got home and ate some left overs. My digestive system is thanking me lol.
Well done!! I had the same thing last night - went out to a bar and helped a friend home after his broken toe flared up. Decided to walk home from his place, which took one and a half hours, straight past four all night burger places, stomach growling angrily... but I made it home. Resisting is getting easier!

Today is day 9 of no eating out June.  So far so good.  I hate to even tell you guys how much money I'm saving, but it's a lot!
If you take my last month as a baseline (which it wasn't!) then I've saved fifty bucks so far. Feels good!

horsepoor

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Re: No Fast Food for a Month
« Reply #18 on: June 10, 2014, 11:07:02 PM »
So far only one burrito, and that was because I had to unexpectedly go over to our vacant house to fix the sprinklers.  The burrito was cheaper than paying someone else to do the work at least.  This morning I realized that I didn't really have anything to pack for lunch, and thought about going to Chipotle, but instead I fixed a big breakfast, then just snacked on some almonds, hummus and veggies for lunch.

dharmabum

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Re: No Fast Food for a Month
« Reply #19 on: June 11, 2014, 07:25:28 PM »
This year I finally seem to have broken the fast food habit, and the best thing about it, aside from the money saved, is the fact of actually eating real food... I feel so much better! Keep up the good work!

Best,
Lucas

dusty

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Re: No Fast Food for a Month
« Reply #20 on: June 12, 2014, 03:57:54 AM »
Im in.

Whilst my debt is down to zero and I have maintained a steady saving / investment regime since I became Mustachian six months ago I have noticed that my $200 food budget keeps going over the set limit.  It is quite clear this is from my bad eating habits.

I am in the Navy so I spend 6 weeks at sea with a month break in between rotations which enforces a no junk food habit simply by the fact I have no access (however for the health  benefits i will stay away from chips served in the galley onboard)

even though I am starting late, there will be no fast food or alcohol for the rest of this month.

Thanks for the motivation gauntlet thrower

Fatmouse

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Re: No Fast Food for a Month
« Reply #21 on: June 29, 2014, 09:13:46 AM »
Anyone game to reinvigorate this thread for July?

I just looked at my budget breakdown, and I have spent around $1,000 so far in 2014 for fast food, restaurants, and coffee shops.  Maybe $150 of that was spent on food while traveling or significant social occasions, which brought happiness.  But most of it has been mindless, careless, and unproductive with respect to generating happiness.

No Fast Food July.  I plan to allow myself two meals outside the home as a way to socialize with a few people I do not see often, but no other exceptions.

Woot.  :)

horsepoor

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Re: No Fast Food for a Month
« Reply #22 on: June 30, 2014, 08:07:36 AM »
Sure - outside of the travel I have scheduled, I'm game.

Ascotillion

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Re: No Fast Food for a Month
« Reply #23 on: June 30, 2014, 06:16:16 PM »
Oh wow, the month is over!

Well, I failed in my goal. I did have fast food this month. However, considering my cost for May was $150 and my cost for June was $50, I still count it as a win!

Here's to $17 for July if the pattern holds up :P

Thegoblinchief

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Re: No Fast Food for a Month
« Reply #24 on: July 01, 2014, 05:01:37 AM »
I haven't had fast food in 2014 at all. Does this mean I win?

wtjbatman

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Re: No Fast Food for a Month
« Reply #25 on: July 01, 2014, 05:10:49 AM »
I haven't had fast food in 2014 at all. Does this mean I win?

Not once? No 2am run to McDonalds when you're slightly inebriated and heading home from the bar? No quick breakfast sandwich from the gas station when you didn't get a chance to grab breakfast at home? No late dinner at Subway because you and your fiance both worked extra hours and neither felt like cooking dinner? No stopping at Sonics on a road trip down to St Louis to visit future in-laws?

None of those happened to me either, no sir. So I think I win too!

Thegoblinchief

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Re: No Fast Food for a Month
« Reply #26 on: July 01, 2014, 05:32:25 AM »
Ironically, we DID take a road trip to St Louis, but we packed meals for the trip. When we were there, we traded cooking duties with our friends for free lodging :)

We have gone to sit down restaurants a couple times, but no fast food.

Small kids who are also picky eaters and don't like soda makes avoiding fast food really easy.