September No Eating Out Challenge

[purplepear]

Anyone up for a "Don't Eat Out" challenge in September? I know that eating out is probably my budget weakness. Even though I pack most of my lunches and love cooking, I end up eating out most meals on weekends out of laziness.

So here are my personal challenge rules. Feel free to tweak them for yourself! :)
1) No eating out at restaurants
    a) This includes grabbing lunch "to-go" from whole foods
2) Exceptions for birthdays or important special occasions
3) Does not including drinking-out, but I will put myself on a 2 drink limit.

[thepokercab]

I'm in!  August was an absolutely awful month for me in this category, so I'm trying to go cold Turkey in September. 

I'll also include no trips to the coffee shop for me.  Wayyy to many trips to Starbucks lately.   

[purplepear]

Excellent! I guess I include coffee shops in the "eating out" category. My "drinking-out" exception is basically just for alcohol. If I completely cut out eating out and happy hours, I probably wouldn't see my friends at all this month.

[YoungMoney]

I'm in.  I have one family birthday outing that is already planned, and one happy hour that I've already rescheduled a few times.  But other than those two occasions, I'd love to make it through the rest of the month without eating out--or grabbing snacks on the go--which has been adding up for me as of late. 

[Elderwood17]

Count me in!  I need one exception though, as my DW and i have two planned date nights and she gets to select the activities for one of them.  She often picks eating out as a treat and she will take preference over the challenge. 

[shrelry]

I'm in. I did the challenge last month that was posted and it really helped.

[purplepear]

Would adding a google doc spreadsheet to this challenge be useful? I've noticed that some of the other challenges do this.

[Rage]

This is a handy coincidence, we (SO + myself) decided not to eat out this month.  We went out for a big dinner on 8/31 to celebrate the decision :)

One thing we've done that I think is really helpful is we created a shared Google calendar of what we'll make every night.  There's a lot of flexibility to it of course, but it's handy to know that tonight is leftover chicken pitas, for example.  We sometimes add a shopping list to the event description so that one of us can grab any needed items after work.

[thepokercab]

This is a handy coincidence, we (SO + myself) decided not to eat out this month.  We went out for a big dinner on 8/31 to celebrate the decision :)

One thing we've done that I think is really helpful is we created a shared Google calendar of what we'll make every night.  There's a lot of flexibility to it of course, but it's handy to know that tonight is leftover chicken pitas, for example.  We sometimes add a shopping list to the event description so that one of us can grab any needed items after work.

I like this idea.  My wife and I have been trying to plan out what meals we're going to have for the week, but I think this type of detail would help us out. 

[purplepear]

The google calendar idea is nifty. I only have one roommate, so we just have an informal agreement about who's cooking what and when. But I do have a Pinterest board for "Things I'm cooking this week". That way I know exactly where to find all the recipes I'm going to cook once I get in the kitchen.

Day 4 update: Already said "no" to lunch out twice this week. I've been working out during lunch instead of going out to eat, then eating my packed lunch in my cubicle.

Savin' money and gettin' fit. Awww yeah.

[carozy]

I think I'll join you.  I've been getting better about this but still slip up.  I'm trying to eliminate eating out except for special occasions.

[YoungMoney]

Got through this work week!  I took lunch every day, and made dinner every night. I made sure to take snacks to work too (bananas, nuts, etc.) because if I don't have a late afternoon snack I am always tempted to buy a snack on the way home. 

I did get a coffee out during a particularly trying day.  Since I didn't buy any other food out this week, that one coffee really felt like a nice treat.

I'll spend time this weekend getting food ready for the week.  I'll make two crock-pot meals this weekend.  I'll also boil some eggs and chop veggies for snacks and salads during the week. 

How is everyone else doing? 

[Rage]

Friday is the hardest for me, always feel like taking a long Chipotle lunch.  Still on the plan though.  Grilled some T-bone steaks for dinner (on sale at Lucky's Market for $5.99/lb). 

I'm curious what effect not eating out will have on my grocery spending.  Has to cost a little more, right? 

[carozy]

It was because of this Challenge that I did so well yesterday!  I skipped an evening meal in the city, even when I wandered downtown later and passed by my usual haunts.  I also remembered to bring a banana home so I wouldn't have to buy another one for my morning oatmeal.  So it's still early, but I'm doing good. :)

Good idea to pre-cook your week's meals.  I think I'll do that on Sunday.  Just have to think up some meals and get it done!

[BigBigote]

Count me in!

[UnleashHell]

I'm in - for most of it.  I have eaten out for the one lunch I forgot to take to work - $5 on a sandwich and some fruit.
however all bets are off at the end of September as we head back to Europe for a wedding and vacation. not a chance of eating in much.

[purplepear]

Keep up the good work! :) I was invited out to lunch 3 times this week, and every time I declined and chose to do yoga during lunch then eat at my desk instead. My only slip-up: someone ordered a pizza last night, and I totally had a slice. Total spent this week eating out: $2

I plan on cooking meals for the week this Sunday. I'm also curious to see how my grocery bill is affected by eating-in all month. I still project that I will cut my total Food budget in half this month by not eating out. It's that bad.

[Rage]

When I'm not working, I'm shopping for groceries, cooking, or washing dishes.  When I walk barefoot in my kitchen, the bottoms of my feet quickly become coated with pepper seeds, corn meal, flecks of garlic and onion skin, and various unidentifiable ingredients. 

I think the problem is an excess of ambition.  Time to scale it back.  No more fancy meals: hamburger helper and ramen for the rest of the month!

[fireferrets]

But I do have a Pinterest board for "Things I'm cooking this week". That way I know exactly where to find all the recipes I'm going to cook once I get in the kitchen.

I am going to start doing this - so awesome. We are always drooling over amazing food pics on Pinterest.

[Jellyfish]

Ugh! This is my achilles heel, right here.  Especially if you include ordering delivery. I'm going to simply try to "reduce" my expenditures this month by an appreciable amount.  Cold turkey is just not in my grasp....yet.

[purplepear]

Work Week #2 is basically done. This week...

• Groceries: $30
• Eating out: $2 for a tea at the local coffee shop. Worth it to spend several hours there reading and hanging out.
• $$$ saved (so far) based on usual monthly food budget: $150

Keep up the good work!

[carozy]

I like your tally purplepear.

Here's mine.

groceries: $14.60 (including 2 bananas on sale for $0.27)
eating out: $0 yay!

Luckily I was stocked on food already.  Still am.

I will be going out to eat at least once this month for my friend's husband's birthday.  To make up for it, I'll try to not buy more groceries and eat up the food I have in the house already.

[purplepear]

This weekend was... not so successful. I ate out twice (once with friends, and once with family)... and spent $60 total.

That's 2 weeks worth of groceries! :(

No plans to eat out this week or next, so hopefully that's my only slip-up for the month.

[YoungMoney]

My slip ups are one latte with almond milk--$5.67, one breakfast taco - $4.05, and Vietnamese food with my husband-$31.45. Other than that, I'm making coffee at home, and taking food to work for lunch/afternoon snack.  We've made some great dinners at home including crock pot meals, soups, and last night breakfast-for-dinner. 

[1967mama]

Slipped up and took 2 kids to McDonald's for a milkshake.  Rejoining here will strengthen my resolve. It REALLY worked for me when I joined August 1/2 way through the challenge, and now here I am, joining September, 1/2 way through the challenge! Maybe I ought to start October on the first day of the month!

[carozy]

I slipped up to and had In N Out ($7.75) over the weekend.  Other than that, I've been good.

[norabird]

Might try to do this for myself for now through the end of the month...I really cannot afford to eat out one more time!

[Rage]

Boom! Made it.  Time to celebrate with some delivery pizza, no?

[purplepear]

yeah... I didn't do so well this month. But I did still manage to save ~$150 off my average food spending. I think that's just from the first two weeks of the month that I actually stuck to the challenge.

Better luck next time.