Author Topic: Stop Eating at $&%@#$! Restaurants So Much 2016  (Read 14018 times)

SoccerLounge

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Stop Eating at $&%@#$! Restaurants So Much 2016
« on: July 01, 2016, 01:21:17 PM »
Like the title says... ;)

Until recently I've been eating out multiple times a week. It doesn't help that I have some awesome local-food restaurants near me that make it far too easy, ethically and food-quality speaking.

But my cashflow is FEELING THE PAIN.

My current goal: Eat at one of these places, once per week. Every other meal the entire week, make myself. It's not work lunches that are the problem - I already take those along!

My food spend last month was too damn high (insert meme here). So let's do this! Fellow restaurant addicts, feel free to join!

dougules

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Re: Stop Eating at $&%@#$! Restaurants So Much 2016
« Reply #1 on: July 01, 2016, 02:30:58 PM »
One strategy is to learn how to cook.  Do expect some spectacular failures up front, but it's part of the learning process.  See if you can work your way up to replicating your favorite restaurant meals.  Not to toot my own horn, but DH has begrudgingly admitted my cooking has ruined restaurant food for him. 

Economies of cooking are difficult if you're single, but take this as a chance to be social and invite people over for meals.  For some dishes you can also make big meals then have the leftovers for several more meals. 
« Last Edit: July 01, 2016, 02:34:18 PM by dougules »

21runner

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Re: Stop Eating at $&%@#$! Restaurants So Much 2016
« Reply #2 on: July 01, 2016, 02:45:30 PM »
One strategy is to learn how to cook. 

I'm working on this now. If it wasn't for my girlfriend wanting to go out to eat every now and then (which is fine) I'd be eating at 0 restaurants. I still have a ways to go with my cooking skills though...

cityfolks

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Re: Stop Eating at $&%@#$! Restaurants So Much 2016
« Reply #3 on: July 01, 2016, 02:46:31 PM »
I've fallen off the cooking-at-home bandwagon lately, a combination of a small kitchen and hot weather, but the solution should be/should have been easier meals instead of eating out more.

Eating out less will be doubly beneficial for me because we're moving at the end of the month, so a little extra money and a little less to move will be appreciated!

Metric Mouse

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Re: Stop Eating at $&%@#$! Restaurants So Much 2016
« Reply #4 on: July 02, 2016, 01:24:54 AM »
Do food trucks count? Because I totally up my food truck intake during the summer. Nothing better than a ride through the hills, down along the river and then into downtown for a quick bite with a friend.

Nederstash

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Re: Stop Eating at $&%@#$! Restaurants So Much 2016
« Reply #5 on: July 02, 2016, 05:38:23 AM »
I just tallied up my expenses for June and by all that is holy, I suck big time. Ordering in is a massive problem for me. A big part of that is laziness.

Yesterday's takeout was 14 euro (equal to dollar btw). I've decided to set myself a total of 100 euro for the entire month, just to teach myself some restraint. So 86 euro and 30 days left! Single person btw. With some careful planning and less meat and cheese, I should be able to do it. Also a good time to eat down the pantry!

SoccerLounge

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Re: Stop Eating at $&%@#$! Restaurants So Much 2016
« Reply #6 on: July 02, 2016, 07:02:05 AM »
One strategy is to learn how to cook.
Um... how do you think I'm getting all the other food I eat? :D

In my case, the problem isn't that I can't or don't know how to cook. It's that the siren song of Going Out To Eat, as an experience, has been far too strong for me. I actually love to cook; if I didn't, I can only imagine how much worse this problem would be!!

And yep, food trucks count ;) As does takeout, ordering in... etc. Basically "everything you don't prepare at home with groceries you bought."

Today, there could have been a brunch. But instead, there were egg sandwiches, coffee, and the best breakfast food of all: savings!
« Last Edit: July 02, 2016, 07:04:18 AM by SoccerLounge »

Basenji

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Re: Stop Eating at $&%@#$! Restaurants So Much 2016
« Reply #7 on: July 02, 2016, 07:31:40 AM »
I'll play. This is an issue for us, too. Takeout, restaurants. Do you have a strategy in place? My thing is needing to really plan meals, use the pantry, and shop regularly for food.

SoccerLounge

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Re: Stop Eating at $&%@#$! Restaurants So Much 2016
« Reply #8 on: July 02, 2016, 04:16:57 PM »
Do you have a strategy in place? My thing is needing to really plan meals, use the pantry, and shop regularly for food.

Yep, although it's about as complex as "Stop going out for brunch and dinner, you clown!!" :D

About the bolded part: Right now, I've changed the way I shop for groceries. Formerly, I just went once per week and bought everything I needed for the meals I didn't eat at restaurants - which was still most of my meals, per above. But I realized that part of why I liked to eat out so much was that it was Going Out To Do A Thing. So, I've broken (some) of my grocery shopping down so that I can do it with multiple trips per week. When I feel that urge to go out to a restaurant, I instead go out to the grocery store(s), buy some interesting groceries, then make food with them. I don't have kids or etc, so it's easier for me to do this sort of thing spontaneously. :)

gggggg

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Re: Stop Eating at $&%@#$! Restaurants So Much 2016
« Reply #9 on: July 02, 2016, 06:01:11 PM »
Yeah you can save a ton cooking at home. I almost never go out to eat; if I do, it's because there's some sort of family/friend gathering.

Stachey

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Re: Stop Eating at $&%@#$! Restaurants So Much 2016
« Reply #10 on: July 03, 2016, 01:19:36 PM »
I make grocery shopping part of my exercise routine.  I walk to the grocery and haul groceries back (good arm workout).  And because there is only so much I can carry it means I have to make two or three treks to the grocery store per week.

It seems like a lot of MMMers are strongly self motivated to exercise so maybe this is an option for you...make grocery shopping part of something that you enjoy?

Metric Mouse

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Re: Stop Eating at $&%@#$! Restaurants So Much 2016
« Reply #11 on: July 03, 2016, 06:33:47 PM »
One strategy is to learn how to cook.
Um... how do you think I'm getting all the other food I eat? :D

In my case, the problem isn't that I can't or don't know how to cook. It's that the siren song of Going Out To Eat, as an experience, has been far too strong for me. I actually love to cook; if I didn't, I can only imagine how much worse this problem would be!!

And yep, food trucks count ;) As does takeout, ordering in... etc.

Psh. I'm out! I no longer have the willpower to deprive myself of awesome summer experiences for a few dollars of net worth.

SoccerLounge

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Re: Stop Eating at $&%@#$! Restaurants So Much 2016
« Reply #12 on: July 03, 2016, 07:01:04 PM »
One strategy is to learn how to cook.
Um... how do you think I'm getting all the other food I eat? :D

In my case, the problem isn't that I can't or don't know how to cook. It's that the siren song of Going Out To Eat, as an experience, has been far too strong for me. I actually love to cook; if I didn't, I can only imagine how much worse this problem would be!!

And yep, food trucks count ;) As does takeout, ordering in... etc.

Psh. I'm out! I no longer have the willpower to deprive myself of awesome summer experiences for a few dollars of net worth.
Who said you had to? The title of this thread says the goal is to stop eating out So Much, not to Completely Stop Eating Out. :) Once a week is only my personal setpoint; it doesn't have to be everyone's. Food trucks several times a week but no other dining out might be yours, for example.
« Last Edit: July 03, 2016, 07:03:35 PM by SoccerLounge »

Metric Mouse

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Re: Stop Eating at $&%@#$! Restaurants So Much 2016
« Reply #13 on: July 03, 2016, 07:04:15 PM »
One strategy is to learn how to cook.
Um... how do you think I'm getting all the other food I eat? :D

In my case, the problem isn't that I can't or don't know how to cook. It's that the siren song of Going Out To Eat, as an experience, has been far too strong for me. I actually love to cook; if I didn't, I can only imagine how much worse this problem would be!!

And yep, food trucks count ;) As does takeout, ordering in... etc.

Psh. I'm out! I no longer have the willpower to deprive myself of awesome summer experiences for a few dollars of net worth.
Who said you had to? Once a week is my setpoint; it doesn't have to be everyone's. Food trucks several times a week but nothing else, for example, might be yours.

I was just publicly acknowledging my weakness, in hopes that the shame I felt and barrage of face punches by people with much more developed and shapely frugality muscles might spur me to positive action...

GuitarStv

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Re: Stop Eating at $&%@#$! Restaurants So Much 2016
« Reply #14 on: July 03, 2016, 07:28:44 PM »
I purchased an ice cream for my son from a food truck today, which ends our not eating out streak for this year.

SoccerLounge

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Re: Stop Eating at $&%@#$! Restaurants So Much 2016
« Reply #15 on: July 03, 2016, 07:29:46 PM »
I was just publicly acknowledging my weakness, in hopes that the shame I felt and barrage of face punches by people with much more developed and shapely frugality muscles might spur me to positive action...

Oh, well, in that case:


.x.

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Re: Stop Eating at $&%@#$! Restaurants So Much 2016
« Reply #16 on: July 08, 2016, 08:27:58 PM »
Do you have a strategy in place? My thing is needing to really plan meals, use the pantry, and shop regularly for food.

Yep, although it's about as complex as "Stop going out for brunch and dinner, you clown!!" :D

About the bolded part: Right now, I've changed the way I shop for groceries. Formerly, I just went once per week and bought everything I needed for the meals I didn't eat at restaurants - which was still most of my meals, per above. But I realized that part of why I liked to eat out so much was that it was Going Out To Do A Thing. So, I've broken (some) of my grocery shopping down so that I can do it with multiple trips per week. When I feel that urge to go out to a restaurant, I instead go out to the grocery store(s), buy some interesting groceries, then make food with them. I don't have kids or etc, so it's easier for me to do this sort of thing spontaneously. :)


I think this is a really interesting idea!
I miss shopping.  Just random shopping.
But if I broke down the grocery shopping into a few trips, I would be shopping!
I think this has a potential for big fail for me, lol, but could use it on the days when I am craving shopping.

SoccerLounge

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Re: Stop Eating at $&%@#$! Restaurants So Much 2016
« Reply #17 on: July 09, 2016, 09:51:39 PM »
Update, first week! I've been good and met my target with one meal out (count it), plus a thing I forgot to account for in the initial post, which is that I also permit myself one 'coffee shop coffee' per week. And that one really IS just so I can keep giving an excellent local place my custom. I very nearly erred the other day, at which time I was tempted to go get a big juicy burger from a local eaterie, but I got a hold of myself and made sloppy joes at home instead :)

How's everyone else doing?

Metric Mouse

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Re: Stop Eating at $&%@#$! Restaurants So Much 2016
« Reply #18 on: July 11, 2016, 01:26:02 PM »
Update, first week! I've been good and met my target with one meal out (count it), plus a thing I forgot to account for in the initial post, which is that I also permit myself one 'coffee shop coffee' per week. And that one really IS just so I can keep giving an excellent local place my custom. I very nearly erred the other day, at which time I was tempted to go get a big juicy burger from a local eaterie, but I got a hold of myself and made sloppy joes at home instead :)

How's everyone else doing?

Great work!

Impressive self control.

mm1970

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Re: Stop Eating at $&%@#$! Restaurants So Much 2016
« Reply #19 on: July 11, 2016, 04:03:08 PM »
I purchased an ice cream for my son from a food truck today, which ends our not eating out streak for this year.
Whoa.  I'm not worthy.

We go hot and cold.  When traveling, which we just did for a few weeks, I give in a lot more.

At home, it's hard because a lot of the social activities involve eating out.  Nobody wants to host in their homes anymore.  Which I get, because I don't either!

Just yesterday, a dual party at a casual restaurant.  I ate before we went.  Just me and the little guy.  I bought him food because everyone else was eating it.  It was $7.  He never finishes.  So I finished it for him.  One of the parties hosted beer and snacks, so I had beer and snacks.  If the whole family went and ate lunch it would have been $35.

Even just little get togethers get expensive.  We went to a concert this past week.  It's at a park with a playground, so there was no way that I was going to actually get to sit on the grass and listen to music - I knew I'd be chasing the kiddo.  Anyway, I packed up the backpack with dinner - carrots, string cheese, strawberries, water, chips, cookies.  Whatever we had that was portable.  Fine, right?  Except everyone else brings takeout pizza and burritos.  So, our food looks lame.  In the end, we happened to see some friends and my little guy snagged a piece of their pizza.  I hate that.  I feel like a mooch.  But I don't want to buy takeout pizza!  And I have no good reason to say no to him when they've got extra and are offering.  "Here, you want pizza??" (I'm happy to share our food too, but nobody was excited about carrot sticks.)

stoaX

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Re: Stop Eating at $&%@#$! Restaurants So Much 2016
« Reply #20 on: July 11, 2016, 04:13:18 PM »
Probably not practical, but another strategy would be to secure part time work in a restaurant.  I worked in a number of restaurants in my youth and the substandard sanitary conditions I often times saw dampened my enthusiasm for eating out... saving me big bucks over the years.   

clarkai

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Re: Stop Eating at $&%@#$! Restaurants So Much 2016
« Reply #21 on: July 11, 2016, 06:22:40 PM »
We also just recently decided to cut back on our eating out because we need to be much more frugal overall. Our goal is to not eat out (or eat any pre-prepared foods, e.g., sandwiches) unless we are eating out with friends or family. And even then we have to at least suggest doing it potluck style or taking turns making dinner.

mamagoose

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Re: Stop Eating at $&%@#$! Restaurants So Much 2016
« Reply #22 on: July 11, 2016, 06:40:56 PM »
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!

SoccerLounge

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Re: Stop Eating at $&%@#$! Restaurants So Much 2016
« Reply #23 on: July 11, 2016, 06:51:19 PM »
Something that occurred to me today: I can only imagine how tricky this would be if I didn't already love to cook. (Making an awesome turkey-black bean-quinoa pasta thing right now! Bam!) Does anyone who doesn't like to cook have any tips to share on breaking the restaurant habit, from that perspective?

dougules

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Re: Stop Eating at $&%@#$! Restaurants So Much 2016
« Reply #24 on: July 12, 2016, 12:51:50 PM »
One strategy is to learn how to cook.
Um... how do you think I'm getting all the other food I eat? :D

In my case, the problem isn't that I can't or don't know how to cook. It's that the siren song of Going Out To Eat, as an experience, has been far too strong for me. I actually love to cook; if I didn't, I can only imagine how much worse this problem would be!!

And yep, food trucks count ;) As does takeout, ordering in... etc. Basically "everything you don't prepare at home with groceries you bought."

Today, there could have been a brunch. But instead, there were egg sandwiches, coffee, and the best breakfast food of all: savings!

If you can cook you've got a huge advantage.  I just assumed because I think most of the people going crazy at restaurants are there because they can't cook.  Learning is definitely a process, but it's one that pays dividends.   

Eating out is about being out as much as the food for me too.  Maybe you could find a picnic table in a nice park somewhere to eat some good homecooked food while enjoying the experience?  I use the coffee shop idea, too.  A $3 coffee is still way cheaper than a $10 meal if all you really want is a place to be out of the house. Plus the coffee shop is more comfortable.

I miss shopping.  Just random shopping.
But if I broke down the grocery shopping into a few trips, I would be shopping!
I think this has a potential for big fail for me, lol, but could use it on the days when I am craving shopping.

I've never really had the retail therapy urge, but groceries are the one exception to that.  Going more often could potentially be bad for the budget.

Does anyone who doesn't like to cook have any tips to share on breaking the restaurant habit, from that perspective?

One thing that worked for me as a fat guy was just trying to lose weight.  Myfitnesspal brought our restaurant spending down quite a bit even before MMM came along. 
« Last Edit: July 12, 2016, 12:56:06 PM by dougules »

SoccerLounge

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Re: Stop Eating at $&%@#$! Restaurants So Much 2016
« Reply #25 on: July 16, 2016, 06:09:58 PM »
Update! So long as I don't backslide tomorrow, I've met my goal for this week too. Although there was a close call yesterday: I forgot I'd had my weekly 'small thing' and was halfway to the coffee shop before I remembered. I decided to go home instead. And then made an Americano using my espresso maker. :)

Astreja

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Re: Stop Eating at $&%@#$! Restaurants So Much 2016
« Reply #26 on: July 29, 2016, 09:00:06 PM »
Restaurant food is my Achilles heel, too.  To add insult to injury, both my daughter and I are very good cooks and 95% of the time our leftovers are better than local fare-for-$$$.

About 2 months ago I started recording everything I spend on a spreadsheet.  Seeing that fast food expenditures were almost as much as the regular grocery bill was a major shock, and I've made more of an effort to eat in.  I still like an early evening coffee run, though, but I actually sit down and think about it rather than just jumping in the car, and I don't do it every single day.

The night I'm most likely to eat out is Wednesday, as I regularly go out on Wednesday nights and get back no earlier than 9:30.  Even there I've made a bit of progress by eating something substantial at home right after work, and having something light later in the evening.

SoccerLounge

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Re: Stop Eating at $&%@#$! Restaurants So Much 2016
« Reply #27 on: July 29, 2016, 10:05:40 PM »
Fell off the wagon big-time today. It was worth it as a gastronomic experience, but the price tag? Eesh.

Still, onward and upward. Time to look for some new recipes to keep me in the kitchen! I think this week I'm going to attempt to make some decent banh mi.

swick

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Re: Stop Eating at $&%@#$! Restaurants So Much 2016
« Reply #28 on: July 30, 2016, 09:09:41 AM »
Just popping in to say hi and I'm enjoying reading everyones' experiences.   This is something we have struggled with in the past, we basically discovered we ere eating out for two main purposes -

1. We wanted to gain some new inspiration or have something that would be too labour intensive/require too many specialized ingredients to want to bother cooking at home. I come from a family of chefs and foodies so am a pretty good cook and probably more importantly, appreciate good food.

2. We forgot to plan/prep and/or are feeling lazy.

We found out we were going out way more because of option 2. So have come up with a few standard quick meals we can pull off with pantry staples. This has helped.

Also, we calculated what it would cost us to buy a "day of freedom forever" 50.00 is 1/35 of a day for us. So you look at a meal out that is going to be AT LEAST 50.00 (Cdn pricing) because we don't do fast food and we ask ourselves if it is worth 1/35 of a day of freedom and the general response is "Fuck no, let's pull on our adult panties and make some food!"

marble_faun

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Re: Stop Eating at $&%@#$! Restaurants So Much 2016
« Reply #29 on: July 30, 2016, 12:37:42 PM »
I NEED this thread.  Food is one of our largest expenses (two adults).  A *conservative* estimate of our restaurant costs is $1,000/month.  This includes take-out, delivery, brunch, lunch out during working hours almost every day, restaurants almost every night, etc. 

In addition I subscribe to one of those meal kit services where they send you a box of food to cook every week.  This actually *saves* us money since I don't go out when I have one of these meals to eat (six meals per box = $10/meal).  Using this service has taught me how to cook over the last year.  So I consider it worth it, though eventually I want to wean myself off of it.

But then we ALSO have very wasteful grocery store habits.  I'm constantly buying more food than we need and throwing away the excess. 

We probably spend at least $1,500/month on food, if not more, making it our biggest expense.   

(Part of the problem is that my spouse has particular dietary needs that I do not share. So we have to make meals separately when we eat at home.)


I want to transition to making big crock pot/casserole dishes and storing them so I can eat all week on a few meals.  Does anyone have favorite web sites for finding good recipes?

Advice for how to safely store the cooked food would be good as well.  I've gotten over my long-time aversion to leftovers, but I am still not in the habit of freezing anything.  How to maintain freshness?  How long will it keep in the fridge before we need to freeze?  How long will it keep in the freezer? This kind of knowledge would really help, so if anyone has tips, I am all ears!
« Last Edit: July 30, 2016, 12:41:44 PM by marble_faun »

SoccerLounge

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Re: Stop Eating at $&%@#$! Restaurants So Much 2016
« Reply #30 on: July 30, 2016, 05:06:13 PM »
We probably spend at least $1,500/month on food, if not more, making it our biggest expense.
Holy tapdancing shit! That's ten times what some folks on this forum spend! (My food spend, even with occasional restaurant allowance per this thread, averages to about 300/mo).

Dietary needs are part of it, and you definitely have to take that into account. But a big part of this is getting away from the idea that you're just going to do a bunch of crock-pot meals, and start opening up to the idea of loving to cook. When you start to really enjoy cooking - and it doesn't take long, by the way - preparing food for yourself becomes way less of a chore and way more of a fun activity. Yes, sure, there are always those times when you just think "I don't wannaaaaa..." and stare longingly at the takeout menus, but most of the time, if you love to cook, you will instead think things like "Right, I have X and Y and Z ingredients. What can I invent with those today?" (Nothing wrong with recipes, of course. But for me, the real fun of the kitchen is in creation.)

Quote
Advice for how to safely store the cooked food would be good as well.  I've gotten over my long-time aversion to leftovers, but I am still not in the habit of freezing anything.  How to maintain freshness?  How long will it keep in the fridge before we need to freeze?  How long will it keep in the freezer? This kind of knowledge would really help, so if anyone has tips, I am all ears!

That really depends on what type of food it is, because the results can be rather different for different foods (except frozen, when almost everything lasts 'a few months' and it's really more about how and what you can freeze in the first place). The best bet there is a Google search for whatever you want to store. I still do this when I want to store or freeze something I've never made before. You often pick up useful preservation tips for that specific thing that a general approach wouldn't give you.

monstermonster

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Re: Stop Eating at $&%@#$! Restaurants So Much 2016
« Reply #31 on: July 30, 2016, 07:54:40 PM »
Can I join this gauntlet? My restaurant spending for last month clocked in at $39.50, and I've been averaging $30.97/month this year on food alone. If you include drinks at bars, I am averaging $84/month!

I really would like to get that down closer to ~$50 for the month for both booze and food. I mainly end up eating out because I have to work an event at a bar or I'm traveling for work.

Here's my averages - red is restaurants, orange is bars. I'm going to try to keep my spending at ~$50 total bars/restaurants monthly for the rest of the year.

(May I traveled cross-country twice, including a trip to NYC, which is why the total is so high that month).


marble_faun

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Re: Stop Eating at $&%@#$! Restaurants So Much 2016
« Reply #32 on: July 31, 2016, 10:20:56 AM »
We probably spend at least $1,500/month on food, if not more, making it our biggest expense.
Holy tapdancing shit! That's ten times what some folks on this forum spend! (My food spend, even with occasional restaurant allowance per this thread, averages to about 300/mo).

I know, it's completely shameful.  I didn't even realize it until a couple days ago when I started budgeting and looking at our past expenses.

This morning we decided not to go out for brunch -- which we often do multiple times per week.  Having one less brunch meal per week would save us almost $2,000/year. 

We decided that one take-out meal and one restaurant meal per week would be our new limit.  And so the savings begin!

SoccerLounge

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Re: Stop Eating at $&%@#$! Restaurants So Much 2016
« Reply #33 on: July 31, 2016, 02:27:10 PM »
We decided that one take-out meal and one restaurant meal per week would be our new limit.  And so the savings begin!

That's a bit like mine - one restaurant meal, and one 'small thing'. The latter is actually quite easy not to do as I usually prefer to drink my own coffee (and not get takeout or anything), so it's mainly there so I don't Feel Bad the few times a month I do indulge at the local coffee place or whatever. If you make the 'small thing' flexible - mine was originally only for a coffee/muffin out, but I decided later to just have it cover any comparable small bite or drink - you can kind of hold it in reserve for when you need it.

This last week, though, has been... I'm going to be honest here: bad. I fell off the wagon big-time, eating out four times, one of which was at a rather expensive establishment. After a month of good control I'm a bit annoyed that I fell off the wagon that hard, relatively speaking. Onward and upward, though!

marble_faun

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Re: Stop Eating at $&%@#$! Restaurants So Much 2016
« Reply #34 on: August 01, 2016, 08:37:11 PM »
Okay, so far I am sticking to my LESS RESTAURANTS!!!!! plan. 

Mondays are the busiest day of the week for me.  In the past I routinely ate out for all three meals: a croissant with a latte for breakfast ($8); a grilled chicken caesar salad take-out for lunch ($9 or thereabouts); and a take-out Thai food meal for dinner ($23-ish).  That totals about $40 in food.

Today I made my own latte.  Had a bag of cashews for lunch.  Made a tuna sandwich plus some chips for dinner.  Total costs were probably something like $5.

It's less food than I normally eat, but I somehow did not get hungry at all.

If I keep this up every week, that's about $1,800 in savings per year! 

brooklynmoney

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Re: Stop Eating at $&%@#$! Restaurants So Much 2016
« Reply #35 on: August 01, 2016, 08:43:32 PM »
I need to join this challenge. I eat out an absurd amount. And I never used to do takeout but I've been using Seamless a lot. I need to get more regimented. The only way I ever succeed is eating the exact same thing every day so I only have to shop and cook 1x a week.

Libertea

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Re: Stop Eating at $&%@#$! Restaurants So Much 2016
« Reply #36 on: August 03, 2016, 03:55:43 PM »
I don't limit my food expenses or even have a budget per se.  What I do instead is give myself a set amount of money to use for all living expenses each month.  When it's gone, it's gone.  So if I want to use my "discretionary" part of that money to go out to eat, that's fine, but it means cutting back somewhere else, or taking the risk of running out of money (which incidentally, has never happened so far).  I do like to cook, and I find that I only go out to eat a few times per month naturally.  When I do go out, it's generally for things I don't feel comfortable making for myself, like sushi.  Most other meals, I prefer my own over other people's anyway.

My biggest Achilles heel is candy.  I have done pretty well with cutting that back too, but it's a constant battle.  Fortunately, junk food is not generally very expensive, at least not financially. :-p

Metric Mouse

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Re: Stop Eating at $&%@#$! Restaurants So Much 2016
« Reply #37 on: August 04, 2016, 05:00:07 AM »
I don't limit my food expenses or even have a budget per se.  What I do instead is give myself a set amount of money to use for all living expenses each month.  When it's gone, it's gone.  So if I want to use my "discretionary" part of that money to go out to eat, that's fine, but it means cutting back somewhere else, or taking the risk of running out of money (which incidentally, has never happened so far).  I do like to cook, and I find that I only go out to eat a few times per month naturally.  When I do go out, it's generally for things I don't feel comfortable making for myself, like sushi.  Most other meals, I prefer my own over other people's anyway.

My biggest Achilles heel is candy.  I have done pretty well with cutting that back too, but it's a constant battle.  Fortunately, junk food is not generally very expensive, at least not financially. :-p

You can totally make sushi and sashimi yourself. It's super easy, yummy and really fun. Like cooking, only, no heat. (Excepting the rice, I guess)

Libertea

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Re: Stop Eating at $&%@#$! Restaurants So Much 2016
« Reply #38 on: August 04, 2016, 06:31:31 AM »
You can totally make sushi and sashimi yourself. It's super easy, yummy and really fun. Like cooking, only, no heat. (Excepting the rice, I guess)
I do want to learn.  It's on my list for after I semi-retire. :-)

dougules

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Re: Stop Eating at $&%@#$! Restaurants So Much 2016
« Reply #39 on: August 05, 2016, 10:02:05 AM »
I don't limit my food expenses or even have a budget per se.  What I do instead is give myself a set amount of money to use for all living expenses each month.  When it's gone, it's gone.  So if I want to use my "discretionary" part of that money to go out to eat, that's fine, but it means cutting back somewhere else, or taking the risk of running out of money (which incidentally, has never happened so far).  I do like to cook, and I find that I only go out to eat a few times per month naturally.  When I do go out, it's generally for things I don't feel comfortable making for myself, like sushi.  Most other meals, I prefer my own over other people's anyway.

My biggest Achilles heel is candy.  I have done pretty well with cutting that back too, but it's a constant battle.  Fortunately, junk food is not generally very expensive, at least not financially. :-p

You can totally make sushi and sashimi yourself. It's super easy, yummy and really fun. Like cooking, only, no heat. (Excepting the rice, I guess)

Yes, and you can invite your friends over to roll em with you. 

Make sure to get good rice, vinegar, and fish. 

asauer

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Re: Stop Eating at $&%@#$! Restaurants So Much 2016
« Reply #40 on: August 09, 2016, 05:44:37 PM »
I just tallied up my expenses for June and by all that is holy, I suck big time. Ordering in is a massive problem for me. A big part of that is laziness.

Yesterday's takeout was 14 euro (equal to dollar btw). I've decided to set myself a total of 100 euro for the entire month, just to teach myself some restraint. So 86 euro and 30 days left! Single person btw. With some careful planning and less meat and cheese, I should be able to do it. Also a good time to eat down the pantry!

This!  You are my doppelganger.  I said this exact thing to myself yesterday. I need this challenge.

monstermonster

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Re: Stop Eating at $&%@#$! Restaurants So Much 2016
« Reply #41 on: August 09, 2016, 05:47:17 PM »
Well, 9 days into the month, and $0 spent at restaurants. I will probably spend about $10-$12 at a fundraiser on Friday, I'm hoping that's my only restaurant for the month.

SoccerLounge

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Re: Stop Eating at $&%@#$! Restaurants So Much 2016
« Reply #42 on: August 09, 2016, 08:15:53 PM »
I was tempted by the local burger joint again today, but manfully (gender-of-choice-fully?) resisted! Instead, I made cornbread. This proved to be a good decision.

marble_faun

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Re: Stop Eating at $&%@#$! Restaurants So Much 2016
« Reply #43 on: August 09, 2016, 08:43:10 PM »
Restaurant transgressions: since starting on the Way of the Mustache, I have ordered pizza twice.  Both times because someone else wanted it.

I also got a couple bags of peanuts from a vending machine.

Aside from this, I have cooked all of my own meals.  Not too bad for a habitual "multiple meals out every day" person! 

1967mama

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Re: Stop Eating at $&%@#$! Restaurants So Much 2016
« Reply #44 on: August 10, 2016, 12:00:00 PM »
marblefun, I've broken the order pizza habit by keeping a frozen pizza in the freezer. You can heat up the oven and cook it before the pizza delivery car would have arrived! Try different flavours until you find one that is a reasonable facsimile of takeout. YMMV

icemodeled

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Re: Stop Eating at $&%@#$! Restaurants So Much 2016
« Reply #45 on: August 10, 2016, 12:09:29 PM »
We have been eating out about 2x a week and normally spend around $150 a month on dining out. It's so hard not to! We do not eat out because of laziness, we rarely eat fast food and we never order pizza. It's also not that we can't cook, we fix some great tasting food at home that we love. We just plain enjoy the experiences of trying new restaurants and visiting some favorites. The food of course is good but it's also for fun socializing and spending time together. I am one of those who takes pics of their food to, haha. I know it's still a waste of money.. It would be great if we could cut back to once a week also. Maybe do a no eat out month! That'd be tough..

Libertea

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Re: Stop Eating at $&%@#$! Restaurants So Much 2016
« Reply #46 on: August 10, 2016, 02:13:17 PM »
Have any of you tried making your favorite restaurant food at home?  My mom bought me a cookbook from a local restaurant we both really like, and it's been fun going through it and trying some of the recipes myself.  Not to mention that I can substitute ingredients to my heart's content, which I readily admit to doing. 

Kaspian

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Re: Stop Eating at $&%@#$! Restaurants So Much 2016
« Reply #47 on: August 10, 2016, 02:22:38 PM »
I make grocery shopping part of my exercise routine.  I walk to the grocery and haul groceries back (good arm workout).  And because there is only so much I can carry it means I have to make two or three treks to the grocery store per week.

It seems like a lot of MMMers are strongly self motivated to exercise so maybe this is an option for you...make grocery shopping part of something that you enjoy?

You too, huh?!  Whether it's get home dripping with sweat during a hellfire heatwave or the frostbitten hoarfroast trek of Hoth, I look forward to it.   I get grumpy when (for some reason) I can't do it on a given week.

marble_faun

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Re: Stop Eating at $&%@#$! Restaurants So Much 2016
« Reply #48 on: August 10, 2016, 09:36:05 PM »
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 can't let myself give up!  I had *almost* three weeks of *almost* all self-cooked meals.   I've saved several hundred dollars at minimum.

And the restaurant food just tasted... bad.  These weren't fine dining experiences.  But all the junk really tasted like junk.

Gotta keep it going!  Back on the wagon!!

SoccerLounge

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Re: Stop Eating at $&%@#$! Restaurants So Much 2016
« Reply #49 on: August 10, 2016, 10:01:25 PM »
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...

I have avoided the Very Good Drive-In Burger five days in a row, so far. I'm thinking about making that my 'big' meal rather than ordering a small version with no side or drink and passing that off as my 'small thing'. Normally I go to my favorite local place but damn, those burgers are good! Other than that, I am saving a bunch of money by reducing my average eat-out frequency by over 75%.

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!