BeckyFL Posted September 23, 2010 Share Posted September 23, 2010 Well.... I can officially say that my whole mind-set has changed. We used to enjoy eating out.... sometimes after church or dinner on a weekend or even a weeknight. If I was extremely busy or neglected to decide what I would cook, there would be a temptation to get pizza or Taco Bell. We probably ate out once a week. We looked for coupons or shared meals, but I still started to feel it was a waste of money. For the last 6 months I have tried to change that by planning ahead, not always too far in advance. Sometimes I just plan that morning what we'll have to eat for dinner. We've done it. We just KNOW that we are eating at home. Even when I was sick last week, dh helped me and we got dinner on the table. What has happened is pretty amazing. I don't want to eat out. We had a restaurant.com certificate to use and it was just more of a hassle to figure out when we were going than it was an enjoyment. Afterwards, even with the savings, by the time we paid the tip it was $15 for 3 of us. I can cook something so much better for less. I'm also loving that fact that I always know what I'm eating. Our pizzas are homemade every Wednesday instead of Hungry Howies. Our tacos are made with grass-fed beef and MY spices. If I'm hungry for something, I go online, look for a recipe and make it. I control the ingredients, etc. I was just pondering the whole thing this morning... how a new habit can be formed over a certain period of time and you can actually change your whole way of thinking. Exciting stuff - for our wallet and our health! Thought I'd share. Now I need to figure out what other habits we need to tackle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thescrappyhomeschooler Posted September 23, 2010 Share Posted September 23, 2010 Excellent! I've been trying to do the same thing, but I haven't been as successful as you, yet! I'm going to remember this post for inspiration! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ma23peas Posted September 23, 2010 Share Posted September 23, 2010 Yep! We made the change, too!! It was the only 'discretionary' spending we could cut to get ourselves out of all debt and pay off mortgage much quicker....last night was pork chops, mashed potatoes and hand snapped green beans...tonight is salad...we eat better and collectively my husband/son/me (girls are underweight, go figure) have lost 8 pounds this week! :) We feel great and get in 5 hours of cardio a week...those two changes have helped us all immensely!! :) Great job on inspiring and doing well by your family! Tara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted September 23, 2010 Share Posted September 23, 2010 Wonderful! We have cut our eating out tremendously, but we do occasionally eat out. It isn't usually just leave the home and eat out, it is usually while we are out and just didn't know it would take that long, etc.... But we have cut our eating out budget to around $50/month, which changes the way we look at eating out! We also still do eat out on vacation. Dawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kwickimom Posted September 23, 2010 Share Posted September 23, 2010 We only eat once a month, and its chinese cause I cant cook it :-) I can make anything else we want. we can have organic steak and potatoes for half the price of eating out. it has saved us a TON of money and we are eating 100% healthier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danybug Posted September 23, 2010 Share Posted September 23, 2010 We eat out waaaaay to much. I am often thinking about how much money we would save each month if we broke the habit or at least cut it back. The hundreds of dollars could definitely go to better use. We always loosely say we are going to cut back, but never truly follow through. I just hate cooking dinner, planning what to have and having the ingredients on hand. So, basically the whole process! I think when we get back from the vacation were taking next week, we will start a new plan to tackle our eating out habit. Thanks for the inspiration! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JenC3 Posted September 23, 2010 Share Posted September 23, 2010 We eat out waaaaay to much. I am often thinking about how much money we would save each month if we broke the habit or at least cut it back. The hundreds of dollars could definitely go to better use. We always loosely say we are going to cut back, but never truly follow through. I just hate cooking dinner, planning what to have and having the ingredients on hand. So, basically the whole process! I think when we get back from the vacation were taking next week, we will start a new plan to tackle our eating out habit. Thanks for the inspiration! Look into going to one of those Dream Dinner type places to get you started. You could actually just spend the $100 to get like 10 meals that you didn't have to worry about other month and then worry about the other 20 or so days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meet me in paris Posted September 23, 2010 Share Posted September 23, 2010 Congratulations! We are on that track... not all the way there yet, but on the way. We love to eat breakfast out every now and again. And when I eat out it's more of a social thing than a food thing - a mom's night out with the hs group or with friends. Usually I can make better food at home (but sometimes I just don't want to!). ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjbeach Posted September 23, 2010 Share Posted September 23, 2010 We're there as well. We shifted about a year ago. I think it's a combination of health and frugality that has led to it. And personally I like eclectic, hole-in-the-wall type places, but they're few and far between here now. It's so hard for small places to do well in this economy and I am SO tired of the chains. I like good Italian and can't find a decent Italian here. If I'm going to be eat out, it had better be worth it, kwim? And I hate the waste involved with eating out with 3 small children. So much gets wasted or taken home and never eaten. Congrats!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ali in OR Posted September 23, 2010 Share Posted September 23, 2010 I cook most of our meals from scratch and I know when we are traveling we get sick of eating out--we just want our favorite home-cooked food. But due to kid activities, we plan to eat one meal out each week for the next couple of months. October will be especially busy--kid activities that run until 6 most nights of the week. There are some quick meals or crockpot meals that we can do, but it makes my life a little easier if I can pick one night each week that we will go out. And going out is just pizza more often than not. We can feed our family of 5 great local pizza for less than $20 here. It's a nice little treat for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MindyD Posted September 23, 2010 Share Posted September 23, 2010 We eat out waaaaay to much. I am often thinking about how much money we would save each month if we broke the habit or at least cut it back. The hundreds of dollars could definitely go to better use. We always loosely say we are going to cut back, but never truly follow through. I just hate cooking dinner, planning what to have and having the ingredients on hand. So, basically the whole process! I think when we get back from the vacation were taking next week, we will start a new plan to tackle our eating out habit. Thanks for the inspiration! Me too! I used to think that I just didn't like to cook, but I found out that I actually DO like to cook, but not with kids around. When my mil was staying with us for a few months, the kids would congregate with her when it was time for dinner and I found that I actually enjoyed cooking. It's the stopping and starting and dealing with the million things that come up that stress me out. It's so much easier to pile in the van and go somewhere. I do aspire to eat at home again though. One day...:glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alenee Posted September 23, 2010 Share Posted September 23, 2010 I went through a similar shift in the past few years. It's pretty rare for the whole family to go out but dh and I try to at least once a month for a date. I don't really like that now...we shouldn't be spending the money, and frankly, I have a stomach ache most nights after eating out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
runamuk Posted September 23, 2010 Share Posted September 23, 2010 We started cutting back on our trips to restaurants about 5 months ago and everyone seems happy about it. We were eating out 2-3 times a week. We're now eating out twice a month. I started by making a menu list for lunch and dinner. My husband teased me about it (asked why I hadn't made a menu for breakfast and snacks) but has come around to the idea - especially since we're saving so much money and we've all lost about 5 pounds. I use my crockpot and make double batches of several dishes to freeze, which makes making dinner easier. My husband gets home 45 minutes before we do two nights a week and makes sides to go with the meal in the crockpot or heats up whatever casserole is in the fridge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mejane Posted September 23, 2010 Share Posted September 23, 2010 I have come to hate eating out. It's crowded, noisy, and all I keep thinking is, "I could make this better for a lot less money." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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