marbel Posted January 31, 2017 Share Posted January 31, 2017 This is somewhat tongue-in-cheek) I know we have a lot of threads that include lamenting about meal planning, cooking, etc. This is sort of one of those, but with an addition... My husband wants to go out to dinner tonight and I just don't want to. I used to love to eat out. Now, it just seems to be a waste of money for food I could cook at home. I get that when eating in a restaurant, we are paying for convenience and not having to plan, cook, clean, etc. I do get that. But I'm craving a burger. I'm perusing menus of likely places. I don't need a giant $14 burger, on a "brioche bun" no less. I'd be happy with a Wendy's burger off their value menu. On a regular hamburger bun! Less food but less $$$ too. Gah, I am hard to please, aren't I? :lol: :lol: :lol: I will be nice when we get to the restaurant, I promise. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kassia Posted January 31, 2017 Share Posted January 31, 2017 This is somewhat tongue-in-cheek) I know we have a lot of threads that include lamenting about meal planning, cooking, etc. This is sort of one of those, but with an addition... My husband wants to go out to dinner tonight and I just don't want to. I used to love to eat out. Now, it just seems to be a waste of money for food I could cook at home. I get that when eating in a restaurant, we are paying for convenience and not having to plan, cook, clean, etc. I do get that. But I'm craving a burger. I'm perusing menus of likely places. I don't need a giant $14 burger, on a "brioche bun" no less. I'd be happy with a Wendy's burger off their value menu. On a regular hamburger bun! Less food but less $$$ too. Gah, I am hard to please, aren't I? :lol: :lol: :lol: I will be nice when we get to the restaurant, I promise. Hope you enjoy your meal out! I have this issue, too. I like the idea of going out to eat, but I don't want the expense or the huge portions. Sometimes I'll just get an appetizer and that's less expensive and not so much food. I have friends who meet for dinner every month and it's always a fancy place that is expensive while I'd prefer something much simpler. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted January 31, 2017 Share Posted January 31, 2017 The nicest restaurant we eat at has burgers for less than $10 but they're still big. No matter what I order, I eat only half and take home the other half for lunch the next day. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mama25angels Posted January 31, 2017 Share Posted January 31, 2017 I'm with you, I hate dining out but I don't wanna cook either. How can I be lazy and cheap, lol 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted January 31, 2017 Share Posted January 31, 2017 (edited) I feel exactly the same way. Huge waste of money. But I don't want to cook either. If I could just stop needing to eat that would be ideal. Edited January 31, 2017 by SparklyUnicorn 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kassia Posted January 31, 2017 Share Posted January 31, 2017 The nicest restaurant we eat at has burgers for less than $10 but they're still big. No matter what I order, I eat only half and take home the other half for lunch the next day. My problem with that is I just want a cheeseburger and ketchup. No fries, no giant bun. So, I'm paying for all that food I don't even want - at home or in the restaurant. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marbel Posted January 31, 2017 Author Share Posted January 31, 2017 I feel exactly the same way. Huge waste of money. But I don't want to cook either. If I could just stop needing to eat that would be ideal. I could be happy eating very simply. It's these other people that I live with. But we have been down this road before, recently! 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted January 31, 2017 Share Posted January 31, 2017 If I didn't have two big teen boys our menu at home would be MUCH simpler. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Excelsior! Academy Posted January 31, 2017 Share Posted January 31, 2017 This is why I went to a rotating menu for a while. Monday was spaghetti, Tuesday was tacos, etc. It varied somewhat depending on ingredients at hand and life. My grocery shopping and meal prep was significantly simpler. The family survived. :D 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vintage81 Posted January 31, 2017 Share Posted January 31, 2017 I know exactly what you mean. I wish I could afford a personal chef...to have tasty food prepared in the comfort of my own home would be awesome. One can dream! 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted January 31, 2017 Share Posted January 31, 2017 Do you have a mid-range place, like 5 Guys, where the burgers are decent but you're not expected to tip? That might take the sting out. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eternalsummer Posted January 31, 2017 Share Posted January 31, 2017 think of the cows! Seriously, find a place with a mid-range burger ($7 or so) that uses grass fed beef. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted January 31, 2017 Share Posted January 31, 2017 My problem with that is I just want a cheeseburger and ketchup. No fries, no giant bun. So, I'm paying for all that food I don't even want - at home or in the restaurant. Same here. I might want one small part of a meal and there is just no way to get it. And no way to get sane amounts of food. And leftover certain items are just yucky. And I'm cheap. I could make burgers for everyone for $10. Not just one. But then I'm lazy. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Critterfixer Posted January 31, 2017 Share Posted January 31, 2017 I will be nice when we get to the restaurant, I promise. Have a great time, have a great burger, and I dare you to order a fancy drink. :laugh: 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted January 31, 2017 Share Posted January 31, 2017 think of the cows! Seriously, find a place with a mid-range burger ($7 or so) that uses grass fed beef. oddly I can't stand the taste of grass fed beef....at least not the Australian stuff they have in the store (this is not meant as a slam on Australian cows or Australians) Although with ground meat...even ground shoe can be acceptable with the right seasoning. But meh...There is nowhere I know of to get a $7 burger. Maybe McDds...and well... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted January 31, 2017 Share Posted January 31, 2017 Have a great time, have a great burger, and I dare you to order a fancy drink. :laugh: fancy drink!!! Who wants to spend $12 on a drink!!!! Not me... 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted January 31, 2017 Share Posted January 31, 2017 If I didn't have two big teen boys our menu at home would be MUCH simpler. oh my word I've only got one and he's like a human dumpster with food. LOL 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted January 31, 2017 Share Posted January 31, 2017 oh my word I've only got one and he's like a human dumpster with food. LOL I know. It is just crazy. I feel like all I do is plan, shop and cook. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marbel Posted January 31, 2017 Author Share Posted January 31, 2017 (edited) Do you have a mid-range place, like 5 Guys, where the burgers are decent but you're not expected to tip? That might take the sting out. Well, we had a specific time window and a specific area, so we were kinda tied to a limited number of places. Like, $14 burgers or McD's. HOWEVER! He had to call it off for tonight. Too much work. We'll reschedule and then we ought to be able to hit 5 Guys (I've never been) or Red Robin which has a $10 burger. Another reason I'm happy: I have to drive home since we were meeting up. (I have to drop my kid off at a class and we have to leave before he can get out of work.) That meant no wine for me. Of course I don't know if 5 Guys or Red Robin have wine anyway, but that's OK. If I have to eat at a nice place, I want wine. :lol: :lol: If it's more casual, water will do. Yeah, I know that makes zero sense. Edited January 31, 2017 by marbel 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Critterfixer Posted January 31, 2017 Share Posted January 31, 2017 fancy drink!!! Who wants to spend $12 on a drink!!!! :D That's why it's a dare.... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted January 31, 2017 Share Posted January 31, 2017 nearest low frills place with a grass fed burgers wants $13 (comes with potato chips) any toppings are extra Which in the realm of going out to eat isn't too bad price wise. But after tax and tip we are far from $7. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoobie Posted January 31, 2017 Share Posted January 31, 2017 Well, we had a specific time window and a specific area, so we were kinda tied to a limited number of places. Like, $14 burgers or McD's. HOWEVER! He had to call it off for tonight. Too much work. We'll reschedule and then we ought to be able to hit 5 Guys (I've never been) or Red Robin which has a $10 burger. Another reason I'm happy: I have to drive home since we were meeting up. (I have to drop my kid off at a class and we have to leave before he can get out of work.) That meant no wine for me. Of course I don't know if 5 Guys or Red Robin have wine anyway, but that's OK. If I have to eat at a nice place, I want wine. :lol: :lol: If it's more casual, water will do. Yeah, I know that makes zero sense. 5 Guys' burgers are good! They do not have wine. You walk in, order, then they call your number. No tipping and really reasonable for the quality. You get a metric ton of fries in one order. Red Robin does have booze, but more expensive and the food isn't as good IMO. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cecropia Posted January 31, 2017 Share Posted January 31, 2017 I'd order a cup of soup and a side salad at the restaurant and make dh hit Wendy's drive-thru on the way home... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted January 31, 2017 Share Posted January 31, 2017 5 Guys' burgers are good! They do not have wine. You walk in, order, then they call your number. No tipping and really reasonable for the quality. You get a metric ton of fries in one order. Red Robin does have booze, but more expensive and the food isn't as good IMO. I like their burgers at 5 guys. The fries are good too. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted January 31, 2017 Share Posted January 31, 2017 (edited) I only like eating out if it is food I cannot replicate at home. I don't like spending money on restaurant food that I could cook myself just as well, and often much better. Which means, to me, only ethnic food (or really fancy food, if we are in a big city) is worth it. The only place in town I would eat dinner at is the one Thai restaurant, and my guys like Japanese. The state of the local restaurant scene is pathetic. (Panera is fine for a quick work lunch if I don't have time to go home and cook, but it's not "dinner out".) Edited January 31, 2017 by regentrude 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoobie Posted January 31, 2017 Share Posted January 31, 2017 I like their burgers at 5 guys. The fries are good too. And they'll serve bunless burgers or lettuce wraps without stinkface, though it's hard to resist the Cajun fries! I love going out and trying different things. Atlanta has so many great restaurants. BUT taking the kids? Sucks. Not having an endless money supply sucks too. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted January 31, 2017 Share Posted January 31, 2017 And they'll serve bunless burgers or lettuce wraps without stinkface, though it's hard to resist the Cajun fries! I love going out and trying different things. Atlanta has so many great restaurants. BUT taking the kids? Sucks. Not having an endless money supply sucks too. I should go there for that. The lettuce wrapped burger. I haven't been there in a long time. Great...now I'm hungry. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vintage81 Posted January 31, 2017 Share Posted January 31, 2017 Great...now I'm hungry. Me too!! Good thing I'm having hamburgers for dinner! :laugh: (at home, not eating out) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kassia Posted January 31, 2017 Share Posted January 31, 2017 I know. It is just crazy. I feel like all I do is plan, shop and cook. Yep. I have three sons. Two of them are always trying to gain weight and muscle. They all require huge meals. They don't live at home now but, before they come home for an extended period of time, I get so stressed thinking about how I'm going to feed them. When they aren't home and it's just DH, dd, and me, it's so easy! I'm definitely spoiled. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storygirl Posted February 1, 2017 Share Posted February 1, 2017 I know what you mean. DH works only ten minutes away now, and the kids are in school, so I recently mentioned that we should go out for lunch sometime. Because we never get to go on dates with the kids around. So he called one morning last week to see if I wanted to eat out. My answer: "No, I'm tired. I've been cleaning. I'm wearing old clothes and don't want to change. I haven't showered. I'm going to go take a nap." Poor DH. Sometimes I am so confusing :o . 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebel Yell Posted February 1, 2017 Share Posted February 1, 2017 Is there a https://www.steaknshake.com nearby? I had dinner there tonight. i LOVE their burgers, fries are OK. I actually got a kids meal! (Some restaurants will allow grown ups to order a kids meal if you ask. If it's a tipping restaurant I still tip on the cost of an adult meal) Crazy thing is, burgers were on the menu at home tonight. After an exhausting 3+ hour dance rehearsal, SweetChild asked me to drive her to work (babysitting, 30 mins away) I had her burger ready but I planned to eat later when DH & Diamond got home, but it was too late for me too cook mine, so I jumped in the car, dropped her off, and hit the Steak n Shake drive through. I rewarded myself with a shake for my efforts. :) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peaceseeker Posted February 1, 2017 Share Posted February 1, 2017 (edited) Burgers are a fallback here. I like to go ahead and have them shaped in patties with salt and pepper in the freezer so I can just thaw and throw them in the pan. Buns are always in the freezer too, ready to thaw, though lately I have been enjoying mine sans bun. I am extremely lazy but I can usually convince myself to spend ten minutes with a skillet. Usually. So I feel your pain there :) I have lately been experimenting with various pricey cheeses to jazz them up. So now the burger craving is almost where it can't be satisfied without me cooking it myself. Because I have more awesome cheese than most of the restaurants are serving lol... Apparently I am motivated by salty hunks of aged cheeses that cost way too much per pound! Edited February 1, 2017 by CaliforniaDreaming 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peaceseeker Posted February 1, 2017 Share Posted February 1, 2017 And now I really want a cheeseburger. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlsdMama Posted February 1, 2017 Share Posted February 1, 2017 I have convinced myself rotisserie chicken is healthy. (It doesn't matter that I am lying to myself. It only matters that it makes me happy.) 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted February 1, 2017 Share Posted February 1, 2017 I have convinced myself rotisserie chicken is healthy. (It doesn't matter that I am lying to myself. It only matters that it makes me happy.) What's unhealthy about it? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marbel Posted February 1, 2017 Author Share Posted February 1, 2017 LOL, such a fun conversation. I've decided that dinner out is not what I want anyway. I want to go out to a bar and listen to music. So that is my new project: finding some local places (don't want to go into Philly if I don't have to) that have musicians. I've never noticed any around here but I've never looked, either. My husband agrees, so that's good. (But he does like to go out for nice dinner and I can't stand spending a lot of money on that, so there's still a small disagreement there.) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kassia Posted February 1, 2017 Share Posted February 1, 2017 I really like cooking meals in big batches and freezing meals so we have leftovers. Things like burgers are really easy to freeze and make a quick and easy leftover meal with no clean up. Cooking once and then getting two or three meals out of it is perfect for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kewb Posted February 1, 2017 Share Posted February 1, 2017 I know what you mean. I, too, used to love to eat out. Now I am always thinking "I can make this. I can make it healthier. It would cost me $4 to make this and they are charging how much? I wish I was in my pajamas right now." I don't seem to have the same issue with take out. Happy to order in if I don't have to cook. I just don't want to go out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted February 1, 2017 Share Posted February 1, 2017 I have convinced myself rotisserie chicken is healthy. (It doesn't matter that I am lying to myself. It only matters that it makes me happy.) Actually, there is nothing unhealthy about grilled chicken. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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