How often do you eat out?

[mikandmari]

We've reduced our eating out habit from once a week to once a month. On busy days, we used to get take out if I had nothing easy to fix, and now I freeze easy suppers that we can just stick in the oven. At work everyone gets Chinese food once a week, I now only participate bi-weekly.

All this has made a huge improvement in my budget!

Of course, this means the grocery budget goes up a bit. But with good planning, I'm lowering the amount of groceries I buy.

Most importantly, I've found that I'm continually getting better at this. My cooking skills are getting better, too. All this in 10 months of hanging out at FV!

[lullaby80]

We usually eat out once a week, mostly on the weekends. It would be easy to cut down but I like the fact that I don't have to cook every single meal at home and that all three of us can sit down somewhere and enjoy good food (and DS gets to taste new things).

[ilovechocolate]

I try to treat my kids to eating out once a month. It may not be in a sit-down restaurant, it might just be a bucket of chicken from KFC, but once a month is all I can do at this time.

Sometimes it's a school fund raiser, like a BBQ or spaghetti supper.

[FrugalMomof3]

I try to only eat out like once every 2-3 months as I always feel bad afterwards thinking how I could have made "this or that" at home for $5 or something.

[steelergal]

Maybe once a month- and it is usually off of the dollar menu. Although for our anniversary my mom will get us a gift certificate to a decent place to eat!

[Darlene]

Good for you Mari, you have cut back alot & happy to hear your cooking skills are getting better too. Hope you are having fun with it.

Jack & I practically never go out to eat, maybe 5 times in 23 years. Nicole & I do go out to lunch sometimes (once a month?) and try to use a coupon when we do. We had lunch out just this past week & had a coupon for $3.00 off. Oh, we always get water with a slice of lemon for free instead of paying for other beverages.

[Royal]

Well we eat out about twice a year. I make my weekly menu on Sundays so I already have a game plan for the week to come. However, when we do eat out we REALLY enjoy ourselves because it's a BIG treat for us.

[Holly]

about twice a month.
when i'm in the city grocery shopping i meet Fiance for lunch

[getnrichslowly]

During the school year, about once a week or less. We are just too tired to even go out. Over the summer we eat out more since we are both not working, usually for lunch. Dh's mom buys us one of those big dining coupon books and we use that a lot.

[jamie79]

About twice a month. Sometimes a little more and sometimes a little less

[JustJoy]

Once a month or less.

[Neeley]

Normally about once a week. Both kids have some kind of ball practice or game every night except Wednesday. Then you add in church on Wednesday nights, leaving Sunday night as our only one at home. Some nights football or baseball practice can last three hours and cooking is out of the question.

We usually grab Subway, Chinese take-out or something similar.

[tbs727]

Probably about once a week or less. We used to eat out every Sunday after church with our friends. I got the idea to organize a lunch schedule with my other friends that want to save money. We each pick a Sunday to provide lunch. We still get to eat and spend time together, but instead of spending $80 eating lunch, I spend about $10 on groceries.

[latierra84]

dh and i eat out way too much. ive gotten into the habit of eating lunch at home though, and this saves me quite a bit as opposed to my old lunch game plan of going out with the "girls" everyday which quickly turns into $8 here and $10 there. i dont live very far from work and so im able to get home and enjoy a show and relax on the couch. and i really look forward to it too! getting out of the office sometimes for that hour can be a real life saver, my job is very stressful.

pizza is our weakness. but if we buy it we split one and theres still leftovers for my lunch for the following day. two different pizza places know me and dh by name.

[Its_Donna]

We eat out once or twice a month; sometimes less.