No Eating Out Challenge....

[alicia9178]

Anyone up for this???? I am looking at how much people have calculated that they spend eating out and I am amazed. Being a college student and mom of 4 I know we sometimes go on binges with eating out. I get so busy and I am guilty of eating in the hospital cafeteria when I am at clinical. I would like to try a 60 day no eating out plan. We can give eachother suggestions on quick foods and stuff like that.....anyone in???
Alicia

[snowbunny]

I don't have too much time to write, but I am so in!

[alicia9178]

You do not need time to write...lol. Just check in every so often!!!
Alicia

[bec]

I am so in! I think this is where the bulk of our money goes! The trick for me is meal planning. I need to get better at planning our week's meals. It's when I get caught at 5pm and realize that everyone is starving and I don't even have anything defrosted! Then, I get this sense of entitlement, like "I've worked hard all week, and deserve to not cook tonight!"

I was proud of myself, yesterday, because it was a classic situation where I would have gone out to dinner. DH and I needed to pick my car up from being repaired in the late afternoon (dinner prep time), but I was able to organize myself and plan it, so that I had dinner all ready, and just put it in the oven when I was about to run my errand. We came home, and dinner was ready! Now, I need to do that 59 more times!

[Thystle]

OK starting tomorrow (Jan 21st) I will do a 60 day challenge.

60 days= January 21st to March 21st



I will consider NOT eating to be anything that *I* have to buy, but ofcourse if a relative wants to take me out...

[Thystle]

To make it MORE interesting and to REALLY let it hit home, we should write down the amount we WOULD have spent.


So each day if you normally would have spent money write that down... like if you always eat out on Tuesday nights or if you always grab lunch on Friday, or if everyone eats out on Sunday morning.



THAT will be interesting to see!

[sunflwrmoonbeam]

I think I'd like to try it, but I doubt my strength! We've cut back A LOT on eating out, but we'll see.

[Thystle]

I can tell you that this will be hard as my middle son is SPD and eats better "at" certain places.


But we will not go "out" as a family for the next 60 days......... but I may reserve the right to get the little guy a snack if somehow we get stranded anywhere without food (which ofcourse I will do my best NOT to let happen)... but since he has eating issues, I won't let him go hungry... the rest of us can deal with it!

[Zamber]

What a good idea! I'll start first thing Monday morning

[alicia9178]

We are starting today....we went out for our last dinner lastnight. I figured Sundays start the new week so it is a perfect time to start a new challenge
Alicia

[ollineeba]

I'm a little nervous about this... but I'm in
We have to stick to our budget and I know we're guilty of eating out too much! Today will be my first day.

[kwilki8]

I'd like to try this too--we're trying to eat out less for budget and health concerns. We've been eating out about twice a week. My plan is to take what we would usually spend on eating out and put it into our savings account each week so that I can actually see how much it is--if I just leave it in the household fund it will probably get spent without my noticing it.

[kwilki8]

Okay, so I just did some math to prove to myself why I should give up the luxury of dinners out. We spend $40-50 a week on meals out. I've been thinking that's not too bad because I'm pretty frugal with the grocery budget, so it works out. And we can afford it.

However, we've been wanting to buy dd a swingset for her birthday and didn't think we could afford it. We have a little bit saved but were going to have to take from savings for the rest.

But by the end of this challenge, we will have saved enough money to buy the swingset.

I am so motivated!

What strategies are you all planning to help you do this (other than sheer force of will)?

The trick for me is meal planning. I need to get better at planning our week's meals. It's when I get caught at 5pm and realize that everyone is starving and I don't even have anything defrosted! Then, I get this sense of entitlement, like "I've worked hard all week, and deserve to not cook tonight!"

This is so me. I just don't know how to get better at it. I'm great at making menus, just not so great at following through on them.

[Baby Makes 4]

I am in too with a couple of caveats.

We will not go out as a family
We will not get take out
We will not get drive through on those crazy days

IF my mother offers to baby sit so DH and I can have an evening out together I reserve the right to go out for dinner with my hubby. It only happens 5 or 6 times a year so I won't pass it up if we get the opportunity.

Oh, and my DS is flying to Calgary next week to visit his bio-Dad and we already promised him we would go out for lunch on the way to the airport so I don't want to take that away form him as he is nervous about the flight.

Other than that .... I am in!

[Zamber]

Well, so far I am doing ok. Today DH went thru the Arby's drive thru, and I did not cave in (and he knew about this challenge too . I could of told him he couldn't have any fast food either, but I kind of wanted to make a point - 1)that I was serious about my commitment, and 2)how his choices affect the family as a whole when we are together. He was a like "but I feel so bad eating it in front of you" (and if he really felt bad he wouldn't of even suggested/gone thru with it ). Well, I told him that he was an adult, and I was not going to tell him what to do - if he wanted some that was fine. I had made sure to eat a couple of sandwiches before we left the house, so that helped me a lot. I offered DS some food too, but he was not interested. The minute DH went thru the drive thru though, DS started screaching for fries. DH didn't want him to have any, as he wants his son to eat healthier too. I told DH that if he gets fast food around our son and he wants some, he has to share with DS. Unlike an adult, DS (who is 2) won't understand why Daddy eats in front of him and does not give any to him, KWIM? So, the point was made that if DH truely wants DS to eat healthier, he has to commit to no fast food around DS. It made DH stop and think, and later on, he didn't dare ask for fast food for dinner. The reward? Pan cooked sirloin steak with parmesan garlic potato wedges .

[ollineeba]

This is more difficult that I realized I need to start planning better.. when I go grocery shopping, I have to make sure that I have things to pack lunches!
I had a 1/2 hr break today between my class and lab and bought lunch at the school cafeteria.. $5.74
I was really hungry and couldn't wait another 4 hours until I got home, so I caved. I should have brought a lunch!
Even at once a week, that would add up pretty quickly.

Back on the horse..

[ollineeba]

Originally Posted by kwilki8

I'd like to try this too--we're trying to eat out less for budget and health concerns. We've been eating out about twice a week. My plan is to take what we would usually spend on eating out and put it into our savings account each week so that I can actually see how much it is--if I just leave it in the household fund it will probably get spent without my noticing it.

Great idea. I think I'll do this, too. If it's in our checking acct, I'll just send it elsewhere to pay something else.
I'm thinking that it will add up pretty quickly!

[Wild Flowers]

OKay, I am not sure how it is going to go, since I am commiting to this without asking dh: We will see how long it takes him to realize we aren't eating out. Of course, with the fact of being pregnant and actually being due before March 21, I reserve the right to Coldstone for emotional days, this has only been like three times this pregnancy, but it is getting to the last bit so just in case. But no eating out dinner breakfast, or lunch. I always feel slightly better if we get our desserts out because it makes it harder for us to have them. More expensive, but it keeps us from having it very often. We spend like $40 or more each time we go out, and we eat out twice a week. Occaisonally we eat out for breakfast once a week also, so that would be over $100 a week we will be saving. Deep breath, I can do this.

[wife&mommy]

I really need to join you guys. The hard part for me is DH and I eat lunch out once a week on his off day. We really enjoy it, but it really does add up.

[alicia9178]

Originally Posted by wife&mommy

I really need to join you guys. The hard part for me is DH and I eat lunch out once a week on his off day. We really enjoy it, but it really does add up.

Here is an idea....why don't you pack a nice picnic lunch and eat it together...
or maybe cook a nice lunch together. Sometimes cooking together can be fun and can spark some good conversation.
Alicia