How Often...

[ditzyscrap]

Just a random question for the night...how often do you eat out...as a family or just by yourself?

[ditzyscrap]

In a normal 2 week period, our family probably eats out 3-4 times (we go to the city the day after payday, and so have to eat either breakfast & lunch or lunch & dinner while we're there). If I'm working I "eat out" more because I have to eat what is there at McD's, so I get food on my breaks. DH sometimes goes out on paydays and has breakfast, but I'm not sure he's still doing that since most of his buddies that he went with have been laid off.

[Chels85]

umm.... i eat out too much lol. need to stay home more.

[sprauncey1]

Twice a week or so. I guess our slice of Pizza at Sam's today counts too, so yeah...we've cut back though!

[AnnieBananie]

Pretty rarely. Maybe once a month, if that.

[krystalhartley]

As often as my husband doesn't complain. I'm allergic to cooking and eating home-cooked food.

I personally don't eat much fast food...prefer Chili's Quesadilla Explosion Salad or chicken fajita nachos from a local tex mex.

[jessica31876]

we used to eat out alot when my husband was still working. At least once a week at a sit down restaurant like Chili's/Olive Garden/Smokey Bones BBQ and two or three times a week at fastfood places like wendys/taco bell/mickey d's. Now I wish we had just stayed home because we would have saved a whole lot of money. Now we eat out maybe once a month and only like a cheeseburger and fries for each of us off the dollar menu from checkers or mcdonalds (so between 4 and 10 dollars depending on who goes). Oh and sometimes my daughter will bring home pizza or subs because her friends work at the local restaurants and she can get free food on occasion.

[jaylensmom]

we usually eat out 2 times a week...friday's is usually pizza night...and then saturday's we usually get something because who wants to cook on a saturday

[lovely1m]

We usually go out as a family once or twice a week. Dh and I have lunch together once a week or once every other week. I eat out at work about 3 times a month. Dh eats out for lunch everyday. Most of it is lunch meetings. I wish he wouldn't do that, but he says it all gets written off so its ok.

[Leila]

Way too often. Upwards of three times a week sometimes. This month though, I sat down and wrote out a menu with one dinner out added into it. I also have said that every time someone says, "Hey, let's go out!" or something along those lines, we're going to stick $40 (average cost of a meal out for us) in my cash cow. All the money we save is going to go towards something--not sure what yet.

[tuneskids]

once a month, if that. it's too dang expensive to feed 6 of us anywhere but home.

[rach3975]

In an average weekend we tend to eat out one fast food lunch and one sit down dinner as a family. We've been cutting back a little, so maybe we eat out 3 meals instead of 4 over a 2-week period. DH buys lunch out on Fridays, and lately I end up stopping at McDonalds for breakfast once a week because I don't have time to eat at home.

[meganmecrazy]

We eat out a 2-3 times a week probably (normally on the weekends).

[emmasmommy]

We normally eat out about 2-3 times a week. Usually Saturday night or breakfast on Sunday morning.

[sannajeannine]

When my husband was alive we had cooks night out every friday, but now its just whenever one of my kids takes me out.....maybe once a month or every other month.

[LibbysMommy]

Usually about 2-3 times a week here. It's usually on the weekends. Every now and then in the middle of the week we'll pick up some fast food because we have something going on that night. There is a new Mexican restaurant in town (our town of less than 3000 people, lol) and it's delicious and cheap, so we like to go there too.

[Sharon Kay]

dh eats lunch out every day...once in awhile he will bring lunch...I made him creamy turkey enchiladas for lunch this week and chicken noodle soup (Reames frozen kind...added some turkey). ...but he prefers to eat out because "everyone else does"...I don't like that he spends so much on lunches...but then I spend *HERE* so I don't say anything.

...I can't quite justify spending as much on digital as he spends on lunches...but I spend more on my hobby with the laptop, camera, and brand new 12x12" printer...but I still be he spends more...he spends at least $40 a week on lunches...sometimes more! Course I justify that by saying my scrapbooks last 100+ years...and how long does his spending last...until he goes...

Prior to last September (aka when we joined the Robotics Team)...we ate OUT in a real restaurant about 6 times a year. Little Caesars Pizza (cheap pizza) every Friday ... and fast food probably 2-3 times in a month maybe. Once we joined the Robotics Team we were eating out fast food like 3-4 times a week! Sonic was most of those times...I seriously got tired of Sonic after 3 months...and I gained some weight definitely!

NOW...it's about once a week fast food. Still don't do sit down restaurants very often since it is so expensive with 5 people.

May had to have been our highest eating out bill in one month in 25 years while we were on vacation. Disney was NOT CHEAP to eat at.

I think our eating out declined when I bought dh a smoker and when he got his new grill last year!!

Tip: Watch your local grocery store ... our Hy-Vee had a fantastic deal on a really nice grill last year!

[ColleenSwerb]

Rarely anymore. Jordan's pockets might as well be glued shut. We even have gift cards to restaurants that we got for Christmas that we still haven't used.
But since I don't do much cooking, I can't complain all that much.

We don't eat out for lunch at work very often either. We make a trip to Walmart once every 10 days or so and get stuff to eat that we can store at work. Soups, mac-n-cheese, bread, deli cold cuts, etc.

[ajf9597]

We try to only eat out 1 or 2 times a week, but lately it's been a lot more than that so we need to get back on track and start cooking more.

[pbumbaca]

On average twice a week, once it actually out at a restaurant and the other is pizza delivery. Overall, too much!

[ColleenSwerb]

We make our own pizzas at home. Right now we still use premade crusts (Boboli has big packages we get at BJ's - we don't use their sauce just the crusts, lol), but I'm hoping to get some time to learn how to make pizza dough in my breadmaker. $20 for a pizza (more for bigger families) once a week REALLY adds up, so we started making our own a few years ago. And, it's 100% customizable, lol. So I get my regular cheese with lots of sauce, and Jordan gets his pepperoni with very little sauce.

[alansrock]

Me and the boys go out every Thurs for lunch after Logan has speech and we eat out every Sun evening so at least twice a week, but sometimes it's 3 or 4.

[Stacey42]

1 or 2 times a week. Various places around here do 'kids eat free' nights during the week, IHOP does it Tuesday, Buffalo Wild Wings and the mexican buffet have it on Wednesday. One of the italian places does it Thursday. We usually hit one of those during the week.

Then on weekends we might go out to dinner on Sat or Sun night, depending on where we are & what we have been doing.

DH often takes the kids out for fast food & errand runs one of those days also. He eats lunch out every work day practically

[dabittymama]

Maybe once a week for fast food and once a month for a sit down place. Right now we cut it out of our budget while I am on maternity leave to off set the lack of my income for 2 months. Though I did cheat the other day and got the kids some BK...gotta give myself a break with the new baby in the house . My DH will go out to lunch maybe once a week for work, but it doesn't come out of our budget.

[kscwgirl]

Maybe once every couple of weeks as far as like actual resturants. Fast food was once a week or so, now it's 2 nights a week while Abby has tball. Lunches, I generally stop at walmart in the mornings and grab a sandwich or a frozen meal, or I bring leftovers. Jeff takes his lunch with him most days, there's no place by his job site for him to eat at.

[xboxmom]

Quite a bit actually. I would say once a week with the family maybe more. And then DH brings home a Little Caesars pizza I swear every other night. The kids like having it around for lunch and snacks. With 5 kids someone is always eating and hey you can't beat 5 bux!

[aggiefamily]

Usually once a week on Friday nights. If we are going to the beach we grab fast food on the way. Sometimes it is more than once a week. It all depends on what we have going on.

[LeeAndra]

It used to be 2-3x a week when I was working, but since my job ended and finances have gotten tighter, it's maybe once every other week.

DH works from home, so it's easy to make something for the two of us for lunch and dinner. Since SS eats out almost every meal (unless he eats a hot dog at home) with his mom, we almost always cook real food to eat at our house when we have him.

If DH and SS are out and abt without me, they do fast food. DH will also eat out if he's working in the field with a colleague.

*lol* I guess it's really just ME that doesn't eat out very often anymore!

[Sarah8914]

wow!! you guys go out a lot!!! I can't rationalize spending that much money so often. Plus for us, Shane gets home from work, we eat dinner and it's bedtime. So if/when we go out to eat, it feels like it takes up the whole night and leaves no family time--or time for Shane with the girls.

We go out about once a month--I think it kind of makes it more "special" too because it's not very often.

Ever since someone (I think here) posted about that site with how bad some of these places are for you, I just can't do it anymore! Fast food never sounds good (sadly) but I guess it's a good thing. I guess since I'm trying to lose baby weight, it's been easier for me to not eat too much fast food or greasy foods. We don't eat great at home, but not bad either.

Shane takes his lunch to work or comes home. We have money for him to go out every day, but he doesn't like to and we like to save our money for fun things instead!

[Shawna]

We try to keep take out to 1-2x a week or less but sometimes we end up going out more. We rarely go to sit down places though mostly because @ 2yo Kyle just can't/won't sit still lol. If we have someone to watch the kids then we might go out but that's not very often at all. Mostly we either get Chinese from Great Wall or order pizza or if it's the kids choice then it's McD's.

[Rae's World]

we probably order pizza twice and month and then DH and I will go out to eat, by our selves, at least once a month. But I will occasionally pickup lunch for myself and what ever kid is with me, mayube 3 times a month.

We have cut wayyyy back. It used to be 3 times a week!! but with a family of 6 it just starts costing too much!!

[lizzyfizzy]

Originally Posted by krystalhartley

As often as my husband doesn't complain. I'm allergic to cooking and eating home-cooked food.

yes. this.

we eat out too often. prob 3 times a week. we don't do like mcdonalds though. we do like chipotle and stuff like that.

[DawnMarch]

We eat out a lot on the weekends, and usually order a pizza one night/week.

[Megan Turnidge]

We were eating out A LOT.... like 3 times a week (4 times a week for me when I was in school). I loooove me some Chipotle or In N Out.

Buuuuut, we are like DIRT POOR right now, so we've changed our spending habits. We decided a few weeks ago that we can only really afford eating out 2x a month. I haven't been out to eat in over TWO WEEKS. I'm dying. lol

[mom2peanuts]

Once or twice. Maybe more in the summer as we go out more often.

[maryinaz]

Gosh this thread made me feel better!

[mlewis]

I love to eat out, but once I became a SAHM last year, that was the first thing we cut. We eat out as a family at a sit-down restaurant probably once a month, order a pizza once a month, and maybe hit the $1 menu on fast food 1-2 times a month. I still hit Starbucks almost once a week, though!

[lizzyfizzy]

Originally Posted by mlewis

I still hit Starbucks almost once a week, though!

we all have our priorities!!

[suze]

whenever we don't want to cook

[Nettio]

Probably 2-3 times a week on average. Right now it's been a bit higher because my DH is getting ready to deploy and he had a whole list of places he wanted to go before he leaves.

Whenever he's gone I tend to eat out a lot less because, even though I don't really like cooking, I find it easier to just make something at home than to go out and pick something up. Plus I don't like fast food so it limits the number of places I'd go to by myself anyway.