Eating out... how often?

[PierreBear]

Hey PS Friends,

Was curious how often ya'll go out to eat? Was curious what the norm is and I'm sure it also depends on life stages and family sizes.

Thanks for sharing!

 

[YadaYadaYada]

Go out or does ordering in count? We almost never go out to eat because we have a two year old but we will get pizza once in a while and every Monday is Moe's Southwest Grill. It's also too expensive on one income now with two kids so I cook most of the time:

 

[CareBear]

Before kids DH and I ate out almost every night. Cooking at home was once in a blue moon. Now with a little one, we eat in weeknights (I cook) but still eat out most of the time on weekends.

 

[hathalove]

All the time! It's really annoying when I think about it. We have at least one of our meals out per day. Sometimes two depending on what we are doing. Our jobs have us either working from home or out and about. So if we are home all day it's a way for us to get out of our workspace. If we have to be out all day well the meals have to be out too. I have zero idea how much we spend (I block it out) but I am sure that I would own some pretty amazing jewels if we didn't. We also aren't always home at the same time which means we sometimes have to eat at different times rather than together as a family. Eating out also allows us to eat together more regularly than not.

 

[the_mother_thing]

Probably 4-5x/week, but it's only if I'm feeling lazy because I really LOVE to cook. Or if I spend too much time thinking about my favorite salsa and baja tacos from Chuys. Or the Tuscan chicken from Carrabbas. Or a delicious steak from Angelos in Myrtle Beach.

Guess I know what I'm doing for dinner tonight now - NOT cooking!

 

[Dee*Jay]

A Lot.. ! If I added up what I spend in eating out I could by something fabulous... But I do love the experience and especially love not having a mess that needs to be cleaned up. The CB does cook more now than he used to, but we still end up in a restaurant several times a week!

 

[Queenie60]

When we're home and not traveling - maybe one time per month. When we are traveling, all meals are out and by the time we return home, can't wait to eat our own food.

I am a foodie - love to cook our ethnic foods. My husband is Armenian and I cook authentic Armenian food. And like to cook Mexican food, Italian food and anything else that suits our fancy.

Now that we are empty nesters - seems that I can make enough for two dinners! Relieves some of the hassles of cooking on a daily basis.

 

[tyty333]

Out, like a real sit down meal about once a week (usually on the weekend). The kids and I do a lot of Subway, Firehouse, Wendy's
type food because we are running to get to the next event. I'm a SAHM but if I worked we would be eating out/ordering
in a lot more.

 

[boerumbiddy]

More than I really want to admit! Was "down" to just five times last week. Am trying to cut down, among other ways by using Blue Apron pre-measured meals, which are great. But you still have to cut up the vegetables and clean up the dishes.....

 

[dk168]

At least once a month, sometimes more often, it depends on schedule.

For meals in nicer restaurants, I usually plan well in advance so that I could save up for the meals.

DK

 

[Matata]

Lunch and dinner a couple of times a week but I'm retired with friends who are retired and we do a lot of get togethers.

 

[NewEnglandLady]

I only cook 1 - 2x per week, so every other meal is out. I've had a subscription to Marley Spoon for about 6 months, but there are weeks I don't even want to cook those, so I skip the delivered meals. Summer is the worst for me because I HATE cooking in the summer. I'll probably go back to cooking 2x per week in the fall.

ETA: DH and I do a date night on Saturdays and sometimes we do a nice family dinner out on Sundays, but for the most part it's takeout from restaurants near us.

 

[Kaleigh]

Prob three times a week. It depends. We love to cook and grill. Just depends on our schedules..

 

[Dancing Fire]

Over 10X per week including lunch and dinner...
Lunch time!!

 

[Elizabeth35]

Maybe sushi (take out or eat in) twice a month. Occasionally if we are working on a house renovation we might go to lunch---maybe once a month?
3-4 times per year we go to a nicer restaurant in Chicago. And probably once a year we do a tasting menu someplace like Alinea--food that I can't make at home! When we travel (probably 8 times per year) we obviously eat out more, especially if in a hotel instead of a villa/condo.

DH and I love to cook and we always make extra so we have leftovers for lunch, or evenings when we get home late. We make all types of cuisine from Indian to Italian to French and Chinese. We try new recipes frequently and get several cooking magazines for inspiration.
In the summer we have homemade pesto, bruschetta, roasted tomatoes, homemade hummus and fresh mozzarella for making snacks/appetizers.
The kids are great at consuming leftovers, as are their friends!

We figure that saving $100 per week eating out pays for one of our vacations. And I'm sure some people spend much more than that on eating out.

We could afford to eat out whenever we like--but know that our own cooking is almost always superior to what we get in a restaurant.
We feel that the kids/young adults (ages 18-29) are more adventurous eaters because they have been exposed to a wide variety of foods. But they still eat what we view as an appalling amount of junk---fast food and soda and the awful energy drinks. Yuck!

 

[PierreBear]

Maybe sushi (take out or eat in) twice a month. Occasionally if we are working on a house renovation we might go to lunch---maybe once a month?
3-4 times per year we go to a nicer restaurant in Chicago. And probably once a year we do a tasting menu someplace like Alinea--food that I can't make at home! When we travel (probably 8 times per year) we obviously eat out more, especially if in a hotel instead of a villa/condo.

DH and I love to cook and we always make extra so we have leftovers for lunch, or evenings when we get home late. We make all types of cuisine from Indian to Italian to French and Chinese. We try new recipes frequently and get several cooking magazines for inspiration.
In the summer we have homemade pesto, bruschetta, roasted tomatoes, homemade hummus and fresh mozzarella for making snacks/appetizers.
The kids are great at consuming leftovers, as are their friends!

We figure that saving $100 per week eating out pays for one of our vacations. And I'm sure some people spend much more than that on eating out.

We could afford to eat out whenever we like--but know that our own cooking is almost always superior to what we get in a restaurant.
We feel that the kids/young adults (ages 18-29) are more adventurous eaters because they have been exposed to a wide variety of foods. But they still eat what we view as an appalling amount of junk---fast food and soda and the awful energy drinks. Yuck!

Oh wow... sorry this is off topic but how was Alinea?! I learned about it through a Netflix show. We have only tried a 1 Michelin star restaurant in the Bay area when we were there on vacation. Thought that was pretty amazing already...

 

[diamondringlover]

We order pizza every couple of weeks...but actually eat out? its pretty rare...maybe once every month or 2

 

[Elizabeth35]

PB-
Alinea was pretty darn spectacular!
It was over the top food-as-theater and we thoroughly enjoyed it.
For example, there was a helium filled balloon made out of green apple spun sugar--they hand you the sugar 'string' and you pop the balloon, inhale the helium and enjoy talking like Minnie Mouse. I remember another course that involved foraging what looked like a pile of twigs to find your food--I think it was a fancy jerky? The food was all fabulous but the presentation was like nothing I have experienced. And we have been to restaurants like Tru, L2O, etc.
It was not stuffy yet the service was impeccable.
If you love fine dining and are willing to pay for the experience-I think it was great fun!

 

[Gypsy]

We're both excellent cooks. But we are also foodies who love to eat out together.

It really depends on how we are feeling, how clean the house is, and what our finances look like.

But in general we try to avoid eating dinners out very often. We do it. But rarely. Maybe twice a month and often not even that. Honestly, most of the stuff we like to eat for dinner we make as good, if not better at home (I have given up entirely on eating steak out for example as I am always thinking: DH's steaks are better-- at a fraction of the price). So we save dinners out for date nights.

We are much more likely to go out for lunch. There are a lot of great counter service options here with excellent food, so we stick to those. And we eat mostly ethnic foods when we go out. So we'll go to the local afghan chicken joint for lunch, or a german sausage sandwich place, or a nice authentic Chinese place with lunch specials.

Lunch is usually a bargain for eating out. Dinner is NOT. And I am over tipping for table service. Don't need it.

 

[kenny]

Local take-out, or deliver maybe once a week ... usually relatively-healthy Thai food ordered with no rice since I cook brown rice at home.
I refuse to pay restaurants extra for brown rice.
White should cost more since it is the one that got more processing to remove and throw away the healthy parts.
Brown should cost less, not more.

I also refuse to perpetuate that backwards and ignorant idea about the superiority of white rice/flour/humans.

At home I put stir-fried Thai food in a strainer and rinse it under hot water.
This removes the extra fat, salt, sugar, and it still tastes wonderful.
My taste buds are no long tolerant to the ubiquitous blow-your-head-off-with-sugar-salt-spice-fat flavor explosions that Americans clearly thrive on (well, actually die from).

We go to a sit dow down at a restaurant maybe once a month, but no place so fancy that you can't wear shorts, a T-shirt and flip flops.
The bill, after drinks, tax & tip, is never over $30 for two.

I cook nearly all the food we eat from scratch using whole grains and fresh produce, tofu, fish or chicken for protein.
Healthy and cheap, and probably more green too than beef and heavily-processed quick/easy/microwave fare.

Less and less I see food as a source of pleasure, gratification ... an endorphin fix.
I prefer to see food as just gas for this car, which I want to see in the repair shop as seldom as possible and to last as long as possible.

 

[isaku5]

Over 10X per week including lunch and dinner...
Lunch time!!

I totally agree with DF. If we don't eat out, we order for pick up from some great local restaurants.

The days of cooking for four after a long day at work are history. The kiddies are happily well settled, so now we play...again.

 

[baby monster]

Don't recall the last time we had dinner at a restaurant. By the time I get home and put kids to bed, it's too late to go out plus no one to watch the kids so I usually cook something quick. But I almost always buy lunch at work. Does buying lunch from a food truck or deli count as eating out? It's my only opportunity not to eat stuff I cook. Sometimes we go out to breakfast on the weekend to a kids friendly place.

 

[wildcat03]

I grab lunch about twice a week somewhere. Monday almost always at my favorite chicken place. I go to the cafeteria at work a lot but I don't really count that. I'm pretty good about sticking to the salad bar there. Dinner out - one sit down a week, one fast casual

 

[madelise]

Back in LA, we'd eat out at least every other day. Sometimes, we'd eat out 3 times in a day.

Now we're in a higher cost of living area, we've adjusted to eating out 1-2 times a week. DH's employer makes food for us that he brings home on the weekdays, so I actually look forward to cooking with him on the weekend now.

 

[PierreBear]

PB-
Alinea was pretty darn spectacular!
It was over the top food-as-theater and we thoroughly enjoyed it.
For example, there was a helium filled balloon made out of green apple spun sugar--they hand you the sugar 'string' and you pop the balloon, inhale the helium and enjoy talking like Minnie Mouse. I remember another course that involved foraging what looked like a pile of twigs to find your food--I think it was a fancy jerky? The food was all fabulous but the presentation was like nothing I have experienced. And we have been to restaurants like Tru, L2O, etc.
It was not stuffy yet the service was impeccable.
If you love fine dining and are willing to pay for the experience-I think it was great fun!

Wow... thanks for sharing your experiences. Inhale the helium and talk like Minnie Mouse? hahaha sounds like a memorable time with your husband. I appreciate fine dining for special occasions but then there are days where I'm not a fan of multiple small plates as there is nothing like digging into hot wings or pizza. I think the next step is a 2 star restaurant and work our way up. However, we don't live in a city where restaurants are rated so we will have to plan it with a future vacation, which is fun in itself.

 

[GliderPoss]

We usually have brunch out after playing golf each weekend so usually only once a week, occasionally twice if we are meeting friends. We both enjoy cooking and there are not many good takeaway options here anyway - it's generally expensive & bad for you!

 

[Arcadian]

once a week, twice if its work related. I love to cook (I love my own cooking too) and I can be a picky eater who likes to know how her food is being handled...hence not eating out so much...just sayin.

 

[KristyDarling]

We have dinner out or delivered twice a week: on Fridays (when I'm exhausted from the work-week) and Saturdays. I cook dinner Sunday through Thursday.

Breakfast and lunch usually consist of food from home.

DH and I ate out a lot more frequently pre-kids, which was over 13 years ago.

 

[missy]

We used to eat out a lot. Now we eat out rarely.

Both my dh and I are foodies and we used to go out to wonderful restaurants with talented chefs at least 3 evenings a week. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. After 2008 when the recession hit we stopped eating out so much and to my surprise I enjoyed not eating out. I am super picky and my dh is the chef and I just prefer his cooking to even the most high end restaurants (though I really love Per Se and wouldn't say no if we decided we wanted to go back there if someone else was treating LOL) and I like knowing exactly what is going into my food. As I get older I get more and more discerning about what I am putting into my body and I just like eating at home. So these days we don't eat out much at all. And I prefer it this way.

As for lunches I make lunch for my dh and me every day. Again, it is just a much healthier (not to mention cost efficient) choice and also a time saver because neither of us have the time to spend going out and waiting on a line to buy lunch. This way we get more done at work in a shorter amount of time. And are eating healthier and saving money too. Win win win.

 

[Lenapie]

Too often than I'd like to admit (5-6 times a week, mostly dinners )! When we do cook at home, it's usually some kind of occasion for us, which I know is completely backwards, haha! The problem is I'm very whimsical about food and I get different cravings all the time. And since I'm not a good cook, I cannot cook up whatever I feel like eating that night. My DH's solution to that is taking me out to eat whatever cuisine I happen to want (he's a sweetheart! ). DH doesn't really like to cook on a regular basis either. Before we lived together, he'd cook up one huge dish at the beginning of the week and eat the same thing for several days. I don't think that's very healthy to eat left overs for that long, and also rather dull!

I'm definitely trying to work on my cooking skills so that we can eat out less, both for health reasons and economic reasons! Eating out is pretty expensive where we live (a tourist destination), so I'm thinking I should look into something like Blue Apron (no Blue Apron in Canada, I don't think) or maybe find healthy, pre-packaged meals that you just heat up.