<p>Back during our upper middle class phase of life, we ate out once a week, and often times had delivery or take out at least once a week. Now that we are middle class, we get take out about twice a month.</p>
<p>I eat in my company cafeteria everyday, but it is heavily subsidized so probably cheaper than bringing my own. Also, they always have a vegetarian option and a vegetarian soup. I love soup madly, so that is a major treat for me for $1.25 a day. Other thatn that, we eat out usually once a week and/or takeout once a week. Fridays are insane in my house because my commute is usually horrible, my son has a lesson at a funky time and my hubby works both jobs. It’s just much easier to not cook on Friday. </p>
<p>On the rare occasion that my husband and I are off on a weekday together (a couple of times a year at most), we will out to breakfast at a local coffee shop. Usually costs less than $15 for both of us.</p>
<p>H is trying to diet hard and I’m trying to be encouraging lol! We go out to dinner a couple of times a month. We went out last night and I ate too much, a greasy hamburger and onion rings. I was very sick afterwards, I guess I just can’t eat like that anymore. We might eat lunch out a couple of additional times a month. H eats lunch out everyday, trying to make healthy good choices. He’s on the road so packing would be hard. Have not had pizza since December, really missing it but maybe less after last night.</p>
<p>Eating out is common and relatively inexpensive in our area. We have a lot of family-owned ethic restaurants in our neighborhood. We always eat dinner out on Wednesdays - same restaurant with the same group of friends. We have done this for probably 15 years. It’s our “Cheers” where everybody knows our name and our order as soon as we walk through the door. Then we always eat lunch out on Saturdays as a family - usually burgers or pizza. And I eat out with my co-workers on Mondays. Occasionally, if the kids are out, I will do take-out on a Friday or Sat night with H. There is a grocery store near us with an excellent take-out department.</p>
<p>Every Friday we go to our regular Thai place. Usually quick lunch out @work or bring Trader Joes entree. Usually at least one more meal out on weekend-L or D. Less than we used to go out.</p>
<p>I’d say about 2 times a month we eat out at nice restaurants, order in chinese or pizza once a week or go out for a bite (at our local pub, or a diner, for example.) </p>
<p>I also eat lunch out once a week with my friends after our weekly tennis game. </p>
<p>Have no idea what DH does for lunch most days for lunch.</p>
<p>After we get some additional responses, I will tabulate them and let you know what the averages are.</p>
<p>When my H and I go out once a month, it’s usually to an inexpensive casual restaurant. We used to go out more often with friends, but it was getting very expensive. The last two times we ate out with friends, we spent about $100 each time. I told my H this has to stop. So, we told our friends we’re trying to save money. Now we invite them over to our house for dinner or we go to theirs.</p>
<p>Depending on what your intent /slant is, it would’ve REALLY eye opening to see how much individuals or families are spending on meals out. A $10 pizza is one thing, ethnic or other take out for the family is another. Or lunch out 4-5 times a week. It’s all relative.</p>
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Right. But it depends on where. My subsidized lunch is less than $5 per day, often much less. A lot of people in the area where I work get lunch from food trucks. Not very expensive.</p>
<p>True Zoosermom. And that’s kind of what I mean. Relative to what your situation is, relative to what you are measuring. A $5 lunch a few times a week would be a lot to me, but a drop in the bucket to someone else.</p>
<p>My lunches are $8-12 including a drink. Once or twice a week I meet a friend for lunch- it’s our social time. I like to get out of the office, although I frequently eat at my desk and read the WSJ. I get taken to lunch or have lunch served at meetings about once every two weeks, so that’s a free one for me. I can eat healthy. I don’t always. Some days I run at lunch if I haven’t gotten up to run in the morning and I order in or pick up something afterwards. We have a service that delivers food from a different restaurant each day (rotating set of places) if you order by 10am. No delivery charge or tip.</p>
<p>Once or twice a month at cheap eats places. My regular routine is a cup of oatmeal during the day and then home-cooked food at night. I will eat more (eggs, Tofurkey, other carbs, soup) during the day if I’m doing a lot of strength-training or playing tennis that day). I’m basically tightly controlling my diet and eating out is somewhat incompatible with that.</p>
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<p>I agree, but I thought that it might be difficult for people to estimate how much they spend eating out every month. I bet in most cases, people tend to drastically underestimate how much that is.</p>
<p>We spend a lot on eating out, but we are sort of foodies, for lack of a better word, and find it to be worth it, to us.</p>
<p>My h just tabulated our credit card purchases from last year. We always pay with Amex for the skymiles.We were both shocked at the amount we spend monthly eating out. Friday night is Mexican, h loves to have 3 or 4 beers which adds to the cost. Sat night we tend to dine out if we have no specific plans. Can be high end to casual. D2 plays travel softball, so when we are at weekend tournaments we eat lunch/ dinner with the team.</p>
<p>I have lunch once a week or so with my girlfriends. H used to eat out at lunch when he was working at an office. Now, he works from home he eats out for lunch maybe once a week, but still likes to run out and pick up a sandwich etc to get out of the house.</p>
<p>We could cut back, but at this point in our lives it is our treat to ourselves. We socialise with friends while dining out. We have lived on a very slim budget at I am grateful we are at the point in our lives we don’t have to worry about this.</p>
<p>As usual, I feel like a slacker here! I bring my lunch to work, and DH eats regularly at the company cafeteria (highly subsidized). He’ll occasionally bring restaurant leftovers and heat them up at work…but we only eat out 1-2 times each month and get takeout perhaps quarterly (usually pizza). It’s not that we have any objection to eating out; we just never seem to get around to it!</p>
<p>I eat a lot of pizza, lately – there are numerous good pizza places in this town – and get take out from the local Whole Foods a lot, because it is so darn convenient. Go to a sit down restaurant once a week or so. It feels like too much, and I would like to make more things at home, but have been lazy since we moved. I know a lot of people must be doing what I do. Big life style shift from 20 or 30 years ago.</p>
<p>I eat out everyday for lunch, 10-15 each day, but sometimes I have to go out for work. We probably eat out few times a week and that’ll be 75-150/dinner between two of us. We also go out for more expensive dinners for special occasions with kids and friends. H is a good cook, so we don’t order take out that often. We are foodies too, so we are glad we live in the food capital.</p>
<p>D1 is single in NYC. She doesn’t cook. She has nothing in her kitchen.</p>
<p>Our weekly Wednesday-out family dinner (3 of us now) is usually around $35. My Monday lunch is $10-$12. Saturday lunch (for 3 again) - $20 - $25, unless it’s gourmet burgers (If you’re ever in Dallas, you have to try Twisted Root!) then its $35. </p>
<p>Special occasion dinners with wine? maybe $100 (but that’s pretty rare!)</p>
<p>I rarely eat out unless we are traveling. We travel a fair amount, so I don’t feel the need to eat out here at home that often. I used to get pizza or Chinese on Friday nights and when I stopped that, my son lost 40 pounds in a few months. Not sure if it was related. I seem to have developed a lactose intolerance, so I don’t know what to eat anymore. My H does eat out much more often than I do, usually work-related.</p>