<p>Lunch is take-out almost everyday. Since it’s just the two of us, I try to cook but we are surrounded by fantastic cheap family owned ethnic restaurants. Indian, Korean, Armenian are current favorites in the take-out-for-dinner rotation. Probably 1-2 times a week. The sort of foods I could never make at home.
As far as dinner out(once a week?), we too are foodies and tend to obsess over certain sorts of cuisines. Again–the sort of foods I am not adept at cooking. A few months ago it was Persian food and right now it’s Japanese comfort food–things like tonkotsu ramen and yakitori. This too shall pass. (I see Carnivore Nouveau on the horizon.)</p>
<p>I bring a salad with grilled chicken from home to work every day. Only go out to lunch if we are celebrating a co-worker’s birthday. H eats at home everyday (self-employed) and then eats out everyday when traveling. </p>
<p>H and I may go out to lunch or dinner about twice a month, and it’s usually sushi, Thai or Korean. We may spend $30 to $60 depending…</p>
<p>We are also part of 3 different social groups (couples) who meet monthly, and take turns to host, and this is a wonderful way to enjoy some great and unusual foods in the comfort of homes (rather than dark or noisy restaurants). We go all out when we are hosting, cooking crab, salmon, lamb etc.</p>
<p>Try starting a social group, whether it be wine-tasting, pot-luck, gourmet club style, themed dinners. Lots of fun.</p>
<p>Oldfort --</p>
<p>Added up your numbers. You spend about $21,000 eating out each year. That number is just mind boggling to me. That’s how much we spend on our mortgage payment per year.</p>
<p>Here’s another question: does eating out a lot cause weight problems?</p>
<p>In most cases, I would say yes. Most people tend to eat more when they eat out. I know that I do.</p>
<p>Yes. American restaurants have oversized portions. I need to be very careful as far as fat content and portion size. We either get one portion when we do take out or stretch two portions to two nights. Tonight we are eating the left over cucumber salad and lamb kebap from last nights take out.
I think that’s why I like sushi restaurants and yakitori restaurants. You can order a series of very small portions.</p>
<p>We eat out 1-2 times per week. Always Saturday and one night during the week. I take my lunch to work every day. Friday’s are usually pizza night, which we did take out, but now we make our own at home. We go out to a local watering beer hall once per month for a Pub Theology and have dinner with a bunch of people, wich we countbas a night out. We used to go to a happy hour weekly but we seem too busy and are watching our calories and pocket.
Sunday is spent making dinners and a large pot of soup to eat throughout the week.</p>
<p>i try to remember to always bring a takeout container with me when I go to a restaurant. That way I don’t need to ask for a throw-away container. Sometimes a single order from a Chinese or Thai restaurant can be 3 meals, actually cost-effective.</p>
<p>We take our lunches M-Th and go out to lunch on Fridays, usually with a group of co-workers (we both work at the same large office). Wednesday night is take out, from any of a variety of places. We always go out to eat on Saturdays, but usually a casual restaurant. Lately we have gotten into the habit of going out to breakfast on Sundays and I am enjoying that. So, one lunch per week, one dinner per week, one take-out per week, and one breakfast per week.</p>
<p>Bethievt --</p>
<p>We also find that when we get Chinese carry out, it will be enough for 3 meals for the 2 of us. That comes out to about $2 per person per meal. Hmmm . . . maybe we should get Chinese carry out more often. ;)</p>
<p>Concerning weight and eating out - it can be managed, absolutely. If I know that I’ll have a particularly rich dinner out, I’ll eat light during the day. However, most dinners out I order grilled fish or chicken and a salad, and I don’t feel stuffed. My big treat is a creme brulee for dessert. I don’t go to restaurants that serve heavy greasy food - I would much rather cook and eat my own food than eat the high calorie poor quality food that is served in many restaurants.</p>
<p>We eat out probably once a month or less. I bring my lunch to work and we make dinner almost every night. If you count getting a pizza I’d say we eat out once a month, if you talk about going out to dinner at a sit-down restaurant probably not every month. We never do drive-through food. We had crab, Caesar salad, wild rice and a baguette last night, but it was Valentine’s day and my H made dinner. We don’t necessarily eat like that every night at home. We just fell into the habit of cooking together when we were dating and it carried over into our married life. Our neighbors never make food with the rare exception when they use their grill. The kids, growing up, were fascinated that they never grocery shop and eat all meals out.</p>
<p>When we are at work, 1-2 weeks per month, we eat out all meals, though we don’t generally get 3 meals per day. At home, we eat out or bring home takeout almost every day, might be breakfast, lunch or dinner. But we are big on groupon/entertainment guide, local food, so we don’t have big bills. It’s actually somewhat cost effective if you watch what you’re doing and bring a doggie bag home. I really dislike cooking.</p>
<p>“creme brulee”</p>
<p>Ah…my favorite!</p>
<p>So much of this depends on your lifestyle and where you live/work. I work in midtown Manhattan where for lunch you can surprisingly eat extremely cheaply. Yesterday younger d met me for lunch at a local bagel shop where an egg white on a whole wheat bagel is less than $3.00. Today I picked up some sliced pineapple and a yummy chicken with apple slices/greens and craisins in a small container charged by weight and it cost me $3.35. I usually bring that up and eat at my desk with a glass of water or I might make tea… I always eat breakfast at home with fresh-ground coffee beans and I pick up a small container of coffee from either a cart on the street or in my building. No Starbucks and occasionally DD or Tim Horton. I always bring an apple or pear with me and keep almonds with me to munch on, as well as the Trader Joe dark chocolate 100 calorie package. </p>
<p>Now dinner that is another story. Since DH is retired, he does a good deal of the cooking but we do go out quite a lot, at least 1-2 times a week as a good part of our social life revolves around meeting friends for dinner either on a Saturday night or during the week in the city and dinner is becoming more and more expensive. You go out for a casual midweek dinner in Manhattan…and you can easily spend over $100 a couple and that is usually a drink, a salad, main course and coffee- there usually aren’t any desserts being ordered. If we do that twice a week, it does add up… We do also go to theatre and concerts and museums so depending on where we are and what we are doing, it can be costly or not. Around Lincoln Center, it is hard not to spend a lot of money because there aren’t many options. In midtown Manhattan theatre district, there are always a few inexpensive standbys and there is always Thai food… you just have to know where to go.</p>
<p>We cook Sun-Wed nights. Fast-food on Thurs. Leftovers on Friday. Nice dinner on Sat night.</p>
<p>We eat dinner out about 6 times a year. I bring a lunch every day and only go out when there is a special occasion at work</p>
<p>We have always eaten at home and like to cook. We also had our income cut in half about 7 years ago so eating out was cut out. Actually I would much rather eat one of our meals at home than the high fat, high salt food in most restaurants</p>
<p>“Added up your numbers. You spend about $21,000 eating out each year”</p>
<p>Yikes!</p>
<p>I almost always cook. We sometimes go out somewhere inexpensive after church. We do takeout maybe twice a month. I pack lunches. Our budget is pretty tight.</p>
<p>Emilybee --</p>
<p>That was my reaction too. However, it’s all relative. She may have a household income that is VERY high compared to ours.</p>
<p>Once a week on fridays and about one saturday per month also. H makes his lunch from left overs from freezing the week night meals. It would be interesting to look at BMI’s and times out (cost is too variable on location) but there is also the travel variable that make 3 times a day for as many days as we are gone.</p>